Final answer:
The concept in question is the imaginary audience, an aspect of adolescent egocentrism where teens believe they are the focus of everyone's attention. It relates to identity formation during adolescence and is linked to broader theories of social psychology such as the looking-glass self.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term you are referring to is imaginary audience, which is a concept from developmental psychology referring to a belief held by some adolescents that they are constantly being watched and judged by others. This phenomenon is part of a broader framework of adolescent egocentrism. During psychosocial development, adolescents struggle with issues of identity versus role confusion, as articulated by Erikson, and develop a sense of self as they relate to others. Adolescents are known for their ability to develop and refine their sense of identity based on how they perceive others to see them, which is affected by Goffman's concept of the looking-glass self and Cooley's related ideas on self-perception.
Another aspect of adolescent cognitive development is dualistic thinking, where ideas are seen as either right or wrong with no middle ground, which can evolve into more complex, relativistic thinking over time. The personal fable is a similar concept where adolescents believe themselves to be unique and invulnerable. These cognitive developments are not to be confused with object permanence, which is a concept from an earlier developmental stage centered around the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen or heard.