Self Concept & Autism- A Comparison of Articles

Self Concept & Autism- A Comparison of Articles

In this assignment, we would compare two articles i.e. The Self Concept Revisited by Seymour Epstein (1973) and Culture and the Self: Implications for Cognition, Emotion and Motivation by Markus and Kityama (1991). The main purpose of the paper is to analyze the authors' viewpoints on self concept and associate it with the issue of Autism in children. Both articles provide a detailed analysis on self concept and the major attributes of its development in children. The prevalent issues of autism have a negative impact on the development of children.

Self Concept & Autism in Children

Self Concept could be defined as “a distinct set of beliefs about one's own self. Self concept allows people to perceive their own performance and lives. A number of attributes are associated with a thorough development of self concept. On the other hand, Autism refers to a disorder marked by a child's inability to carry out communication and social interactions. The disorder restricts a child's ability to learn and induces repetitive behavior.

In a broader perspective, it should be realized that autism impacts the information processing capacity in children which hinders their cognitive and motor abilities. (Silverman, 2008). From a report published by Center for Disease Control and Prevention; autism affects around 1-2 children per every 1,000. In the United States, autism is believed to affect over 20 children per 1,000 (CDC, 2012). The prevalence of autism in North America has increased over the past decade.

Comparison of Articles- Author's Approach & Autism

The Self-Concept Revisited by Seymour Epstein (1973)

In his article, Epstein (1973) asserted that when an individual's self-concept is threatened; it leads to uncontrollable anxiety. Hence, from Epstein's perspective the anxiety causes individuals to imply defense mechanisms to protect themselves from ...