ABSTRACT
According to J.Piaget (1896-1980), an indication of the inability of children (aged about four to seven years) to change their perspective in order to recognize different aspects of an object or to recognize the difference between one’s own perspective and that of another. Piaget’s interest centered primarily on the development of logical thinking, which develops from autistic via egocentric thinking. Piaget’s concept of egocentric language was challenged by Vygotskij (1934). According to Vygotskij language and thinking develop phylogenetically and ontogenetically from different roots. Language, social in its origin, develops into communicative and internal language (linguistic thinking in differentiation to instrumental thinking). Egocentric language is structurally different from communicative language and has the function of self-guidance in problemsolving. Cf. in this connection also the significance of conversations with oneself as a stimulus for the development of the identity of the self in Mead’s (1934) theory.
