This essay takes the form of a dialog between the human "Self" and a questioner and explores the nature of individual self-consciousness, the Freudian model of the self, the development of the self in early childhood, the importance of parents in the self's development, and special problems of self-awareness in gifted students. (DB)

A constructivist framework can often appear vague and abstract to the novice counselor. The abstract and nebulous realm of meaning-making, which is central to constructivist approaches, can be frustrating for a linear, task-oriented counselor. This digest explains the approaches used in constructivist counseling. The need to use constructivist…