Egocentric America

2 Pages 557 Words

The American school setting is the perfect environment for the egocentric self to be learned by children and is clearly opposed to the development of a sociocentric self. From the first day of nursery or even before that, children are all considered special, in their own way, which sets each one apart from everyone else. Schools particularly reinforce the belief of individualism and competitiveness in almost every aspect of the American school day. This is key to American society due to the fact that success here is based on standing out from everyone else and incorporating the aspects of assertiveness, intelligence, uniqueness, and common sense.
In the early elementary school years of childhood development in America, children as “individuals” get focused on by the teacher. This is established by one on one interaction between the student and teacher relationship, that is children need personalized attention and not only focusing on the “whole” mentality. Demand for smaller class sizes emphasizes this. Another example that could be provided for the egocentric self is the rewards a student will receive if they strive for the best, in the giving out of gold stars. Many American school teachers reward a child’s successful homework, project, participation, friendliness, etc. with the “gold star.” Either in the teacher’s book or better yet, on a chart displayed for everyone to view, are how many stars each child has. Some children will receive more stars than others, thus receiving more praise, rewards, and self fulfillment from both teachers and parents who reestablish their child’s individuality. This conditioning process clearly promotes each child to strive for more stars, to be the best, to stand out from the crowd and proclaim his or her own uniqueness.
Upon later years of schooling, the egocentric teachings in America become more prevalently displayed, accepted, and incorporated in each individual student. Gold...