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Robert Selman / Stages Of Essay

A child in this stage also understands that other people can do the same thing, and they are able to take on the perspectives of disinterested parties in order to anticipate how such individuals would respond. The final stage takes place between the ages of 12 and 15, in which the child sees the societal role of perspectives and can evaluate their own perspective as well as the perspectives of others and compare them with the values and morals of the social system in which they live. All of these stages of social perspective taking influence how a child makes friendships. The various stages impact how a child views the meaning of friendship. In the egocentric stage children see friends as being anyone who shares a common activity. As the child ages, and enters Stage 1, common activity continues to be the basis for friendship but they also consider the fact that friends are people who can 'choose' to do nice things for them. At this stage friendships can be very one-sided and easily revoked if the 'friend' does not serve the child's interest....

In stage 2 children develop a concern for what other people need and begin to understand reciprocity. In this stage common activities are no longer sufficient to form a friendship, but they place a great emphasis on their friends being people who share similar views and perspectives. In the final two stages, similarity is still important for the formation of friendships, but adolescents in these stages understand the obligations that go along with friendship and place an emphasis on the intimate aspects of friendship that lead to emotional support being offered unconditionally.
Thus, as a child learns to understand the views of others, these views change how they understand friendship. Friendship changes as a child grows older from something intended solely to meet the needs of the child, to a more mature perspective that sees friendship as a mutually beneficial relationship.

References

Damon, W. (1977). The Social World of the Child. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Selman, R.L. (1980).…

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References

Damon, W. (1977). The Social World of the Child. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Selman, R.L. (1980). The growth of interpersonal understanding. Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
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