Selman Interpretational

SELMAN’S STAGES OF
INTERPERSONAL REASONING
INTRODUCTION
 The development of interpersonal reasoning leads

to greater understanding of the feelings of others.
Robert L Selman has studied the development of
interpersonal reasoning in children .
 Interpersonal reasoning is the ability to
understand the relationship between motives
and behaviour among a group of people.
STAGES OF INTERPERSONAL REASONING
 Stage 0: Egocentric level (about age 4 to 6)

 Stage 1: Social Information Role Taking (about age 6 to 8)
 Stage 2: Self-reflective Role Taking (about age 8 to 10)
 Stage 3: Multiple Role Taking ( about age 10 to 12)
 Stage 4: Social and Conventional system taking (about age 12 to
over 15)
STAGE 0: EGOCENTRIC LEVEL (ABOUT AGE 4 TO 6)
 Children do not recognize that other persons may interpret the

same social event or course of action differently from the way
they do.
 They do not reflect on the thoughts of self and others
 They can label the overtly expressed feelings of others but do not
comprehend cause and effect relations of social actions.
 Eg: A child will predict that Holly will rescue the kitten, as she does not want to see it harmed.
 The child will believe Holly’s father will not be mad because whatever is right for Holly is right for
others; her father will feel as she does.
STAGE 1: SOCIAL INFORMATION ROLE TAKING
(ABOUT AGE 6 TO 8)
 Children are able in limited ways to differentiate between their own

interpretations of social interactions and the interpretations of others.
 But they can not simultaneously think of their own view and those of
others.
 Eg: A child will believe that if Holly’s father does not know about
the kitten then he will be mad.
 But Holly’s father would not be mad if Holly shows him the kitten.
 He would then change his mind and understand


STAGE 2: SELF-REFLECTIVE ROLE TAKING (ABOUT AGE 8
TO 10)
 Interpersonal relations are interpreted in specific situations

whereby each person understands the expectations of the
other in that particular context.
 Children are not yet able to view the two perspectives at once.
 Eg: A child will believe that Holly’s father will not be mad and will not punish her because he
will understand why Holly saved the kitten.
 Holly’s father can see the situation from Holly’s point of view so knows why she broke the promise to
not climb trees.
STAGE 3: MULTIPLE ROLE TAKING ( ABOUT AGE 10
TO 12)
 Children become capable of taking a third person

view , which permits them to understand the
expectations of themselves and of others in a variety
of situations as if they were spectators(a person who
watches at a show)
 Eg. A child will believe that Holly will think that she shouldn’t be punished if she can get her father to
understand why she climbed the tree.
 The child will think that Holly’s father will not be mad because he can understand both their points of view.

STAGE 4: SOCIAL AND CONVENTIONAL SYSTEM
TAKING (ABOUT AGE 12 TO OVER 15)
 Each individual involved in a relationship with another

understands many of the subtleties of the interaction
involved.
 In addition, a societal perspective begins to develop
 Actions are judged by how they might influence all
individuals , not just those who are immediately concerned.
 Eg: Child understand that third party can be influenced by
cultural norms and values, society may want her to save the
kitten because its vulnerable
 The stages outlined there reveal that , during the elementary school years , children
gradually grasp the fact that a persons overt actions or words do not always reflect inner
feelings.
 They also come to comprehend a persons reactions to a distressing situation can have
many facets.
 Toward the end of the elementary school years and increasingly during adolescence
 Children become capable of taking a somewhat detached and analytical view of their own
behaviour as well as the behaviour of others.
 Selman believes that teachers and therapists must be able to aid
children who are not as advanced in role taking skills as their age –
mates by helping them become more sensitive to the feeling of others.
 If an eight year old boy is still functioning at the ego centric level
 For example , he may fail to interpret the behaviour of classmates
properly and become a social isolate.
 Selman describes how one such boy was encouraged to think
continually about the reason behind his social actions and those of
others and acquired sufficient social sensitivity to learn to get along
with others.

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SELMAN’S STAGES OF

 The development of interpersonal reasoning leads

 Stage 0: Egocentric level (about age 4 to 6)

 Children do not recognize that other persons may interpret the

 Children are able in limited ways to differentiate between their own

 Interpersonal relations are interpreted in specific situations

 Children become capable of taking a third person

 Each individual involved in a relationship with another

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