The Construction of the Self

“The development of the self is a complex—sometimes difficult to comprehend—process, not easily explained by simplistic models. This book has a sophistication, empirical grounding, and clinical savvy that make it an essential book for therapists interested in individual construction of the self.”

—Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy


“As has been the case throughout most of Harter's distinguished career, the emphasis is on the developmental nature of self. This expands the book's importance to a broad audience, which includes parents. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.”

—Choice Reviews


“Like the prior edition, this volume provides the most comprehensive and forward-looking overview of scholarship and theory on the construction of the self. The second edition is a major step forward—much exciting new work has been done in this area in the last 10 years. Harter offers a masterful summary and critique of this work; even more important, she gives us strong and insightful guidance for the future. Everyone interested in the construction of the self should read this book. It is an outstanding resource for seasoned researchers as well as an essential guide for young scholars entering the field and launching their research careers.”

—Jacquelynne S. Eccles, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Education, University of California, Irvine


“In The Construction of the Self, Second Edition, Harter shows again why she has been the preeminent scholar in child and adolescent development for over four decades. Weaving together new theoretical insights with a far-ranging review of diverse research literatures, Harter provides a masterful look at the processes through which cognitive changes and personal experiences combine to influence self-views, which in turn underlie broader patterns of social and psychological development. Harter’s perspectives on adaptive and maladaptive trajectories of self-development provide an important framework for promoting self-views that buttress positive relationships and psychological well-being.”

—Mark R. Leary, PhD, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University


“Harter surveys the struggle for a sense of identity and worth that individuals face from youth to old age. She offers an in-depth description of how families and cultures shape our self-concepts, and how so many of these adopted identities hamper personal growth and connectedness. On topics from motivation to mindfulness, this second edition offers both solid wisdom and new insights. Harter is truly one of developmental psychology’s luminaries.”

—Richard M. Ryan, PhD, Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University; Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, University of Rochester


“I have relied on The Construction of the Self as a required foundational text for my Social and Personality Development course for more than a decade, through two editions. I have found it to be the most theoretically comprehensive text on how the self develops over time, while also offering powerful and insightful practical applications. Favorite concepts with which my students and I love to engage from the Harter text include conditional positive regard and self-esteem, true-self versus false-self behavior, authenticity of self, individualistic and collectivistic cultures, the cultural self, I-self and Me-self, the looking-glass self, the personal fable, scaffolding—and the list goes on. This is a comprehensive text that brings together the self, personality, the lifespan, and interesting and diverse ecological systems, in one 440-page treasure chest!”

—Michelle R. Dunlap, PhD, Department of Human Development, Connecticut College