Social Perceptions
Most children are lacking not only in social insight but also in self-insight. Hence, social perception is first noticed during adolescence. The perception of the status of others develops during the high school years; the perception of one's own status comes later. Freshmen college counselors report that one of the most bothersome problems at this age is, "Who am I?"
Perception of the class status to which one belongs is often confusing. The adolescent is part of a family that is a member of a socially ranked group. He or she is influenced both by social position and by pressures from this group and must often play socially approved roles not of his or her own choosing. The idealistic attitudes of adolescents predispose them to disappointment, disillusionment, and even cynicism.
The adolescent's self-evaluation is gradually determined by the perception of his or her relative position in two different kinds of groups. First, where does one stand in some peer group to which one belongs? Second, how would the person rate himself in a group to which he does not ~elong but wants to join? For example, the premedical student may evaluate his intelligence by comparing himself with his fellow college sfudents. Here he has more evidence on which to base his judgment than when he compares himself with "great doctors," a group to which he aspires to belong. And what about the female who also aspires to be a physician? Where will she find her identification?
Adolescents have a tendency to perceive themselves in comparison with the "ideal." Girls who try to rate their own physical
attracti'leness may feel badly when they use the movie star as a model. Boys often feel inferior when they fail to compete with adults. Gradually the adolescent . learns to perceive himself or herself iil relation to many social groups. Older college students are found to be more cynical that younger ones. This may be, in part, because there is sometimes a thin line between cynicism and wisdom.
