What do Elkind's concepts of the personal fable and imaginary audience describe?

• A. Adolescent egocentrism
• B. Adult self-consciousness
• C. Cognitive dissonance
• D. Marital conflict

Answer: (A)

Adolescent egocentrism. Elkind’s personal fable and imaginary audience describe a teenager’s heightened self-focus in thinking. The personal fable is that sense of being unique and invincible—believing that one’s experiences and risks won’t apply to others or that “nothing bad will happen to me.” The imaginary audience is the belief that others are constantly watching, judging, and evaluating you, which fuels intense self-consciousness in social situations. These ideas together capture why teens seem extraordinarily concerned with how they are seen and how their actions are perceived, a hallmark of adolescence. This isn’t about adult self-consciousness in general, nor about cognitive dissonance or marital conflict.