Identity Development in Adolescence

1. Identity Development in Adolescence Samuel R. Mathews, Ph.D. Department of Psychology The University of West Florida

2. Identity and Self • Self Concept: • Generalized view of self • Childhood—more physical • Adolescence—more psychological • Social Comparison • Estimation based on social comparisons • Upward comparison: realistic comparison can lead to improved functioning; unrealistic comparison can lead to frustration • Downward comparison: can lead to lower efforts to improve

3. Identity: Key Constructs • Autonomy • A sense that the individual participates actively and with some degree of control in decision-making: • About self • In interactions with others • Patterns of family interactions inhibit or enhance this decision-making

4. Identity: Key Constructs • Individuation: • As adolescents make decision and experience consequences they begin to define themselves as different from others • Adolescents begin to separate the affective element of an event and the intellectual analysis of that event

5. Identity: Key Constructs • Individuation (cont’d) • Families impact this process • Allowing decision-making within boundaries supports the process of individuation • Openness of emotions within family supports this process • Supporting exploration within boundaries can lead to free but cautious explorations by the adolescent • Positive outcomes follow from a balance of independence and familial closeness

6. Erikson’s Perspective on Identity Dev. • Fifth stage in Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development • Individual has likely acquired major tools of the culture • Emphasis shifts to establishing an identity separate from but related to family of origin

7. Erikson’s Perspective on Identity Dev. • Explorations beyond the family system increase and provide a sampling of alternatives to that family system • Individuals who explore and internalize a set of values, beliefs, expectations, and norms will likely reach an identity achieved

8. Marcia’s Identity Status Model • Major constructs: • Commitment: construction of a relatively stable set of values, beliefs, roles, norms, and expectations • Exploration: behaviorally or vicariously seeking out experiences typically beyond the family or origin

9. Marcia’s Identity Status Model • Identity Diffused • Neither committed nor engaged in exploration; • May have some explorations but more of a “meandering rather than intentional exploration • Seem to be more of a carefree drifting than exploration.

10. Marcia’s Identity Status Model • Identity Foreclosed— • Committed to an identity without significant exploration; • Focused on well defined goals • Behavior conforms to expectations of authority • Lack flexibility and can be defensive • Adopt values, beliefs, etc. of authority figures

11. Marcia’s Identity Status Model • Identity Moratorium • Engaged in exploration of roles, values, etc. • Tend to move between conformity and rebellion • Tend to be more anxious than other statuses

12. Marcia’s Identity Status Model • Identity achieved • Tend to have resolved questions about their own values, norms, etc. • More thoughtful and introspective • Can explain their explorations and choices • Perform well under stress • Tend to resolve moral dilemmas at high levels of moral reasoning

13. Domains of Exploration • Gender Role/Sexual Identity • Ideological/Political/Theological • Career • Interpersonal (may be beyond gender role)

14. Ethnic Minority Identity Development • Defining Minority Status • Phenny’s Work • Stages of Ethnic Identity Development based on: • Interaction with the dominant culture • Interaction with one’s own culture • Internalization of ethnic and cultural values, beliefs, & traditions

15. Ethnic Minority Identity Development • Cross’s Stages (Vandiver, Cross, Worrell, & Fhagen-Smith, 2002): • Pre-encounter: Assimilation & Self-Hatred • Encounter: Experience of events leading to reexamination of ethnic perspective

16. Ethnic Minority Identity Development:Cross (cont’d) • Immersion-Emersion: deep immersion into one’s own culture and potential hatred of the other • Internalization-Commitment: self acceptance, other acceptance; bi-cultural

17. Evaluating the Self • Self Esteem: evaluation of self • Most likely evaluation is domain specific • Alternative constructs: • Perceptions of Competence (Harter & colleagues) • Social • Scholastic • Conduct • Appearance • Athletics

18. Evaluating the Self • Bouchey & Harter (2002) • Transition from elementary to middle school relationship between perceptions of competence changes • Perceived academic competence linked to scholastic efforts and behaviors • Most frequent change is a reduction in perceptions of competence

19. Evaluating the Self • Perceived Self-Efficacy: The perception that some outcome can be achieved through current knowledge and skills or knowledge and skills that can be obtained

20. Strategies for encouraging perceived self efficacy • Mastery Experiences—opportunities to succeed given challenging but attainable goals • Vicarious Learning—observing others similar to oneself acting and attaining goals

21. Strategies for encouraging perceived self efficacy • Verbal/Social persuasion—encouragement and instructional (not evaluative) feedback • Positive AffectiveEnvironment—experiences of attempting challenging tasks with instructional not evaluative feedback; encouragement of attempting tasks, not simply succeeding;

22. Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Identity • It was found that identity exploration and commitment, self-efficacy, control, and responsibility were predictive of future orientation. for younger adolescents, greater perceived control and responsibility was related to a stronger future orientation. (Kerpelman & Mosher, 2004)

23. Elements of Emotion • Physiological arousal (heart rate, blushing, sweating, etc) • Subjective experiences/feelings (rage, elation, sadness, etc)

24. Elements of Emotion • Cognitive interpretations (blaming another, recognizing the object of desire) • Behavioral expressions (crying, smiling, gazing longingly

25. Adolescents and Their Emotions • Younger adolescents’ emotions tend to be more unstable than at any other time in life • Emotional variability is rapid and emotional states short lived • Neurological Basis for Emotionality: • Amygdala related experience of emotions • Prefrontal cortex tends to be related to monitoring and control of emotions and develops across the young adult years

26. Emotional Regulation • Typically not fully regulated until late adolescence or emerging adulthood • Strategies • Cognitive Reappraisal: Restructuring conceptions of the experience • Suppression of Emotional Expression: Controlling the expressed emotion (laughing instead of crying)