Abstract
Pride is often viewed as a consequence of the child's evaluation of its own behavior (Lewis, M. et al., 1992). However, Wallon. II, (1956) observed that 2- to 3-year-old children often resisted others for nothing but rejection. If this observation is, correct, children of these ages have already developed a kind of pride without evaluating their own behaviors. To examine this hypothesis, while children at 2 to 4 were playing at nursery schools, an experimenter said to each child, "You're great !" (or "You're cheating !"), without any suggestion of what mattered and observed and coded their reactions. Results were as follows : Most of 2-year-old and some of 3-year-old children showed smile (or sadness/anger), while most of 4-year-old and some of 3-year-old children looked dubious and/or reacted with the questions, such as. "Why ?", "About what ? ", or "How do you think I'm great (cheating) ?" The results were discussed in the light or two kinds of pride theory which distinguishes dejection from hurt, elation from pride.
