Reviews a model of cognitive development relating the self and self-evaluation, guidelines for applying the model, and counseling applications. Recognizes that individuals may vary their level of abstraction depending on such things as the source of information, the context, and the part of the self being discussed. (LLL)

The term, "schema," used largely as a descriptive convenience rather than a theoretical guidepost in social psychology is examined through an analysis of its development, function, and structure. This paper articulates a model of schema development in adults by defining a schema as a representation of some stimulus domain and a set of…