TY - JOUR
T1 - The Imaginary Audience, Self‐Consciousness, and Public Individuation in Adolescence
AU - Ryan, Richard M.
AU - Kuczkowski, Rebecca
PY - 1994/6
Y1 - 1994/6
N2 - ABSTRACT In this study, we examined the construct of the imaginary audience (Elkind & Bowen, 1979), presumably a precipitant of adolescent egocentrism, as it relates to public individuation and self‐consciousness. We hypothesized that the imaginary audience inhibits public individuation and represents a critical form of public self‐consciousness. We also argued that the imaginary audience is a normal aspect of early adolescent development that diminishes in the context of secure parental relationships by late adolescence but remains salient if these relationships are insecure. These hypotheses were examined in a cross‐sectional study of 850 adolescents in the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 12th grades. Support was generally found for the hypothesized relations. The validity and limitations of the imaginary audience and public individuation constructs are discussed, along with more general theoretical issues concerning adolescent self‐consciousness.
AB - ABSTRACT In this study, we examined the construct of the imaginary audience (Elkind & Bowen, 1979), presumably a precipitant of adolescent egocentrism, as it relates to public individuation and self‐consciousness. We hypothesized that the imaginary audience inhibits public individuation and represents a critical form of public self‐consciousness. We also argued that the imaginary audience is a normal aspect of early adolescent development that diminishes in the context of secure parental relationships by late adolescence but remains salient if these relationships are insecure. These hypotheses were examined in a cross‐sectional study of 850 adolescents in the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 12th grades. Support was generally found for the hypothesized relations. The validity and limitations of the imaginary audience and public individuation constructs are discussed, along with more general theoretical issues concerning adolescent self‐consciousness.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0028450638&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1994.tb00292.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1994.tb00292.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 8046574
AN - SCOPUS:0028450638
SN - 0022-3506
VL - 62
SP - 219
EP - 238
JO - Journal of Personality
JF - Journal of Personality
IS - 2
ER -