The self-system of children between the ages of 8 and 18 years was assessed to examine whether (a) their awareness of conflicts between self-descriptors within one self-concept was age-related, (b) such conflicts were related to psychological wellbeing, and (c) an effect of age on awareness interacted with the relation between conflict and wellbeing. It was expected that adolescents would be more aware of conflicts than children and, due to their better integrative skills, would experience more psychological discomfort from such conflicts. The results indicate a sudden jump in awareness of potential conflicts within self-concepts between age 12 and 14, and that conflicts relate to wellbeing at any age. The latter relationship, however, is different for children and adolescents, and appears positive for conflicts within the real self-concept but negative for conflicts within self-guides.
