Breadth of Interests, Exploration, and Identity Development in Adolescence

Abstract

Exploration is known to be a precursor of identity achievement and thus to a healthy transition to adulthood. The present study examined antecedents (technically, they were correlates, as retrospective data were used) of exploratory behavior in adolescence and the role of exploration in identity development. Consistent with theory (e.g., Marcia, 1980), identity achievers reported most exploration, while adolescents in identity diffusion explored least. Retrospective childhood data revealed that breadth of childhood exploration, as indicated by active engagement in technical and cultural activities, was the strongest predictors of exploration in adolescence. Parenting behavior, most of all joint activities with children, predicted adolescent exploration only when childhood breadth of activities was not included in the analyses at the same time. Parental behavior, however, had a strong and direct impact on childhood exploration. Thus, childhood breadth of activities was a true mediator of the relationship between parenting behavior and adolescent exploration.