these three phases are consistent with sears' theoretical assumptions. they can be described figuratively as three expanding circles on a pool of water into which a stone has been dropped. the first, innermost circle represents the child's most intimate parental environment.the next circle stands for the child's emergence into a larger family environment, while the outermost circle symbolizes the child's gradual social penetration into his neighborhood. each circle, as it expands, blends into the next larger circle,thereby losing its original limited separateness. similarly, the expansion of each development phase,like converging circle,encompasses a larger sphere of learning