No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the author.
Global versus domain-specific statuses in identity research: A comparison of two self-report measures
Journal of Adolescence
Abstract
The present study explored the potential usefulness of global identity statuses (ideological identity) as opposed to domain-specific statuses (occupation, religion, politics) using self-report measures rather than identity interviews. A total of 339 college students from two colleges in Belgium (Europe) completed both the Extended Objective Measure of Ego-Identity Status (EOM-EIS) and the Dellas Identity Status Inventory - Occupation, Religious Beliefs, Political Ideology (DISI-ORP). Four types of evidence argued in favour of domain-specific statuses (i.e. low convergence in identity status across domains, moderate convergence between global and domain-specific identity statuses, significant gender differences in domain-specific but not in global identity statuses, and significant associations between identity process and identity content in congruent but not in incongruent domains). In line with earlier research using identity status interviews, it was concluded that adolescent identity is not to be considered a unitary construct and the use of domain-specific identity statuses is recommended whenever possible. Theoretical implications of the findings are discussed in terms of adolescents' temporal spacing of identity concerns. Finally, the limitations of identity questionnaires (additive approach to global identity statuses) are pointed out. Identity interviews (indicative approach to global statuses) can yield a very different picture of identity.
... They concluded that with a global indicator (e.g., a sum of commitment scores in the two domains) one would not be able to identify this specificity. Similarly, in his study on identity development in college students, Goossens (2001) observed that convergence in identity status across domains is low and that only 6-15 % of college students are assigned to the same identity status in all three Marcian domains. He also suggested that identity should not be treated as a unitary construct and that the domain-specific approach is recommended whenever possible. ...
... Similar conclusions were also reached by Pastorino et al. (1997), Solomontos-Kountouri and Hurry (2008), Bartoszuk and Pittman (2010), and Vosylis et al. (2018) The above-mentioned studies pointed out important limitations of the classic, global approach, however many questions still need answers. Research to date on domain-specific 6 identity development has been focused on adolescence and emerging adulthood (Bartoszuk & Pittman, 2010;De Haan & Schulenberg, 1997;Goossens, 2001;Solomontos-Kountouri & Hurry, 2008;Vosylis et al., 2018), and our knowledge of the identity domain specificity beyond these life periods is scarce. For the same reason, parental identity, usually studied in older participants (Piotrowski, 2018;Piotrowski, 2020;Meca et al., 2020), has not been analyzed in those studies at all. ...
... Correlations show that usually the levels of commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment in one of the domains were positively related to those in the second domain. However, the links were small to moderate in line with the thesis about identity domains being relatively autonomous (Goossens, 2001). Table 1 here Identity processes from the two domains, in most cases, were associated with both parental and romantic outcomes. ...
Drawing on the Meeus-Crocetti identity model, it was analysed whether the
sense of identity in the parental and romantic domains is related to domain-specific
functioning or whether they are related to a broad spectrum of outcomes.
Four hundred and fifty-nine individuals (58% women), aged 21‒40
(M = 33.88, SD = 4.39), participated in this cross-sectional study. Using structural
equation modelling it was analysed whether the parental and romantic relationship
identity processes (commitment, in-depth exploration, reconsideration
of commitment) are associated with parental and relational outcomes. The
results showed that a sense of parental identity turned out to be mostly related
to childrearing stress and parental role restrictions, while a sense of romantic
relationship identity was associated with romantic relationship stress and
romantic relationship conflicts. The results support a domain-specific approach
to the study of identity, suggesting that not only are parental and romantic
identities only weakly related to each other, but also that their development is
linked to specific parental or relational experiences.
... Although there is significant interest in progress toward identity formation, studies show that the formation of domain-specific identities do not occur in tandem (Fadjukoff, Pulkkinen, & Kokko, 2005. Furthermore, there is only a modest overlap in identity statuses across domains (Goossens, 2001;Luyckx, Seiffge-Krenke, Schwartz, Crocetti, & Klimstra, 2014). Thus, some researchers recommend investigating identity formation within a specific domain (Galliher et al., 2017;Goossens, 2001;. ...
... Furthermore, there is only a modest overlap in identity statuses across domains (Goossens, 2001;Luyckx, Seiffge-Krenke, Schwartz, Crocetti, & Klimstra, 2014). Thus, some researchers recommend investigating identity formation within a specific domain (Galliher et al., 2017;Goossens, 2001;. ...
... We found that female participants tended to register significantly lower levels of diffusion and achievement than did males, but higher levels of moratorium. These results are consistent with previous studies (e.g., Fadjukoff et al., 2016;Goossens, 2001), as well as Erikson's (1968) suggestion that men and women may follow somewhat different developmental pathways in the process of identity formation, especially within domain-specific identity formation (Goossens, 2001). ...
The transition from financial dependence on one's parents to financial self-sufficiency is one of the most relevant transitions during emerging adulthood. It is important to have an instrument able to assess emerging adults' financial capabilities and to detect its change over time. The current article aims to collect international evidence of the Financial Identity Scale (FIS) validity and reliability. Cross-sectional data collected from 2,501 emerging adults aged 18-25 and belonging to three different countries-U.S. (n ¼ 1,535), Italy (n ¼ 485), and Lithuania (n ¼ 481)-were adopted to test score structure validity, generalizability, sensitivity to difference, criterion-related validity, and internal consistency. Instead, four-wave longitudinal data, available for the American sample only (n ¼ 1,900), were adopted to test FIS structural stability and sensitivity to change. As recommended by the contemporary view of validity, different structural equation models were performed. Findings suggest that FIS scores are valid and reliable. The implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.
... The second direction of identity research is not only the examining various identity processes, but also taking into account that these processes are developing in various areas of human life (such as the relationships, education, work, etc.). The domain-specific approach has been proposed (Goossens, 2001), according to which identity processes (and statuses) can differ between various identity domains. ...
... (1) Examining the identity statuses in different life domains based on the three identity processes: com mitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment. We applied the domain-focused approach to identity (Goossens, 2001) and investigated the domains crucial for emerging adults' identity, which were identified empirically in previous research (Karaś, 2015;. We formulated two hypotheses: first, we expected that, similar to the original research on a few classical domains (Crocetti, Rubini, Luyckx, & Meeus, 2008), five identity statuses would emerge with the Polish population in each identity domain (as presented in Figure 1). ...
... In light of the present results, talking about statuses must be relativized to a certain identity domain because the statuses are variant across domains. Thus, these results support the usefulness of the domain-specific approach (Goossens, 2001;, 2018. ...
The aim of the study was to examine identity statuses in various life domains and the relationship between identity and well-being. We adopted the three-dimensional model of identity (Crocetti et al., 2008), including: in-depth exploration, commitment, and reconsideration of commitment. Moreover, in accordance with domain-specific approach (Goossens, 2001), we sought to empirically derive identity statuses in various life domains. The participants included 835 emerging adults (Mage = 21.81, SD = 2.33). We examined eight domains previously identified in qualitative research: personality characteristics, past experiences, family, friends and acquaintances, worldview, hobbies and interests, aims and plans for the future, and occupation. To measure three identity processes, we used a modified version of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (Crocetti et al., 2008) and to measure well-being we used the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (Keyes, 2013). Results indicate that, although the statuses identified in previous research were, to a large extent, replicated (except moratorium), people were classified in different statuses in different domains; thus, we conclude that talking about statuses should be limited to a given domain. Well-being was the highest in achievement statuses and the lowest in diffusion, but only in two examined domains: personality characteristics and past experience.
... Ample empirical evidence reveals that identity status development is domainspecific. There are three types of evidence: low convergence of identity statuses across domains (Fadjukoff, Pulkinen, & Kokko, 2005Goossens, 2001;Solomontos-Kountouri & Hurry, 2008); different developmental trajectories for different domains (Fadjukoff, Pulkinen, & Kokko, 2005Hardy et al., 2010); and identity status in particular domains demonstrates different relations to demographic and psychosocial variables, such as gender, type of school, socio-economic status (Goossens, 2001;Pastorino et al., 1997;Solomontos-Kountouri & Hurry, 2008), and community and religious involvement (Hardy et al., 2010). Given this evidence, assessment of domainspecific identity statuses, either alone or in addition to global identity statuses, is recommended by several authors (e.g., De Haan & Schulenberg, 1997;Goossens, 2001;Hardy et al., 2010;Schwartz, Luyckx, & Crocetti, 2015;Solomontos-Kountouri & Hurry, 2008). ...
... Ample empirical evidence reveals that identity status development is domainspecific. There are three types of evidence: low convergence of identity statuses across domains (Fadjukoff, Pulkinen, & Kokko, 2005Goossens, 2001;Solomontos-Kountouri & Hurry, 2008); different developmental trajectories for different domains (Fadjukoff, Pulkinen, & Kokko, 2005Hardy et al., 2010); and identity status in particular domains demonstrates different relations to demographic and psychosocial variables, such as gender, type of school, socio-economic status (Goossens, 2001;Pastorino et al., 1997;Solomontos-Kountouri & Hurry, 2008), and community and religious involvement (Hardy et al., 2010). Given this evidence, assessment of domainspecific identity statuses, either alone or in addition to global identity statuses, is recommended by several authors (e.g., De Haan & Schulenberg, 1997;Goossens, 2001;Hardy et al., 2010;Schwartz, Luyckx, & Crocetti, 2015;Solomontos-Kountouri & Hurry, 2008). ...
... There are three types of evidence: low convergence of identity statuses across domains (Fadjukoff, Pulkinen, & Kokko, 2005Goossens, 2001;Solomontos-Kountouri & Hurry, 2008); different developmental trajectories for different domains (Fadjukoff, Pulkinen, & Kokko, 2005Hardy et al., 2010); and identity status in particular domains demonstrates different relations to demographic and psychosocial variables, such as gender, type of school, socio-economic status (Goossens, 2001;Pastorino et al., 1997;Solomontos-Kountouri & Hurry, 2008), and community and religious involvement (Hardy et al., 2010). Given this evidence, assessment of domainspecific identity statuses, either alone or in addition to global identity statuses, is recommended by several authors (e.g., De Haan & Schulenberg, 1997;Goossens, 2001;Hardy et al., 2010;Schwartz, Luyckx, & Crocetti, 2015;Solomontos-Kountouri & Hurry, 2008). McLean, Syed, Yoder, and Greenhoot (2016) contend that it is imprudent to examine processes of identity development in domains that are irrelevant to the people being studied. ...
This study presents a construction and psychometric evaluation of the Religious Identity Status Questionnaire – RISQ for the assessment of the religious identity status according to Marcia’s ego identity status approach. The initial item pool was generated based on Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, Marcia’s ego identity status approach and interviews with adolescents and young adults. A factor analysis of the initial item pool was performed on data obtained from a sample of 394 secondary school and university students from Serbia to select items for the questionnaire. Validity of the questionnaire was examined on a sample of 1155 subjects. The results of the CFA suggest that subscales of the RISQ measure four factors corresponding to the identity statuses of Marcia’s model. Correlations with ideological identity subscales of the EOM–EIS–2 suggest the convergent validity of the questionnaire. Configural measurement invariance was established for gender and denominational groups. Metric invariance was established for gender and among orthodox and catholic participants, whereas scalar invariance was established for gender, but not for denominational groups. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education,
Science and Technological Development, Grant no. III 47015]
... Identity research has focused on identity processes from a general perspective; however, identity researchers using the Meeus-Crocetti model have recently turned their attention to the importance of different experiences in identity formation across domains (e.g., Becht et al., 2016;Kara s & Cieciuch, 2018;Klimstra, Hale, Raaijmakers, Branje, & Meeus, 2010;Pop, Negru-Subtirica, Crocetti, & Meeus, 2016;Vosylis, Erentait_ e, & Crocetti, 2018). Examining identity across domains is critical for a precise understanding of identity development, as adolescents with a strong sense of commitment in one domain may not necessarily demonstrate the same in another domain (Crocetti, Scrignaro, Sica, & Magrin, 2012;Goossens, 2001;Luyckx, Seiffge-Krenke, Schwartz, Crocetti, & Klimstra, 2014). This approach, which is domain-specific, does not focus on general identity but instead examines separate (i.e., educational and interpersonal) identity domains (Goossens, 2001;Kara s & Cieciuch, 2018). ...
... Examining identity across domains is critical for a precise understanding of identity development, as adolescents with a strong sense of commitment in one domain may not necessarily demonstrate the same in another domain (Crocetti, Scrignaro, Sica, & Magrin, 2012;Goossens, 2001;Luyckx, Seiffge-Krenke, Schwartz, Crocetti, & Klimstra, 2014). This approach, which is domain-specific, does not focus on general identity but instead examines separate (i.e., educational and interpersonal) identity domains (Goossens, 2001;Kara s & Cieciuch, 2018). ...
... As Japanese adolescents tend to choose their career at around the age of 20-24 years (i.e., when finishing tertiary education), they may regard the period of being junior or high school students as a time for exploring their educational and interpersonal identity. Regarding the associations between educational and interpersonal identity trajectories, following the prior proposition and findings in a domain-specific approach (i.e., low congruences in identity statuses across domains; Crocetti, Scrignaro, et al., 2012;Goossens, 2001;Luyckx et al., 2014), we expected that not all of the participants would belong to same types of identity trajectories. We also expected that the ratios of these identity trajectories would not differ between age group (13-16 years vs. 16-19 years age group) and region (urban vs. rural). ...
This study aimed to examine the relations between educational and interpersonal identity trajectories and psychosocial functioning based on a three‐factor identity process model. A total of 968 Japanese adolescents including 13‐ and 16‐years‐olds (49.7% female) participated in a four‐wave longitudinal study. Latent class growth analysis extracted five identity trajectories in each educational and interpersonal identity domain and revealed (a) high prevalence of low commitment identity trajectories, (b) absence of the closure trajectory, and (c) changeable identity trajectories that have not been identified in Western context (i.e., the Netherlands). Furthermore, a latent change model revealed dynamic relations between identity trajectories and psychosocial functioning. These findings provide critical insights into the diverse and dynamic pathways of identity formation during adolescence in Japan.
... Indeed, with respect to the development of identity, it is possible to identify different domains. In the model used in this research, identity differs in accordance with the life domain in question (Goossens, 2001). An exclusive focus on sexual identity appears to be reductionist with respect to other domains that the research has highlighted as central in the context of emerging adulthood. ...
... In summary, these findings support the importance of the attachment relationship to one's peers in emerging adults with respect to identity development among this specific population. Furthermore, these results highlight the different associations that this relationship has with different domains of identity, thus confirming the requirement to distinguish them (Goossens, 2001;Helsen et al., 1999). ...
By reference to a sample of 173 emerging adult seminarians in South Italy, this study evaluates the influence of attachment to one’s parents and peers on identity development and well-being in seminarians. The statistical analysis (PLS-PM) reports that secure attachment to one’s mother and secure attachment to a peer are positively associated with identity and well-being. No such association is found with attachment to one’s father. Attachment to one’s mother loses its association with identity during the shift from the freshmen to the senior group and is replaced by attachment with one’s peers. Both attachment relationships lose their associations with well-being between these groups. Our results demonstrate that attachment to one’s peers becomes the most relevant relationship, thus supporting this specific form of relationship among seminarians.
... In the present study, we examined to what extent adolescent substance use (i.e., alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, and energy drinks) was related to the development of educational and relational identity in adolescence. Previous research only focused on the cross-sectional links between identity and substance use (e.g., Arnett, 2005), and did not sufficiently take into account the possibility of identity domain-specific effects (Goossens, 2001). The present findings corroborated earlier findings on cross-sectional associations, but did not support the existence of longitudinal associations between adolescent substance use and identity development. ...
... As a result, positive and negative effects may have cancelled each other out in this case. Second, and related, adolescent identity development takes place in many different areas of life (Erikson, 1950) and does not happen uniformly across these domains (Goossens, 2001). In the present study, we examined identity in the educational and relational domain because they are thought to be most salient for youth (Heaven et al., 2007). ...
Identity development has been linked to substance use, however, the directionality of this relationship remains unclear. We examined the longitudinal associations of educational and relational identity with substance use across three annual waves in 360 Dutch adolescents (Mage = 13.7 years). Using the identity dimensions of commitment, exploration, and reconsideration as indicators, we found three latent profiles clusters: achievement, diffusion, and moratorium. With latent profile transition analysis, we examined substance use as a predictor of profile transition. Using classification probabilities to determine participants’ clusters at each time point, we distinguished three identity transition groups (stable, progressive, and regressive). These groups were used to examine the effects of identity transition group membership on substance use with ANCOVAs. No longitudinal associations were found in either direction, but we found significant cross-sectional correlations between identity and substance use. Therefore, our findings do not support a directional process linking identity and substance use. Instead, these associations suggest a spectrum/continuity or common cause model.
... A study about occupational and religious identity [25] used the DISI-O version with 35 items and four factors, although it does not comment about the reasons to cut off the fifth factor. The Dutch version of DISI-O identified five statuses, keeping Diffusion-luck [26]. ...
... Our first hypothesis about the four-factor structure was supported. Results demonstrated that the adapted version of DISIO-O presented a factorial structure similar those found for other studies with four factors [3,9,26]. Even the fivefactor version derived from the original study by Dellas and Jernigan [23] has not been confirmed in later works. ...
Occupational identity provides a sense of direction and meaning and helps to establish a framework to define occupational goals. One of most prominent frameworks for the study of occupational identity is Marcia's identity status paradigm. The Dellas Identity Status Inventory was developed to assess occupational identity statuses according to Marcia's framework. The aim of this study was to adapt and validate the Portuguese version of this inventory to the Brazilian population, using a sample of 358 college students of both sexes (72.9% woman), aged 18 to 41 years old (M=23.86, SD=4.57), attending a public university in the southern part of the country. The intercorrelations among the inventory subscales and its reliability (Cronbach alpha) and construct validity (principal factor analysis) were analyzed. Additionally, the inventory's external validity was analyzed, taking into consideration the gender and age of the participants. We used the Kruskal-Wallis Test, Chi-Squares, and T-Tests in the external validity analysis. Results supported a clear interpretable four-factor solution (diffusion, achievement, foreclosure, and moratorium) and satisfactory reliability coefficients of the inventory subscales, from .79 to .89. Results for external validity indicate gender statically significant differences for Moratorium identity status, favoring male. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the Brazilian Portuguese Version of the Dellas Identity Status Inventory can constitute a useful measure to the study of vocational identity in the Brazilian population. Limitations and suggestion for further research are discussed.
... The literature on identity and identity formation is vast (see, for example, Erikson 1966Erikson , 1980Marcia 1966;Waterman 1984;Berzonsky 1990;Warde 1994;Cass 1996;Grotevant 1997;Van Huyssteen 2006;Goossens 2001;Steinberg 2008;and Morgan and Korobov 2012). The concept has been examined from all possible angles and by a variety of disciplines -philosophy, psychology, education, anthropology, history, law, and political science, just to mention the most prominent. ...
... Elements of identity in different life domains can develop quite independently (Goossens, 2001). For example, adolescents may start to think about who they are in the educational domain, but not (yet) in the relational domain (Hatano et al., 2020). ...
Identity research focuses on multiple processes capturing how adolescents form and maintain a sense of self. However, identity content (the “what” of identity) might impact associations between identity and the association with well-being. We examined this potential role of content (i.e., valence and life domain) in two studies, focusing on autobiographical reasoning in written narratives (i.e., self-event connections), educational identity commitment and exploration processes, and measures of general and domain-specific functioning. Study 1 ( N = 180, M age = 14.7) and Study 2 ( N = 160, M age = 13.1) provided little evidence for the hypothesized role of identity content, but moderation analyses in Study 1 showed that self-event connections were more strongly related to life satisfaction in narratives about relational events than other events. These findings suggest a more fine-grained approach is needed to capture the role of identity content.
... H.D. Grotevant (1987;także: Bosma, 1985) stwierdził, że zamiast mierzyć status tożsamości (osiągnięta, moratoryjna, przejęta, rozproszona) lepiej jest badać natężenie eksploracji i zobowiązania w różnych obszarach życia i nie traktować tożsamości jako jednoczynnikowego konstruktu (por. także: Goossens, 2001). Efektem tego było powstanie w latach dziewięćdziesiątych XX wieku szeregu teorii, których autorzy podkreślali, że tożsamość jest zanurzona w szerszym kontekście, a jako źródła jej formowania się i zmian wskazywali: oceny tożsamości jednostki formułowane przez osoby znaczące w codziennych interakcjach (Kerpelman, Pittman, Lamke, 1997), subiektywne poczucie zgodności pomiędzy posiadaną tożsamością a własnymi oraz płynącymi z zewnątrz, oczekiwaniami i standardami (Grotevant, 1987;Waterman, 1990;Adams i Marshall, 1996), styl funkcjonowania poznawczego i jego interakcje ze zmieniającym się kontekstem (Berzonsky, 1989), czy materialne i niematerialne zasoby pozwalające negocjować własną pozycję w ponowoczesnym świecie i wpływając na rozwój zarówno osobistej, jak i społecznej tożsamości (Côté, 1997). ...
... They are in the right chronological age to explore alternatives yet; they cannot explore. This probably explains the identity observed fluctuations which are actually a sign of identity confusion seized by a struggle to maintain proactive exploration or more accurately by the fact that identity status is not and should not be considered as a unitary construct but as a domain specific product (Goossens, 2001). ...
Abstract
While transitioning within a period of proactive exploration of adult responsibilities,
university students face the primary psychosocial task of developing a coherent identity. The
emergence of COVID-19 and the sequelae of restrictive measures posed supplementary demands to this developmental phase thus may have probably disrupted this normative transition.
The purpose of this cross-cultural study was to evaluate the impact of this health crisis on young Greek university students, to evaluate the levels of anxiety and psychological instability and provide insight into the developmental repercussions of this global phenomenon. Fifteen qualitative interviews were recorded and transcribed with an aim to capture the lived pandemic experiences of young Greek university students ever since COVID-19 was introduced into our lives.
Qualitative thematic analysis based on a descriptive phenomenological approach answered several questions that were the main objectives of this study. Identity development was assessed using both optimal and suboptimal processes and statuses. Purposefully we selected, only participants who had relocated from their temporary housing in the location they studied and moved back with parents or family. The analysis revealed five superordinate themes: Trapped in Adolescence, Diffused Individuals, Rumination, Developmental and Mental Health Considerations and Positive Adaptation
after Negative Life Events and several other sub-themes that fell upon each category. Findings are discussed so as to capture how such unique experiences impact mental and developmental outcomes since this health crisis is still ongoing. Further research appears as a mandate to sufficiently comprehend whether the effects are chronic or longstanding ones.
Keywords: Emerging Adults, COVID-19, mental health, identity development, optimism.
... However, certain self-related domains are more prominent and/or idealised 566 on Instagram (e.g., romantic relationships and physical appearance), and it is possible that social 567 comparisons in these domains may have greater consequences for identity formation. As the 568 relationship between global and domain-specific identity is often modest (Goossens, 2001 psycho-emotional consequences for young people, and it is therefore reasonable to assume that certain 578 comparison targets tend to have more maladaptive implications for identity development. It would 579 also be fruitful for researchers to consider the impact that social comparison motive (e.g., self-580 enhancement, self-evaluation, and self-improvement) may have on how social comparisons on Instagram inform identity development, as initial evidence suggests that opposing comparison 582 motives can produce differing affective responses amongst emerging adults (Cramer et al., 2016). ...
This study tested whether age moderates the longitudinal relationships between upward and downward comparisons on Instagram and three identity processes (i.e., commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment). Two hundred and eleven British emerging adults completed two self-report surveys, two months apart, in early 2020. A cross-lagged panel model with interaction terms found that age moderated the relationships between both upward and downward comparisons on Instagram and commitment. Contingent moderations were found: the relationship between upward comparisons and commitment was negative for older participants, whilst the relationship between downward comparisons and commitment was negative for younger participants. Significant age differences were not found in the paths between the comparison behaviours and the two exploratory processes. Findings therefore provide evidence to suggest that developmental factors may inform the identity implications of social comparisons on Instagram during emerging adulthood, and thus, developmental sensitivity is required when supporting emerging adults to navigate the platform.
... The four identity statuses, namely identity achievement, foreclosure, moratorium and identity diffusion, are a significant contribution from his work on identity development in adolescence, particularly when individuals choose an occupation, i.e. when they enter tertiary education. Since the publication of his research, these statuses have had a major impact in modern psychology and have been widely used and adopted in a series of models and approaches, especially in occupational identity (Goossens 2001;Meeus, Dekovic, and Iedema 1997;Skorikov and Vondracek 1998). Commonly, these and other studies use identity statuses as nouns. ...
Research in translation psychology has shed light on some of the cognitive processes
that underlie the translators’ work, such as their personality traits or emotions.
However, little has been written about the psychological processes that translation
students experience during their training, particularly those concerning how, when and
to what extent they perceive themselves as translators. This research examines how
translation students develop their translator identity, encompassing their translation-
related beliefs, self-perceptions and professional self-projections. Concretely, it
examines the factors that are involved in its development: 1) the evolution of
translation students' beliefs regarding translation, 2) the confidence they have in
translation abilities or translator self-efficacy beliefs, 3) their commitment to becoming
translators, and 4) the dynamics governing their student and translator identities. To
do this, twelve participants from two Chilean undergraduate translator programmes
engaged in five semi-structured interview rounds during the final two years of their
studies. A total of fifty-four interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and examined
using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), which aims to describe the
psychological processes underlying individual experiences.
The translation-related beliefs that emerged in the participants’ narratives capture the
conceptual development of translators’ declarative and procedural knowledge of
translation, and professional skills and attributes. Their translator self-efficacy beliefs
develop mostly by means of successful controlled practice and grades but, as they
advance in their programmes, they actively seek ‘real’ instances of practice to continue
strengthening their confidence. The fluctuations in their commitment to their translator
identity are described in four translator identity statuses, which change from
participant to participant. Lastly, their student and translator identities progressively
separate as they complete their programme.
These findings constitute an original contribution to the field of translation psychology
by incorporating identity theory into translator studies to account for the students’
personal stories as individuals. Moreover, the use of IPA to explore the experiences
throughout their education from their first-person perspective gives the students a
protagonist voice. These affordances provide additional research approaches by which
translator education can be approached, examined and enriched.
... Kimlik statülerinden bir diğeri olan ipotekli kimlik statüsünde, moratoryumun tersine, güçlü bir içsel yatırımın olmasına rağmen, herhangi bir araştırma bulunmamaktadır (Marcia, 2002). Bu statüde herhangi bir alanda içsel yatırımda bulunma söz konusu olmadığından, kaygı düzeyinin en düşük olduğu statüdür (Goossens, 2001). Son ve dördüncü kimlik statüsü ise, dağınık kimliktir. ...
... Negotiating the process of identity formation is critical in the psychosocial health and adjustment of individuals, and difficulties in this development can contribute to maladjustment and distress (Good & Willoughby, 2014;Hardy et al., 2011;Luyckx et al., 2013). Moreover, identity development has long been purported to occur across many dimensions of life, causing the processes of exploration and commitment to be potentially uneven as individuals may be differently motivated to avoid, foreclose, or continue the exploration process necessary to achieve a clear sense of personal identity regarding religion, politics, profession, etc. (Goossens, 2001). Thus, religious ego identity development requires the exploration of religious beliefs with the intent of making a commitment to values most consistent with one's sense of self; this specific domain of exploration and commitment, however, often occurs contemporaneously with the development of ego identity in other domains as well. ...
Spiritual maturity greatly impacts psychosocial development (Bravo, Pearson, & Stevens, 2016; Dreyer & Dreyer, 2012; Power & McKinney, 2014). Much of the identity formation process occurs during adolescence and early adulthood (Good & Willoughby, 2014; Hardy et al., 2011). The current study sampled students from a private Christian university to examine the relationship between religious ego identity status and subjective well-being. Positive relationships were found between religious ego identity and subjective well-being. Discussion includes the unique developmental needs of emerging adults to help Christian universities better facilitate their students’ growth and education.
... Another explanation could be that there is no contradiction in indicating strong commitments and strong exploration because respondents are simply reflecting on different life domains when responding. By now there is ample evidence that identity should be studied within different life domains separately because identity development is not uniform across life domains (e.g., Goossens, 2001;. After all, that is the core problem with having "general future plans" as the domain in the DIDS. ...
It has been suggested that dual-cycle models of identity formation do not fit well with Erikson’s identity theory and the identity status paradigm due to 1) contradictory statuses, 2) problems with discerning past exploration and 3) ambiguity or limitations of the life domains covered. The present study extended the Dimensions for Identity Development Scale (DIDS) with three additional dimensions suggested previously, examined identity profiles and their transitions over time, their links with psychological well-being and what life domain was associated with “future plans” (N=1294; T1: age=17, 60% female; T2: age=18, 65% female). The results showed that 1) the eight-dimensional model fit the data well longitudinally; 2) six previously reported profiles emerged at both time points with expected links to psychological well-being; 3) as previously speculated, individuals in the (early) closure status had undertaken identity exploration in the past; 4) the previously encountered high commitment-high exploration status (i.e., searching moratorium) seems to be “superficially committed”; and 5) future plans are commonly associated with work life/occupation. Future research would benefit from employing qualitative research to better understand the subjective meanings attached to high commitment-high exploration and by developing new ways to account for quality and different levels of commitment.
... Specific identity-supporting acts identified in this review appeared to cluster around recognized domains, such as displaying distinctive qualities from others, growing selfesteem and enhancing a sense of worth, and using historical posts (such as browsing old photos) to track continuity of the self over time (cf. Goossens, 2001). It has been proposed that the satisfaction of certain identity-motivated behaviors, such as those described here, has positive implications for wellbeing, whereas frustration of these activities typically has negative consequences (Vignoles, 2011). ...
Qualitative research into adolescents’ experiences of social media use and well-being has the potential to offer rich, nuanced insights, but has yet to be systematically reviewed. The current systematic review identified 19 qualitative studies in which adolescents shared their views and experiences of social media and well-being. A critical appraisal showed that overall study quality was considered relatively high and represented geographically diverse voices across a broad adolescent age range. A thematic meta-synthesis revealed four themes relating to well-being: connections, identity, learning, and emotions. These findings demonstrated the numerous sources of pressures and concerns that adolescents experience, providing important contextual information. The themes appeared related to key developmental processes, namely attachment, identity, attention, and emotional regulation, that provided theoretical links between social media use and well-being. Taken together, the findings suggest that well-being and social media are related by a multifaceted interplay of factors. Suggestions are made that may enhance future research and inform developmentally appropriate social media guidance.
... This form of integration refers to the integration of multiple contextual identity domains resulting in a sense of consistency across domains (van Hoof & Raaijmakers, 2002). Previous studies that included multiple contextual identity domains found a low degree of convergence across domains (Campbell, Zimmer-Gembeck, & Duffy, 2019;Crocetti, Rubini, & Meeus, 2008b;Fadjukoff, Pulkkinen, & Kokko, 2005;Goossens, 2001;Kroger, 2002Kroger, , 2007Luyckx, Goossens, & Soenens, 2006a). This suggests that identity development in one contextual domain is not necessarily related to identity development in another domain. ...
Introduction
Experiences during the last years of college could stimulate identity formation processes within and across the domains of future plans and education. In the present study, the first research question addressed how identity formation dimensions for education and future plans were associated with each other during the last years in education. The second research question addressed whether identity processes (i.e., identity levels, changes herein, and the associations among identity variables between and within domains) would be different for students who were doing an internship versus those who did not.
Method
We used a longitudinal design with three measurement occasions. Participants were Dutch psychology college students (N = 287; 83.3% women; M age = 21.8 years, SD = 2.0). We used two different self‐report instruments to measure identity processes (i.e., commitment and exploration) in the domains of future plans and education.
Results
We found that commitments in the domains of future plans and education were significantly associated. Enrollment in a practical internship was largely unrelated to identity processes, as it did not explain individual differences in identity levels, changes herein and associations between and within domains.
Conclusions
Our results suggest integration between educational identity and future plans for commitment processes. At a group level, a practical internship in itself did not explain individual differences in identity processes.
... These findings emphasize the importance to differentiate between identity domains (Goossens 2001). ...
According to identity theory, short-term day-to-day identity exploration and commitment processes are the building blocks for long-term development of stable commitments in emerging adulthood. This key assumption was tested in a longitudinal study including 494 individuals (43% girls, M age T1 = 13.31 years, range 11.01–14.86 years) who were followed from adolescence into emerging adulthood, covering ages 13 to 24 years. In the first five years, adolescents reported on their daily identity processes (i.e., commitment, reconsideration and in-depth exploration) across 75 assessment days. Subsequently, they reported on their identity across four (bi-) annual waves in emerging adulthood. Findings confirmed the existence of a dual-cycle process model of identity formation and identity maintenance that operated at the within-person level across days during adolescence. Moreover, individual differences in these short-term identity processes in adolescence predicted individual differences in identity development in emerging adulthood. Specifically, those adolescents with low daily commitment levels, and high levels of identity reconsideration were more likely to maintain weak identity commitments and high identity uncertainty in emerging adulthood. Also, those adolescents characterized by stronger daily changes in identity commitments and continuing day-to-day identity uncertainty maintained the highest identity uncertainty in emerging adulthood. These results support the view of continuity in identity development from short-term daily identity dynamics in adolescence to long-term identity development in emerging adulthood.
... One of the key tasks for adolescents is to find out who they are as a person, also referred to as the process of developing a personal identity (e.g., Erikson, 1968;Marcia, 1966;Meeus et al., 2010). Identity development is defined as a search for self-defined values and commitments in various life domains, such as the educational and occupational domain and commitments to relevant others (Crocetti et al., 2008;Goossens, 2001). Two key processes are involved in the process of identity formation. ...
We tested whether adolescents with daily high identity uncertainty showed differential structural brain development across adolescence and young adulthood. Participants (N = 150, M ageT1 15.92 years) were followed across three waves, covering 4 years. Self-reported daily educational identity and structural brain data of lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC)/anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), medial PFC, and nucleus accumbens (NAcc) was collected across three waves. All hypotheses were pre-registered. Latent class growth analyses confirmed 2 identity subgroups: an identity synthesis class (characterized by strong commitments, and low uncertainty), and an identity moratorium class (high daily identity uncertainty). Latent growth curve models revealed, on average, delayed maturation of the lateral PFC/ACC and medial PFC and stable NAcc. Yet, adolescents in identity moratorium showed lower levels and less decline in NAcc gray matter volume. Lateral PFC/ACC and medial PFC trajectories did not differ between identity subgroups. Exploratory analyses revealed that adolescents with higher baseline levels and delayed maturation of lateral PFC/ACC and medial PFC gray matter volume, surface area, and cortical thickness reported higher baseline levels and stronger increases of in-depth exploration. These results provide insight into how individual differences in brain development relate to fluctuations in educational identity development across adolescence and young adulthood.
... Each valley represents a separate commitment with different content, a "commitment valley", if we may. The conceptualization of various valleys forming one landscape corresponds with how identity researchers commonly view various commitments from multiple domains as forming one identity (e.g., Bosma, 1985;Goossens, 2001), or how the Dialogical Self Theory views the self as a " . . . multiplicity of I-positions in the landscape of the mind" (Hermans, 2002, p. 147). ...
The landscape of identity model views identity as a constellation of commitments with different levels of strength and integration, showing how this constellation emerges from everyday life experiences. Drawing on key principles from the complex dynamic systems approach, our model further describes this conceptualization, as well as the mechanisms underlying the development of an identity landscape. We show that the model solves current conceptual issues within identity theory, specifies how Marcia's four identity statuses can be viewed as particular types of identity landscapes , and helps to further develop the identity field by generating predictions regarding how individuals with different types of identity landscapes would respond to major life events.
... Formation of vocational identity part of development tasks that are important for adolescents, adults [5], and for individuals who pursue a bachelor's degree [6]. Vocational identity is demonstrated in self-exploration, evaluating work and being committed to career choices based on interests, skills, and values [7]. ...
... Според някои подходи съществува една обща, цялостна идентичност (Erikson, 1950) докато според други идентичността се концептуализира като множествена (Rattansi & Phoenix, 2005). В първата група подходи общата идентичност се разделя на подкатегории (Goossens, 2001). В традицията на социалната идентичност (Tajfel & Turner, 1986) се приема, че хората имат множествени групови идентичности, които се променят в зависимост от междугруповия контекст. ...
Предмет на нашето изследване са реактивните форми на отговор в избора на копинг поведения и промените в идентичността с очертаване на възможностите за изследване на полетата на препокриване и подсилването и трансформирането им в проактивно поведение.
Надяваме се допълнителното изучаване на проактивните модели във връзка с отделянето им от реактивните да може да ни позволи да изясним очертаните тук като първа стъпка тенденции. Допускаме, че целеполагането и изборът на проактивни стратегии, насочени към дългосрочното справяне със стреса, могат да се разглеждат като компонент от идентичността и отваряме тази нова посока за доразвиване и в бъдещи изследвания.
... Conversely, adolescents with diffusion identity status score lower on self-esteem, internal self-control, and psychological well being and demonstrate a high tendency to engage in antisocial behavior and health-related risky behaviors such as drug abuse (Meeus, 2011;Schwartz et al., 2011). The identity status of adolescents in a domain may differ to any other domains (Fadjukoff, Pulkkinen, & Kokko, 2005;Goossens, 2001). An adolescent could have achieved identity status on a single domain, but diffused on other domains. ...
Adolescence often known as a transition period from childhood to adulthood. In this phase, adolescents may experience many changes in their identity toward multiple life domains, including religious domain. There have been extensive studies on religious identity in late adolescence, yet only few have discussed the role of significant persons to develop religious identity. This study aimed to investigate the role of parent-adolescent interactional styles to religious identity status in late adolescence. There were 134 undergraduate students of Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta participated in this study. Data were collected using the Religious Identity Status Scale and Parenting Style Scale and analysed through descriptive statistic, Pearson correlation, chi-square, and Contingency Coefficient tests. Descriptive analysis showed that all participants have enabling parent-adolescent interactional style and 22% participants have achievement religious identity status while 78% others were in searching moratorium status.Contingency Coefficient analysis indicated an adequate strong relationship between parent-adolescent interactional style and adolescent religious identity status.
... Once people have an established a sense of global identity, they may then act as global citizens realizing the impact of their actions beyond the local environment. Global identity has been explored in environmental sustainability (Cornelius & Robinson, 2011), adolescence (Goossens, 2001;Mansoory, 2012), technology readiness (Westjohn, Arnold, Magnusson, Zdravkovic, & Zhou, 2009), and virtual teams in management (Erez et al., 2013), but it is under-explored in education. Researchers recognize that education can be a venue for promoting global identity in students and it is, therefore, a venue in need of exploration. ...
This study explores how virtual exchanges can contribute to global awareness development and, consequently, how the increased global awareness can lead to emergence of global identity among foreign language learners. The participants (n = 84), who were divided into forty-seven virtual exchange groups, met synchronously with international peer(s) from one partner university for six weeks and communicated in a pedagogical lingua franca: English or Spanish. Quantitative and qualitative data from the pre-and post-exchange surveys were collected. Then, statistical analyses were performed based on Likert-scale questions utilizing SPSS and data from open-ended responses was coded using NVivo. The results indicate that virtual exchanges made a significant impact on the development of global awareness among participants. Furthermore, as participants became more globally aware, they demonstrated understanding of being part of the global community and developed a responsibility to act and interact with others in the world. Resumen Este estudio investiga cómo los intercambios virtuales pueden contribuir al desarrollo de la conciencia global y, cómo un incremento en una conciencia global puede llevar al surgimiento de la identidad global de los participantes. Los participantes fueron un total de ocho y cuatro estudiantes de idiomas extranjeros (n = 84) que formaron cuarenta y siete grupos telecolaborativos. Todos los participantes se reunieron sincrónicamente con pares internacionales de una universidad asociada durante seis semanas y se comunicaron en una lengua franca pedagógica: inglés o español. Se recopilaron datos cuantitativos y cualitativos de las prey post-encuestas. Después, los análisis estadísticos obtenidos se completaron con preguntas de una escala de Likert utilizando SPSS y la información de las respuestas a preguntas abiertas se codificaron utilizando NVivo. Los resultados indicaron que los intercambios virtuales tuvieron un impacto significativo en el desarrollo de la conciencia global entre los participantes. Además, a medida de que los participantes se volvieron más conscientes a nivel mundial, demostraron comprensión de ser parte de la comunidad global y desarrollaron una responsabilidad de actuar e interactuar con otras personas del mundo.
... Identity development takes place across multiple identity-defining domains, also referred to as content domains, each with its own identifications, as emphasized in the above quotation from Liedman (1999, p. 65). Several advantages of studying identity domains have been highlighted (e.g., Kroger, 2003;Goossens, 2001;Grotevant, 1987;Schwartz, 2001). For example, by studying identity domains separately, differences in processes, such as those previously mentioned, may be captured that otherwise might not be obvious when studying global identity, such as different developmental trajectories for women and men across different identity domains (Archer, 1989;Fadjukoff et al., 2005;Galliher et al., 2017a;Kroger, 1997). ...
The overall aim of this thesis was to broaden our knowledge of identity by using an integrated theoretical approach to understanding multidimensional aspects of identity process, content, and structure. Specifically, in Study I, the aim was to investigate identity processes among young adults in Sweden by studying identity status (i.e., varying degrees of exploration and commitment to identity-defining issues) globally and across domains (i.e., occupation, romantic relationships, parenthood, and work/family priorities). In addition, differences in social comparison between identity statuses were investigated. The results indicated that most of the 124 participants (50% women, Mage 33.29 years) had made identitydefining commitments, and gender differences in identity status were found in the occupational and parenthood domains. In addition, differences in social comparison orientation were found only in the parenthood domain, where those actively exploring without making commitments scored higher in social comparison than did those who had not explored this domain. The aim of Study II was to investigate identity content by studying what types of ethnicity-related experiences were prevalent among young people in Sweden with and without an immigrant background (i.e., at least one parent born outside Sweden). Using a narrative approach, 95 participants (87% women, 66% with an immigrant background, Mage = 19.62) shared their ethnicity-related experiences. Through thematic analysis, we found six themes for which most of the related narratives were about struggling to adapt and fit in, regardless of age, ethnicity, or immigrant status. In Study III, the aim was to investigate identity structure by studying how young adults in Sweden negotiated their sometimes conflicting multiple identifications of occupation and family into different types of identity configurations. Six different types of identity configurations were found among the participants (the same sample as in Study I) varying conceptually on two dimensions: 1) choosing or not choosing one identification over another and 2) level of certainty, ambivalence, or discrepancy in prioritizing between work and family. Few gender differences were found across the identity configurations. The quantitative analyses indicated differences in the degree of internal conflict and life satisfaction between different identity configurations. In sum, this thesis emphasizes the complexity of identity development and the importance of cultural context in obtaining a multidimensional understanding of aspects related to the process, content, and structure that constitute identity.
... Although identity can be viewed as a global construct, it is often also studied within important life areas, called identity domains (Goossens, 2001). As it has been suggested that the importance of domains may change over the life-span and that it is in salient identity domains that identity may be mirrored, the domains studied should be important for the specific time of life of the participants as well as for their cultural context (Marcia, 1966;Marcia et al., 1993;Schwartz, Luyckx, & Crocetti, 2015). ...
The aim of this study was to investigate identity status globally and across identity domains among young Swedish adult women and men. Also, potential differences in social comparison between identity statuses were evaluated. The results showed that most of the 124 participants (50% women, Mage 33.29 years) were assigned to an achieved global identity and had made identity-defining commitments across domains. Gender differences in identity status were found in the occupational and parenthood domains. In addition, differences in social comparison orientation were found only in the parenthood domain, whereas those assigned to moratorium scored higher in social comparison than did those assigned to foreclosure and diffusion. These results bring important knowledge to our understanding of identity during young adulthood.
... In this review, we did not include studies focusing on this broad conceptualization of coherence, because we focus specifically on coherence of the self (across domains). Young people develop their identity in various identityrelevant domains, such as education, work, friendships, and romantic relationships (e.g., Goossens, 2001;Grotevant, Thorbecke, & Meyer, 1982). However, even when an adolescent succeeds in constructing a clear identity in two different domains, this is not sufficient to achieve identity coherence across these domains . ...
Studies on identity formation focus on various components of identity. However, these components have mainly been studied separately, and researchers in different fields are not always aware of each other’s work. Therefore, this systematic review provides an overview of theories and empirical studies on three key components of identity: distinctiveness (seeing the self as unique and distinct from others), coherence (perceiving the self as similar across life domains), and continuity (perceiving the self as the same person over time). This systematic review focused on the development of these components and linkages with psychosocial functioning. Findings suggest important differences between the three identity components. Therefore, we propose an integrative developmental framework of identity, including all three identity components and their linkages.
... general sense of sameness and future orientation). This makes it unclear whether the reported associations between identity commitments and personality dimensions are actually triggered by commitment development in the vocational domain or another life domain, as previous research demonstrated a low degree of convergence across identity domains (Crocetti et al., 2008;Fadjukoff, Pulkkinen, & Kokko, 2005;Goossens, 2001;Kroger, 2002Kroger, , 2007. In order to attain greater insight into the predictions of SIT and the mechanisms by which individuals differ in personality maturation, it is therefore important to conduct studies that cover a life transition into adult social roles and to include psychological commitment to the domain in which the transition takes place. ...
The social investment theory (SIT) proposes that personality maturation is triggered by transitions into age‐graded roles and psychological commitment to these roles. The present study examines the predictions of SIT by focusing on the transition from student life to working life. We analysed three‐wave longitudinal data and compared participants who made the transition into working life (N = 226), participants who combined education with work (N = 387), and participants who did not make the transition at all (N = 287). In contrast to the predictions of SIT, we found no differences in personality maturation between individuals who made the transition into working life and those who did this only partly or not at all. Psychological commitment to work did not explain individual differences in personality maturation for those who made the transition (partly) into working life after controlling for multiple testing. Therefore, the present study did not support the predictions of SIT. © 2019 The Authors European Journal of Personality published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Association of Personality Psychology
... However, scholars have rarely examined both components.Van der Werfhorst (2007) andPaterson (2009) used measures that capture some of this precision, but they have not examined which of the two components has the strongest effect on political engagement, and they have not focused on late adolescence as a crucial formative period. As several studies have identified this period as a stage in life when political attitudes and behaviours take on a definite shape(Watts 1999;Goossens 2001;Amnå et al. 2009;, there is every reason to focus in on the educational options available to this age group. The period following lower secondary education is when the vast majority of young people in England undertake study to obtain formal qualifications and these educational outcomes have profound effects on future socioeconomic status and earnings(Wolf 2011).Another shortcoming in the current literature is the scarcity of studies using longitudinal data which include measurements of the dependent variable prior to the educational phase or intervention of interest to explore the effects of education on political engagement. ...
This book posits that national education systems are enhancing socioeconomic inequalities in political engagement. While the democratic ideal is social equality in political engagement, the authors demonstrate that the English education system is recreating and enhancing entrenched democratic inequalities. In Europe, the UK has the strongest correlation between social background and voting behaviours. Examining the role of the school and the education system in the potential reproduction of these inequalities, the authors draw upon the theories of Bourdieu and Bernstein and compare the English school system to other European countries to analyse barriers that are put along the way to political engagement. In times of political disaffection, frustration and polarisation, it is particularly important to uncover why young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to engage politically, and to help inspire future generations to use their voice. This timely book will be of interest and value to students and scholars of educational inequality and political engagement.
... Trajectories preceding student dropout 129 & Kunnen, 2001;Marcia, 1966): commitments are the building blocks of an individual's identity. In the identity framework, commitments are notions about the self in relation to the world that have both content and strength aspects, and can be formed in many domains, such as friendship (e.g., I find it important to be there for others) education/career (e.g., I want to pursue a career as a politician), and philosophy of life (e.g., my motto is to seize the day; Bosma, 1985;Goossens, 2001). As such, commitments in identity theory are somewhat broader and less context specific than they are in the framework of Tinto. ...
... We examined these relations in two selected domains: an ideological domain (educational) and an interpersonal domain (best friend) (Crocetti et al. 2012). This is in line with previous studies suggesting that domain-specific rather than global assessment of identity processes should be performed, especially in emerging adults (Goossens 2001;Vosylis, Erentaitė, and Crocetti 2017). Moreover, these two domains are considered to be relevant for emerging adults (Vosylis, Erentaitė, and Crocetti 2017) when there is an increase in individuation in relationships with parents as well as greater focus on symmetrical relations with friends (Meeus 2016). ...
The aim of this study was to examine the associations between the dimensions of self-assessed empathy and perceptions of parental empathy and identity processes, and to identify the most mature identity statuses of emerging adults in educational and best friend domains. A total of 676 emerging adults (44.5% males) aged 19–29 completed self-assessment measures. Path analyses in the structural equation modeling approach revealed that self-assessed other-oriented empathy was a partial mediator in the relationship between perceived maternal other-oriented empathy and mature identity development in the friendship domain. In the educational domain, only higher perceived maternal empathy was linked with achievement status. Thus, the perception of maternal empathy was the strongest predictor of mature identity in both studied identity domains. Finally, gender differences affected the association between empathy (both self-assessed and perceived in parents) and identity processes. The implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
The inquiry discussed in this chapter reports on the experiences of a teacher educator during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter investigates how the pandemic shaped the teacher educator’s identity and pedagogical practice. The work is conceptually grounded in Deleuzo-Guattarian concepts. Methodologically the inquiry is a self-study in that it is self-initiated and aimed at improving professional practice. The results of this research focused on three emergent themes in relation to teacher educator identity: (a) the displacement of the body and the centering of the discursive; (b) the diminishment of pedagogical certainty and the expansion of pedagogical negotiation; and (c) the persistence of emotional fatigue and the requisite for self-care. This work contributes to the scholarly literature and provides an example of professional practice to support teacher educators in fully enacting a professional identity that aligns with their values and promotes their students’ success. Recommendations for research and teaching are provided.
Although most individuals experience expectation violations in their educational years, individuals’ coping strategies differ depending on situational and dispositional characteristics with potentially decisive influence on educational outcomes. As a situational characteristic, optimism bias indicates that individuals tend to update their expectations after unexpected positive feedback and to maintain their expectations after unexpected negative feedback. As a dispositional characteristic, a higher need for cognitive closure (NCC) indicates that individuals tend to both update (accommodation) and try to confirm expectations (assimilation) after unexpected negative feedback. To better understand mechanisms behind optimism bias and context-dependent effects of NCC in an educational context, we included controllability (attribution of success/failure to internal or external causes) and self-enhancement (amplifying positive self-relevant aspects) in an experimental case vignettes study. Our sample of n = 249 students was divided into four experimental groups (high/low controllability × positive/negative valence) and read four different case vignettes referring to expectation violations in an educational context. MANCOVA revealed that individuals updated their expectations after unexpected positive feedback only with stronger (vs. weaker) self-enhancement and that individuals maintained their expectations after unexpected negative feedback in controllable (vs. uncontrollable) situations. Furthermore, interindividual differences in NCC interacted with controllability in predicting expectation update. We conclude that considering the influences of controllability and self-enhancement, we can better understand and evaluate the adaptivity of the optimism bias and context-dependent effects of NCC in an educational context.
Occupational identity is a core construct in career and lifespan development. A number of studies have shown that occupational identity achievement relates positively to psychological adjustment, career success, and life satisfaction. Occupational identity is a crucial component of the sense of self, emerging during late adolescence and early adulthood, when overall identity becomes a core developmental task. However, despite the normative nature of occupational identity development across the late adolescent and young adulthood period, appreciable variability is observed in the pathways and timing of occupational identity progress from person to person and across different cultural and socioeconomic contexts. Recently, new approaches have been developed to address contemporary career challenges, and they are commonly aimed at helping individuals to develop their occupational identity.
During emerging adulthood, identity development may be facilitated through a myriad of social interactions, especially in settings such as college. However, some social withdrawal motivations may impede an individual from engaging with others, and consequently, may stifle identity exploration and commitment. The objective of this study was to examine differences between social withdrawal subtypes on levels of identity development in a variety of domains among college emerging adults. Participants for this study consisted of 792 undergraduate students (547 women, 69% European American). Distinct social withdrawal motivation groups were created (shy, unsocial, avoidant) and then compared using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results indicated the shy group struggled with identity commitment generally, the avoidant group struggled with identity exploration and commitment in multiple domains, and the unsocial and mixed withdrawn groups showed comparable levels of identity exploration and commitment to the non-withdrawn group both generally and across identity domains.
This handbook focuses on the development and nurturance of creativity across the lifespan, from early childhood to adolescence, adulthood, and later life. It answers the question: how can we help individuals turn their creative potential into achievement? Each chapter examines various contexts in which creativity exists, including school, workplace, community spaces, and family life. It covers various modalities for fostering creativity such as play, storytelling, explicit training procedures, shifting of attitudes about creative capacity, and many others. The authors review research findings across disciplines, encompassing the work of psychologists, educators, neuroscientists, and creators themselves, to describe the best practices for fostering creativity at each stage of development.
Research about identity development has focused primarily on researcher-chosen domains or overlooked content entirely. To investigate the content that is salient to adolescents, we analyzed responses to a shortened Twenty Statements Test (ten answers to the question, “Who am I?”) from 415 adolescents in the northeastern United States (Mage = 13.59 years; 63.7% girls, about 50% identified as White/European American). Inductive content analysis identified four Content codes (what the participants wrote: Personal, Social categories, Relationships, Self-evaluation) and two Structure codes (how they wrote their statements: Qualifiers and Verb Tense). Content codes appeared in eight patterns, and there were between-group differences in content and patterns. Results expand our understanding of adolescents’ identity content and demonstrate its complexity.
Background
Engineering identity is associated with students' academic success and retention in engineering programs. However, there is a lack of psychometrically evaluated measures for assessing engineering identity formation.
Purpose
This cross-sectional study aimed to adapt the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) to assess engineering identity formation and evaluate its factor structure, reliability, and associations with demographic characteristics of engineering students.
Design/Method
Survey data were collected from 237 engineering students. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to examine the factor structure of the U-MICS. Multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) analysis was performed to investigate how demographic characteristics of engineering students related to the latent variables underlying the U-MICS.
Results
CFA supported the hypothesized three-dimensional model of identity formation (i.e., commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment) after excluding one item originally designed for assessing in-depth exploration. Good internal consistencies were found for each subscale (Cronbach's α = 0.72–0.88). MIMIC analysis showed mean differences in the commitment factor and the in-depth exploration factor by undergraduate classification and mean differences in the reconsideration of commitment factor by race/ethnicity, but no differences in the three latent factors by gender and transfer status.
Conclusions
The U-MICS may be a viable measure to assess engineering identity formation. This measure can help researchers gauge how engineering students develop, validate, and revise their commitment to pursue an engineering degree.
Individuals vary in how much exploration and commitment they invest in their identities, which results in different identity “statuses” across a population. Although the majority of Filipinos in Canada identify as Christian, how they each formed their religious identity status may be different, which would be important to understand given the strong relation between mental health and religiosity. Filipino Canadian youth (N = 181) aged 14 to 25 completed online questionnaires about their religious identity status, religiosity, and mental health. A cluster analysis was conducted on youth’s engagement with religious identity formation processes, and results revealed five religious identity statuses: Internalized, Ruminative Moratorium, Undifferentiated, Foreclosed, and Indifferent. Filipino youth with different religious identity statuses had distinct religious experiences and endorsed different levels of mental health. The study highlights the diverse religious experiences in a religiously homogeneous ethnic group which may have implications for mental health.
The formation of a personal identity represents a fundamental task in human development. Personal identity revolves around the commitment to goals, beliefs, and values that are central to who one is. Starting from adolescence and continuing into young adulthood, people envision their life and reflect on their career path. Given the fast-paced demands young people face nowadays, having a clear set of identity commitments related to career is often challenging. The present study investigates how best to leverage mobile apps to support young adults with their career goals. By combining theories from psychology literature with research on HCI, this exploratory study aimed to design and develop a self-tracking app prototype for monitoring career goals and investigate its potential influence on young adults’ identity commitments. The InstaGoal app's design included features which encouraged self-reflection, such as goal appraising, journal, log of past use, and reminders to engage. Using quantitative and qualitative analyses, the study's results revealed that the InstaGoal app represents a promising avenue for strengthening the adaptive identity commitments. Limitations, theoretical, and practical implications are discussed.
The current study seeks to investigate the gender differences in ego identity status of adolescents' students' in secondary schools in Enugu State. The normative survey design has been adopted for the present study. The population o education zones in Enugu State was 2,000. The samples of the study were 800 adolescents' students randomly selected from one education zone. The sample includes 410 boys and 390 girls identity scales was constructed by the researcher, and validated by experts. This scale includes four identity status namely, identity achievement, identity moratorium, identity diffusion and identity foreclosure. It consists of 40 items, 10 item findings of the study indicate that the means scores of both boys and girls is very high in identity achievement rather than other statuses such as identity moratorium, identity foreclosure and ident diffusion it further indicates that the overall identity status of girls is higher than the boys. The boys and girls differ significantly only in the identity foreclosure and identity diffusion, they do not differ significantly in other states. The mea foreclosure and identity diffusion.
Identity development unfolds in different domains within a given cultural context. In the present study, we examined the relations among identity processes in future plans and goals and values domains, based on the dual-cycle model of identity development, and their association with adult and societal identity resolution. The sample for our study consisted of 288 Georgian young adults (39% male). Participants completed measures of identity exploration and commitment processes in the future plans/goals and values domains as well as measures of adult and societal identity resolution. Results based on between-domain correlations and mean-level differences indicated that identity processes in future plans/goals and value domains unfold differently in Georgian emerging adults. Associations of two domain identity processes with adult and societal identity resolution also revealed some differences. We attempt to explain these differences by referring to cultural context and age.
This chapter concentrates on England and examines the role that post-14 educational pathways play in amplifying social inequalities in political engagement, using the longitudinal data of Citizenship Education Longitudinal Study (CELS). It finds that the educational tracks between ages 14–19 have an independent effect on political engagement and that undertaking a degree has an additional effect on top of this. Young people with both academic (as opposed to vocational) and higher levels of qualifications reported markedly higher voting and protesting levels. It thus found both the type (academic or vocational) and level of education (degree or not) to be important in influencing political participation. These findings do not support the ‘education as proxy’ perspective which assumes that education merely reflects early socialisation influences and does not exert an effect by itself.
During adolescence, individuals gradually start to think more about identity issues as a result of their more advanced emotional, cognitive, and social abilities and new demands from society. One key developmental task of adolescence is, therefore, to develop a stable and coherent identity. This entry outlines the two main approaches to identity development processes, the one focusing on exploration and commitment processes and the other on narrative identity processes. Within these two approaches, important aspects of the domains and contexts in which adolescents develop their identity are highlighted.
The work of Paul Ricoeur is of much wider significance than just for the field of philosophy. This contribution discusses the impact of his ideas on developments in South Africa in three areas beyond philosophy: discourse analysis, concepts of selfhood, and the role of memory in social transformation. His dynamic understanding of communication helped to liberate discourse analysis in South Africa from an a-historical approach by focusing on the role of the reader, the context of reception and the transformative power of the text. His innovative work on the relationship between the self and the other has the potential to lead to a more inclusive understanding of being human together and to an enriched and expanded concept of identity. His extensive work on memory, history and forgetting can provide the basis to unlock the future potential of memory and for a memory liberated from being defined and held ransom by the past.
The present study examined identity development and sociocultural adaptation (SCA) in the context of international mobility experiences. Specifically, we investigated changes and dynamic interactions of SCA and the Host and Home identity dimensions of commitment and reconsideration for adolescent sojourners. Therefore, we used data from 457 German high school exchange students (72.00% female; M age = 15.49 years, SD = 0.70 years) to study the longitudinal interplay of personality characteristics at two occasions over a period of 5 months. The first wave of data collection (T1) took place 8 weeks after the cultural transition. After 7 months abroad, the second measurement (T2) was taken. Longitudinal analyses revealed increases in Host reconsideration, Home commitment, and SCA, as well as a substantial decrease in Home reconsideration over the course of the study. In addition, initial identity levels predicted changes in SCA, whereas adaptation levels showed no predictive effect on later identity change. Indicators of subjective and objective sociocultural distance were tested as moderators for the effect of identity on changes in adaptation. However, results indicated that the impact identity had on adaptation was independent from influences of cultural distance, which further supported the robustness of identity effect patterns. The present research adds a longitudinal perspective on the association of identity and adaptation and contributes to the understanding of their dynamic interplay during cross-cultural transitions.
The purpose was to replicate research by Jensen, Kristiansen, Sandbekk, and Kroger. In that 1998 study, patterns of identity development were examined for late adolescents raised in the mixed liberal welfare-stare economic system of Norway compared with late adolescents raised in the free-market economic system of the United Stares. In the present study, scores for ego identity status were examined for a further sample of 58 (38 women, 20 men) Norwegian and 1,498 (814 women, 684 men) American undergraduate students using the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status-2. Present results mere consistent with those of Jensen, ct ai., which found Norwegian students to score consistently lower on extent of exploration and of commitment than American students. This study provides further evidence that in late adolescence, Norwegian students may undergo greater moderation in identity exploration and commitment processes than their United States peers. Findings are discussed in the light of social, political, and economic differences between the two nations.
The purpose of the present study was twofold: (1) to review empirical studies published between 1966-1995 utilizing J. E. Marcia's [(1966) Development and Validation of Ego Identity Status, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 3, pp. 551–558] identity status paradigm for the purpose of observing any patterns of gender difference on issues related to identity structure, content, and context; (2) to present results of a single empirical study that examined the question of possible gender differences in how relationships are used in the identity formation process. Results of the review indicated few gender differences in identity structure, content, developmental process, and context; only the domains of sexuality and family roles may hold greater salience for women than men. Results from the single empirical investigation found identity status, rather than gender, to be associated with how relationships were used in the identity formation process. A discussion of possible future research directions on gender and identity status is presented.
4 modes of reacting to the late adolescent identity crisis were described, measured, and validated. Criteria for inclusion in 1 of 4 identity statuses were the presence of crisis and commitment in the areas of occupation and ideology. Statuses were determined for 86 college male Ss by means of individual interviews. Performance on a stressful concept-attainment task, patterns of goal setting, authoritarianism, and vulnerability to self-esteem change were dependent variables. Ss higher in ego identity performed best on the concept-attainment task; those in the status characterized by adherence to parental wishes set goals unrealistically high and subscribed significantly more to authoritarian values. Failure of the self-esteem condition to discriminate among the statuses was attributed to unreliability in self-esteem measurement.
This study was undertaken to examine the relation between religion and politics in terms of identity and beliefs, as well as the relations among identity and beliefs, during the transition to young adulthood. Data were obtained from 209 college students using self-administered questionnaires. Constructs included religious and political identity diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium and achievement, as well as intrinsic religiosity, church/temple importance, Christian orthodoxy, political involvement, and faith in government. Correlational analyses revealed that the only significant relations between religion and politics was for identity foreclosure and moratorium, and that none of the religious beliefs were significantly correlated with political beliefs. Hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for gender and year in college, indicated that religious diffusion proved to be the most powerful (negative) predictor of religious beliefs; similarly, political diffusion was the most powerful (negative) predictor of political involvement. Religious achievement was associated with higher levels of intrinsic religiosity. The findings provide additional validity for the construct of identity diffusion. At the same time, the inconsistent and low covariation between religious and political identity suggests that focus on global identity has limited utility.
To examine patterns of identity development for late adolescents raised in the Norwegian mixed liberal welfare-state economic system compared with late adolescents raised in the free-market economic system of the United States, ego identity status scores and distributions were examined for 56 (37 women, 19 men). Norwegian and 1498 (814 women, 684 men) United States undergraduate university students using the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status-2. The United States sample was drawn from four geographic regions and comprised of those who had participated in prior studies performed by Adams. Significant differences were found between the two nations on all identity status subscales in the ideological and interpersonal domains for each sex. The more moderate identity status scale scores evidenced by the Norwegian sample may reflect a cultural trend toward greater moderation in the exploration and commitment process.
There is no standard form for the identity status interview, and the material in this book is not intended to define a standard format. Different investigators have chosen from among a variety of domains in which to assess identity and have varied the number and level of complexity of the questions. The principal determinants used in creating the interview have been the research hypotheses under investigation, the age and sex of the participant samples studied, and the academic background and experience of the people employed as interviewers.
The purpose of this paper was to delineate some of the inconsistencies in method found in research on identity status. This construct, operationalized by Marcia in 1964 as a means of testing hypotheses about late adolescent development suggested by Erikson's theory, has generated considerable interest and empirical study. Procedural aspects of the research, such as the numbers, characteristics and training of raters, disagreement among raters, scoring methods, and the use of domain vs global scores are discussed and recommendations are made. It is suggested that more consistent procedures will result in contributions to the literature that are beter integrated and more easily generalizable than current practices warrant.
This article points out two contradictions in current adolescent theory. The first is between the "classical" point of view, espousing the notion of "storm and stress," and the "empirical" view, supporting a concept of adolescence as relatively peaceful and harmonious. The latter approach, however, creates a second contradiction because it does not explain how young people cope with the major adaptations demanded as a result of changes in their physical, social, and emotional spheres of life. The article examines the status of concepts such as the "generation gap" and "identity crisis" and concludes with the formulation of a "focal" theory of adolescence which attempts to resolve the contradictions discussed earlier.
Four investigations were completed to develop a self-report measure of ego-identity status. Following James Marcia's definition of diffusion, moratorium, foreclosure, and identity achievement status, a series of Likert-type items were constructed and validated for use in the study of ego-identity formation. Convergent-divergent, concurrent, and predictive validity and test-retest reliability are documented in the reported data. Cross-sectional data suggest the measure will be sensitive to intraindividual change in identity formation. The new Objective Measure of Ego-Identity Status allows researchers to use either a "typology" or a "distribution of stage responses" in future longitudinal investigations.
This article describes an extension of Marcia's (1966) Identity Status Interview into three interpersonal domains: friendships, dating, and sex roles. The Identity Status Interview method is assessed favorably in terms of identity theory, justification for the three new sections is provided on the basis of theory and research on sex differences in adolescent identity, and methodological refinements in the interview are described. A study is reported in which the extended interview was administered to 41 male and 40 female high school juniors and seniors. Average percentage of exact agreement for ratings of exploration, commitment, and identity status was over 70% when two coders were used and over 94% when the ratings of two out of three coders were used. It is concluded that this extended interview is psychometrically sound and provides a method for assessing interpersonal issues salient to contemporary adolescents.
Three studies that evaluate the reliability and validity of the Extended Version of the Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (Adams and Grotevant, 1983) are reported. In Studies 1 and 2, college students in Texas and Utah, respectively, completed the identity measure, the Extended Range Vocabulary Test, and the Crowne-Marlowe Social Desirability Scale and released achievement results from their college records. The identity measure was found to have acceptable reliability (both internal consistency and test-retest) and validity (content, factorial, discriminant, and concurrent). In Study 3, scale scores from the objective identity measure correlated in the predicted pattern with ratings of identity exploration and commitment made from the Ego Identity Interview. Although the objective measure is not intended to replace the interview, it would appear to be useful in a number of situations where administration of the interview is impractical.
Eighty college males were given an expanded identity status interview which included two new interpersonal-sexual areas, "attitudes towards sexual expression" and "sex-role beliefs." The relative contribution of the new content areas as well as of the standard three areas (occupation, religion, and politics) to overall identity status was assessed by noting the extent of correspondence. Identity status in each content area was also compared with performance on the dependent variable of cognitive complexity. Ideology contributed more than occupation both to overall status rating, as well as to discrimination on the dependent variable. Results on the two new areas supported the view that interpersonal-sexual concerns are important for men's identity development as well as for women's. The finding that all interview areas corresponded well with overall identity status and discriminated significantly on the dependent measure leads to the suggestion that the process variables of crisis and commitment may so overshadow a particular content area that any content of personal relevance for the late adolescent might be used in investigating ego identity development.
This study of cadets at the United States Air Force Academy during their first six months assessed the pattern of developmental changes in occupational identity status for males and females, examined the relationship of internal-external control to identity statuses, and discussed the data in terms of Erikson's proposals and factors involved in gender differences in identity development. More than half of the cadets entering the academy were in uncommitted occupational identity statuses. Over the time period, half the cadets remained in their identity statuses, with the Foreclosed cadets the most stable and Achieved the least stable. The expected changes in the Achieved identity status, and other changes, established a pattern of identity development congruent with Erikson's theory of developmental progress or regression in identity formation. Only male cadets demonstrated significant changes into or out of a status, and significant associations between their identity statuses and internal-external control, with more internally controlled males being Achieved and more externally controlled males being Diffused-diffused.
Using male/female high school seniors and college students (freshman through seniors), a 40-item, forced-choice, easily scored, group-administered, objective instrument (DISI-O) was developed, corresponding to Marcia's (1964) interview procedure, to assess five levels of occupation identity status in terms of crisis and commitment. Item and factor analyses demonstrated the construct validity of the status scales and discriminant analyses the predictive power. Showing acceptable reliability estimates, the DISI-O related satisfactorily to other methods of assessing occupation identity status—a Likert procedure and Marcia's interview. Chi-square analyses among the identity statuses and sex, grade and age reflected a pattern of psychosocial growth consistent with Erikson's (1963) proposals. Uses of the DISI-O by researchers and counselors were discussed.
This article examines age-related trends in general ideological identity status and identity in the domains of vocation, religion, lifestyle, and politics during early adolescence and relationships between adolescent vocational identity and identities in the other domains. A cross-sectional study of 1,099 high school students in Grades 7 through 12 revealed a developmental progression in adolescent vocational identity characterized by an increase in the proportion of students classified as identity achieved and moratorium and a decrease in the proportion of students classified as identity diffused and foreclosed. Statuses in the general ideological, religious, lifestyle, and political identity domains appeared to be related to, but clearly lagged behind, identity status development in the domain of vocation. No sex differences were found in the age-related trends in vocational identity status and its relationships with the other identity domains. The results are interpreted as indicative of the leading role of vocational development in adolescent identity formation. Applicability of the construct of vocational identity status to career assessment is discussed.
The characteristics involved in ego identity formation in the areas of occupation, religion and politics, and existing gender differences were examined using 144 undergraduates (59 males) and (85 females). The Dellas Identity Status Inventory-Occupation, -Religious Beliefs, and -Political Ideology (three objective scales) assessed identity statuses, and the Omnibus Personality Inventory (OPI) assessed personality characteristics. Different characteristics discriminated among the statuses in each area: impulse expression and religious orientation in occupation; autonomy, anxiety, and religious orientation in religion; and thinking introversion in politics. The OPI masculinity-femininity scale did not differentiate among the statuses in any area, and no area demonstrated significant Gender x Status interaction effects for the personality variables.
Previous work with the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (EOM-EIS) has improved the assessment ability of the instrument. However, the interpersonal items were less consistent in ego identity classification than the ideological items. The interpersonal items were revised and, using a sample of 106 college students, tested to establish reliability and validity. The results from the revised EOM-EIS interpersonal and original ideological items were compared with scores on identity, intimacy, selfacceptance, authoritarian and social desirability scales. Convergent, discriminate, concurrent, and predictive validity and internal consistency (reliability) analyses demonstrate the interpersonal and ideological items can adequately measure identity status during late adolescence.
The relationship between religious ego identity and religious faith maturity was investigated among college students (M age % 19.8 years) using J. E. Marcia's (1966) religious ego status classification system, which is based on the presence or absence in an individual of an exploration of religious values or beliefs and commitment to them; the system also contains a measure of religious faith maturity. Results showed that individuals with a diffusion status (no exploration, no commitment) were less mature in religious faith than those with a foreclosure status (no exploration, commitment), a moratorium status (exploration, no commitment), or those classified as achieved (exploration, commitment). Compared with individuals classified as foreclosed, achieved individuals integrated more effectively the religious faith maturity dimension of service to humanity and community as well as service of self to a transcendent reality.
Despite the general acceptance of the importance of the identity construct for the understanding of adolescent development, its potential explanatory power has remained underutilized due to its treatment as a global descriptive quality.
This study examines relationships between leisure behavior and occupational identity in a group of 109 undergraduate students at a Midwestern state university. Significant relationships (p < .01) were found among thinking and contemplating, ethical leisure behavior, and occupational identity. University students who participated more in intellectual and creative leisure activities were more advanced in occupational identity achievement. Implications for life span career development interventions are discussed.
Adolescence has been designated as the first time in one's life span when the identity concerns of developing one's values, beliefs, and goals become salient (Erikson, 1968). Theorists and empiricists have suggested that males and females may address the identity task differently. In three separate studies conducted with early to late adolescents, gender comparisons were made regarding: (I) the process by which their identities are formed; (2) the domains in which they might define themselves; and (3) the time in which this task might be initiated. It was found that both genders used the identity statuses (process) comparably, except for foreclosure which characterized males significantly more than females. Both genders used the identity process similarly in the domains of vocational choice, religious beliefs, and sex-role orientation. Males were significantly more likely to be foreclosed and females, diffuse, in the area of political ideology. Females were significantly more likely to be in moratorium or identity achieved with regard to family roles. In two of the three studies, no timing differences were found. The findings from a third study may reflect a greater complexity of the identity task for some female high school seniors as they confront intrapersonal and interpersonal goals simultaneously.
The present investigation was designed to explore a series of questions raised by previous developmental, gender, and congruence studies of ego identity status interview domains. A total of 76 late adolescent New Zealanders participated in identity status interviews following their first assessments two years previously. Results provide some support for a "focal model" of domain resolution, whereby psychosocial identity issues are addressed sequentially rather than concurrently. Few sex differences emerged in either developmental patterns of change or in the salience of interview components. The use of domain ratings in ways suggested by this study would allow a clearer picture of the identity formation process to emerge in future identity status research.
The present study partially replicates and extends the work of Rogow et al. (1983) in probing the relative importance of Ego Identity Status Interview components for both sexes. Eighty female and sixty male students attending a New Zealand university were given the Ego Identity Status Interview with identity components of occupation, religion, politics, and sex role beliefs presented in counterbalanced order. Subjects were then asked to rank components in order of importance to their sense of identity and additional identity contents were explored through open-ended questions. This investigation revealed few sex differences in terms of number of content areas having a common rating, hit rates between single or paired content areas and overall identity ratings, rank order for importance of identity contents, or reported areas of additional identity concerns. In support of Rogow findings, this study suggests that identity not be viewed as a unitary structure and encourages the reporting of both component and overall identity status ratings to allow a more comprehensive means of researching the identity formation process. In general, the identity status approach provides a useful model for clinical research of ego synthesis in late adolescence.
Three hundred adolescents completed a Dutch version of the Dellas Identity Status Inventory-Occupation (DISI-O). Reliability of the five subscales ranged from "sufficient" to "very good," and the four identity status classifications accommodated about 90% of the respondents. As expected, achievement and social support by friends in the educational setting stimulated development of occupational identity.
Gender comparisons were conducted in six social domains of identity development on 210 college students: occupation, religion, politics, dating, sex roles, and friendship. The identity research literature often combines domains to create more global estimates of identity development. Such an approach may obscure differences among the domains, each of which may have different implications for different societal contexts, and for males and females. Analyses were made for each domain, and for the combined ideological, interpersonal, and overall domain scores. Several gender differences were apparent when domain-specific analyses were examined. Males were more likely to explore and commit in politics, whereas females were more likely to explore in sex roles and to commit in religion and dating. In politics, fewer males were in the diffused status; in contrast, for dating and sex roles, there were fewer females in the diffused status. However, when combined scores were examined, there were no gender differences in identity status. The results suggest that some gender differences still remain in specific domains. The utility of including domain-specific analyses is suggested when gender comparisons are examined. Regardless of gender, more youth were diffused in political identity than in any other domain, suggesting political apathy among today's college youth.
The present study set out to test Coleman's focal theory of adolescence in a cross-national context. The London Sentence Completion Test (LSCT) and the Louvain Loneliness Scale for Children and Adolescents (LLCA) were administered to 370 adolescents (11 to 17 years of age) in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. The findings confirm those of earlier work using the London Sentence Completion Test (LSCT) and other questionnaire-type measures in various English-speaking countries (England, Scotland, New Zealand and United States). The general pattern of peak ages for adolescents' interpersonal concerns provided support for the focal model. Negative feelings about being alone, relationships with parents, heterosexual relationships, small groups and rejection from larger groups do not emerge all at once, but seem to be dealt with issue by issue. The results for the Louvain Loneliness Scale for Children and Adolescents (LLCA), which measures loneliness in relationships with both parents and peers, and adolescents' attitudes towards being alone, confirmed the age trends observed with the sentence completion measure. Taken together, these findings strongly suggest that the changes in adolescent relationships are intimately linked to the general process of individuation, as implied by the focal model. It should be pointed out, however, that important parts of the focal theory remain at present untested. Suggestions for future empirical and conceptual work related to these aspects of Coleman's model are outlined.
Development of objective instruments to assess ego identity status in terms of religious beliefs and political ideology
- M Dellas
- L P Jernigan
Dellas, M. and Jernigan, L. P. (1987b, October). Development of objective instruments to assess ego identity status in terms of religious beliefs and political ideology. Paper presented at the Mid-Western Educational Research Association Meeting, Chicago.
Reliability and validity of the Extended Objective Measure of Ego-Identity Status (EOM-EIS) with Dutch-speaking adolescents. Unpublished manu-script Development of an objective measure to assess ego identity in adolescence: validation and replication
- L Goossens
- A Marcoen
- D Hutsebaut
Goossens, L., Marcoen, A. and Hutsebaut, D. (1990). Reliability and validity of the Extended Objective Measure of Ego-Identity Status (EOM-EIS) with Dutch-speaking adolescents. Unpublished manu-script, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. Grotevant, H. D. and Adams, G. R. (1984). Development of an objective measure to assess ego identity in adolescence: validation and replication. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 13, 419–438.
Ego-identity status in cross-cultural context: a comparison of Norwegian and United States university students
- Jensen