Interpersonal Decentering and Psychopathology in a University Clinic Sample Page: 3
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becomes less determined by the perceptual characteristics of objects and more by internalized
cognitive maps, as maturation progresses. The dominance of conceptual thought, according to
Piaget, is directly related to the ability to "decenter" or shift focus from one aspect of an object
or situation to another in a flexible, balanced manner.
Piaget theorized that children begin with thinking that is concrete and egocentric. As
children gain more cognitive ability with age, they eventually overcome egocentric thinking by
gaining the ability to "decenter." As children first begin to decenter, their thinking remains
concrete and they have difficulty applying this new cognitive ability to non-concrete (abstract)
objects or situations. Egocentricity can be understood as the tendency to perceive events and
interpret experiences exclusively from one's own perspective (Piaget, 1950).
Intrinsic to the egocentrism construct is the phenomenon of centration, or centering.
Centering refers to a child's tendency to focus (or "center") his or her attention on one aspect of
an object or situation. Unilateral focus on one aspect of an object, ignoring other relevant
aspects, results in distorted perceptions. Decentering abilities allow a person to recognize
various aspects of an object and combine them into a unified mental representation, thus
minimizing distortions produced by attending to isolated aspects of an object.
Piaget (1950) suggested that as decentering abilities first emerge, a child begins to shift
focus back and forth from one aspect of the object to another (sequential decentering). Each
aspect is considered, but in an isolated, sequential manner. This vacillating focus only partially
corrects the distorted perception inherent in any given focus. As development advances,
thinking changes from shifting focus sequentially among various aspects of an object to a more
mature decentering ability, whereby the individual is able to consider multiple aspects of an
object at the same time (simultaneous decentering), allowing for a more thorough correction of
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Burkman, Summer D. Interpersonal Decentering and Psychopathology in a University Clinic Sample, thesis, May 2008; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc6130/m1/8/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .