Adolescent Identity Development Research Articles

Integrating Feminist Therapy and Expressive Arts With Adolescent Clients

ABSTRACTUtilizing expressive arts interventions within a feminist theoretical orientation may prove impactful for adolescent clients. Tenets of feminist therapy and support for integrating expressive arts interventions into counseling practice are presented. Assumptions and objectives for utilizing expressive arts interventions with adolescents in feminist therapy are offered. Two feminist theory ecological models of identity development are described, with corresponding expressive arts interventions to address adolescent identity development.

Family Violence against Children and Adolescents in Brazil and Relations with Identity Development

This work is based on the investigation of a juvenile population in Brazil with a focus on identity development of adolescents, which have experienced severe violence in their families. Intra familial violence against children and adolescents results from the interaction of socio-economic, cultural and psychological factors of the people involved. Intra familial violence against a child or an adolescent represents a risk factor to the developmental process, which may lead to disturbances of personality and social adaptation. The focus of the present study is to present data about the impact of intra familial violence on adolescents and to discuss the consequences in adolescents, between 12 and 18 years, victims of intra familial violence the instruments used were: Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence (AIDA), Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The results were compared with data from adolescents from school population, without intra familial violence experience. The results were found: the victims of violence show more difficulties and weaknesses in the SDQ and more immature defenses in DSQ-40. They need help for developing more positive defenses, and strong models of identification. They feel a lack of affect and they reveal more identity diffusion (AIDA) when compared to the control group. It’s possible to get in touch with this difficult reality, the presence of domestic intra familial violence against children and adolescents. The suffering and consequences to development, in general, and in the formation of identity, in particular, are shown. Clinical researchers have to give voice especially to disadvantaged adolescents who deserve caring to develop a healthy identity and a better quality of life.

Ruminative exploration and reconsideration of commitment as risk factors for suboptimal identity development in adolescence and emerging adulthood

Rather than looking at quantitative differences in exploration and commitment as indicators of (un)healthy identity formation, this study focuses on two qualitatively different forms of exploration using cross-sectional data of 4259 Belgian adolescents and emerging adults (aged 14–30 years; 64% female). First, ruminative exploration or brooding and worrying without being able to decide what you want in life, emerged as a risk factor for weak commitments and maladjustment. Its strong relationship with maladjustment was only slightly buffered by healthy forms of exploration. Second, reconsideration of commitment or feeling uncertain about current commitments and start looking for new commitments, showed similar negative relationships with commitment making and identification. Moreover, reconsideration of commitment rendered healthy forms of exploration ineffective (i.e., not predicting strong commitments or identifications with life choices). By focusing on the exact meaning and role of these two risk factors, this study sheds light on the dark side of identity formation and might be relevant for counselors working with youth that struggle with identity formation.

The influence of peer groups in organized sport on female adolescents' identity development

IntroductionEngagement in the process of identity development has been identified as the most significant milestone of adolescence (Erikson, 1968) and peer groups serve as a key facilitator in this process (Kroger, 2007). Peer groups are particularly significant in the lives of female adolescents, as females derive a substantial part of their identity through these relationships (Josselson, 1987). Despite the significance of personal identity development in adolescence and the importance of peer groups in this process, this area has not been explored in the extant sport psychology literature. PurposeTo investigate the potential influence of peer groups in organized sport on female adolescent identity development. MethodsData were collected through photo-elicitation and semistructured interviews of eight female athletes between the ages of 13 and 17 years. Participants in the study played a variety of sports and competed at various levels. Data were analysed using a thematic narrative approach. ResultsParticipant stories suggest that interactions with peers in sport assist female adolescent athletes in developing their psychological (including emotional and intellectual), social, and physical selves. ConclusionStories shared by the female athletes suggest that a relationship exists between peer influence and identity development in sport. Findings are interpreted through Erikson's (1968) Theory of Psychosocial Development and the nature of the relationships in which peer influence on identity development occurs are discussed. Recommendations for future research are proposed.

Dismissed! Avoidance of Students’ Spiritual and LGBT Identities in Public Schools

Negotiation of identity development in adolescence has implications that affect overall well-being. Spirituality and sexuality are two salient aspects of identity that are challenging for adolescents, especially those who identify as LGBT. -Analysis of intersecting themes across two research inquiries indicated that school counselors and students avoided talking with each other about these -aspects of identity. Results suggested that avoidance was related to fear of perceived -repercussions, public school settings, and concern about value conflicts.

Threat Level High (School)

When school communities are troubled by violence at the hands of young people, or threats of violence, educators have an opportunity to learn about aggression and adolescent identity development. A disturbing threat incident provides the point of departure for this principal’s reflection on how high school curriculum can better meet the identity needs of young people. The foundational work of Erik Erikson in adolescent identity development anchors these reflections, and the contemporary work of Stuart Twemlow guides the discussion of what violent or potentially violent teens can teach us about curriculum reforms that benefit all students. In an Afterword, Twemlow himself responds, expanding this discussion of how schools offer communities a chance to alter a young person’s environment in ways that encourage altruism and discourage violence in our youth and adult populations.

Integrating donor conception into identity: parent-child relationships and identity development in donor-conceived adolescents

This study explores the experiences of donor-conceived adolescents connecting to same-donor offspring (individuals conceived using the same donor), and whether the quality of parent-child relationships relates to how donor-conceived adolescents, informed of their genetic origins in early development, integrate donor conception into their sense of identity.

Mother-adolescent daughter identity interplay processes

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the mother–adolescent daughter shopping trip to better understand the experiences and process that occur during these shopping trips. Adolescent girls and their mothers are an important shopping companion pair that has received minimal study. Design/methodology/approach – This research investigates the mother–adolescent daughter shopping trip using in-depth interviews with 28 mothers, adolescent daughters and retail employees in the USA. Findings – The interviews reveal that the mother–adolescent daughter shopping trip consists of three important developmental experiences: conflict and struggle, education and influence and bonding between mother and daughter. Similarities and differences between middle- and high-school daughters relative to these issues are explored. Originality/value – This study is the first to bring together the interplay processes of conflict, education and influence and bonding during mother–adolescent daughter shopping trips. This study extends research regarding family identity interplay, companion shopping, adolescent identity development and consumer socialization. The authors find that the mother–adolescent daughter shopping trip involves daughters’ efforts to separate from their mothers and form their own identities, often producing struggle and conflicts; daughters developing as consumers and individuals; and an opportunity to bond.

Identity Development of Adolescents with Physical Disabilities and the Confrontation with Their Own Body

Identity Development of Adolescents with Physical Disabilities and the Confrontation with Their Own Body

Identity and the Arts: Using Drama and Masks as a Pedagogical Tool to Support Identity Development in Adolescence

Identity in adolescents is an ever-growing concern and pre-occupation within formal education, with a need to identify factors that can positively impact upon adolescent development. Identity and understanding of the human condition has been apparent from earliest records of Homo sapiens. One of the earliest recorded exploration and understanding of this is through ritual ceremony and the role that mask has played in allowing people to explore what it means to us through adopting the “other”. It therefore stands to reason that if masks have and still do allow individuals to explore identity and place in life, there may be an impact upon adolescents who use masks within their formal drama education. This paper explores: The concepts of identity having a correspondence to mask usage; The potential for masks to support the individual to disassociate from the self; and the sense of being.. If we wish to support adolescent development and self awareness, at the core of drama curricula we need to re-position the usage of masks in the classroom beyond being tied to core historical academic knowledge but as a pedagogical methodology in its own right, we need to support adolescent exploration of identity.

Let’s talk about race and ethnicity: Cultural socialization, parenting quality, and ethnic identity development

Parental cultural socialization and general parenting quality are important predictors of ethnic identity (EI) development in adolescents. However, recent research on transracial adoptive families suggests parents and adolescents may have differing perceptions of parental cultural socialization efforts. This study examines differences in mother and adolescent reports of cultural socialization – both racial and ethnic socialization – and the extent to which mother and adolescent reports relate to EI development (clarity, pride, and engagement), after accounting for general parenting quality, in a US sample of 120 internationally adopted Korean American adolescents. This study also examines whether mother reports of cultural socialization moderate the relationship between adolescent reports of cultural socialization and EI development. Results indicate that mothers and adolescents disagree on levels of racial and ethnic socialization, and mother and adolescent reports of ethnic socialization independently r...

Media Literacy Is Common Sense: Bridging Common Core Standards with the Media Experiences of Digital Learners

Findings from a case study highlight the benefits of an integrated model of literacy, thereby illustrating the relevance and accessibility of media literacy education.Walk down any middle grades hallway after school and you are likely to observe a variety of student interactions. On the surface, these interactions may appear as routine events, but the details have gone digital with the advent and accessibility of mobile media technologies. More often than not, a mobile phone or other screenbased technology is a focal point in the lives of young adolescents. Middle school students are accessing local, national, and global information via social, political, and entertainment outlets. These media influence and impact the developmental characteristics of adolescents, including the physical, cognitive, moral, psychological, and social-emotional dimensions of development (National Middle School Association [NMSA], 2010, p. 43). More than any other time in history, the coming of age experiences and identity development of young adolescents are largely mediated by a slew of multimodal texts. For educational professionals, the implication of students' increased engagement with media is that to help students develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to live, contribute, and thrive in the digital world of the 21st century, we need to amend how we think about texts and diversify the kinds of texts we choose to integrate into our curricula.Although most mobile devices are small, fitting in the palm of one's hand or pocket, the cumulative time young adolescents spend seeking, streaming, and sharing digital content is striking, totaling nearly 12 hours of media exposure per day (Rideout, Roberts, 8c Foehr, 2010). In an effort to promote critical engagement with media content, many teachers, family members, administrators, and policymakers are advocating for media literacy education.Media literacy is a set of augmented literacy skills that respond to the culture of multimodal information, ideas, and communication media that young adolescents experience. In short, media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create texts in all forms (Hobbs, 2010). In conjunction with printed, alphabetic texts, media literacy recognizes and values the complex assortment of non-print and non-alphabetic texts (Gainer, 2013) that comprise our daily reading-such as pictures, television, movies, songs, video games, and websites-and provides teaching strategies for promoting active, critical reading of these media as texts. Thoman and Jolis (2004) explain:If our children are to be able to navigate their lives through this multi-media culture, they need to be fluent in 'reading' and 'writing' the language of images and sounds just as we have always taught them to 'read' and 'write' the language of printed communications, (p. 19)To create and implement responsive and relevant learning experiences that address the developmental level and cultural identities of middle school students, it is essential that our definition of text reflects changing communication forms, and expands to include both print and non-print sources.The purpose of this article is to investigate the concept of texts and how the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) affords teachers opportunities to implement media literacy education, in turn providing developmentally and culturally responsive middle level practice and promoting 21st century skills. This has implications for middle level teachers seeking to meet and move beyond Common Core Standards in ways that extend and expand notions of text while also supporting middle level practice and 21st century skills.The article begins by contextualizing media use by adolescent learners in the 21st century, briefly reporting the time teens spend with media and technology and how the media affects them. This discussion is followed by a brief examination of the Common Core's concept of texts, seeking to define the concept in alignment with research and scholarship on 21st century skills. …

Group Counseling with South Asian Immigrant High School Girls: Reflections and Commentary of a Group Facilitator

The diversity of the U.S. school population speaks to a need to provide support for youth from various backgrounds. As a school-based mental health counselor, the first author observed that the South Asian immigrant students at her school did not utilize any of the counseling services provided. Because South Asians are typically collectivistic, the counselor chose group counseling as a potential intervention and hoped to provide a place for the students to address issues related to orienting to a new school in a new country. In this article, the authors weave information about the South Asian population into the first author's reflections and commentary on initiating and conducting a group with South Asian high school girls. Recommendations for group counseling in schools with South Asian immigrants are provided.Keywords: South Asian, immigrant, youth, schools, group counselingThe United States has seen a marked increase in the number of children who have at least one parent bom outside the United States (Capps et al., 2005). Between 1995 and 2012, the population of first- and secondgeneration immigrant children in the United States increased by 66% (Child Trends Data Bank, 2013). This sharp rise is important for American cities because 95% of all children of immigrants attend urban schools (Fix & Capps, 2005). Furthermore, according to a recent update from the Asian American Federation and South Asian Americans Leading Together (2012), the South Asian American population was the fastest growing major ethnic group in the United States from 2000-2010. Relationship building is part of acclimatizing to a new country for immigrant youth, and it is in the schools that these youth build new friendships and create social networks (Suarez-Orozco, Suarez-Orozco, & Todorova, 2008). For South Asian youth in American schools, group counseling can provide a setting for students to connect to others who share similar stories and experiences. Groups can offer a safe place for them to discuss their cultural norms, exchange stories of challenges and hope, and enhance their social development in a new country as they form emerging adult identities.As a school-based mental health counselor in a public urban high school on the northern California coast, the first author's responsibility is to provide overall behavioral health support through assessments, counseling (short- and long-term, individual, group, crisis), staff and teacher consultations, and presentations on mental health issues to students, parents and teachers. When two South Asian students were referred for individual counseling, the first author wondered if other South Asian students might be experiencing challenges associated with adjusting to a new school in a new country. She also was personally aware of difficulties associated with identity development for adolescents negotiating different home and school cultures. She decided that counseling focused on prevention of problems related to acculturation and identity could be helpful to the South Asian students in her school. Because the South Asian collectivistic orientation is consistent with the goals of group counseling (Sharma, 2001), she chose this approach. As a South Asian herself, the first author believed that her understanding of South Asian culture could contribute to her effectiveness as facilitator of a group with this population. Thus, the first author developed a simple strategy for recruitment and set out to create a group for South Asian immigrant high school students.Although in many cases the first author's expectations about the group were met, she also confronted surprises and challenges. This article is the result of discussions with the second author in which the first author shared her reflections and commentary on the facilitation of students' exploration of issues in the group. The goal is to impart the first author's personal knowledge and perceptions, so that counselors working with South Asian youth may consider how her experience might inform their group work with this population. …

Assessment and Treatment of Identity Pathology During Adolescence

Abstract Personality disorders can be seen as patterns of maladaptive personality traits that have their onset during childhood or adolescence and that have an impact on the individual throughout the life span. Identity disturbance is seen as the central construct for detecting severe personality pathology—and, most notably, borderline personality disorder—in adults and adolescents. Therefore, in the revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, the construct of “identity” has been integrated as a core diagnostic criterion for personality disorders. One of the most central tasks of normal adolescent development is the consolidation of identity. Crises in the development of identity usually resolve into a normal and consolidated identity with flexible and adaptive functioning. By contrast, identity diffusion is viewed as a lack of integration of the concept of the self and significant others; it is also seen as the basis for subsequent personality pathology, including that of borderline personality disorder, which leads to a broad spectrum of maladaptive and dysfunctional behaviors. To measure identity pathology and its improvement with treatment, we developed a self-report questionnaire entitled Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence to establish a reliable, valid, and time-efficient inventory to represent a dimensional concept of healthy and impaired personality development. The reliability of this self-report questionnaire is excellent, and the total score differentiated significantly between controls and patients with personality disorders. Adolescent Identity Treatment is a treatment model that focuses on identity pathology as the core characteristic of personality disorders. This model integrates specific techniques for the treatment of adolescent personality pathology on the background of object-relation theories and modified elements of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy. Moreover, psychoeducation, behavior-oriented home plans, and family work support the therapeutic process of the adolescent.

“I’m a Survivor, Go Study That Word and You’ll See My Name”

The diagnosis of cancer in adolescence is a significant challenge, particularly because of the developmental expectations of this life-stage, regarding autonomy and identity formation. Adolescents must assimilate cancer into their normative identity work. The objective was to explore and describe themes common to adolescents with cancer. A longitudinal qualitative descriptive design was used. Participants were interviewed up to 4 times during the first year after diagnosis, and inductive content analysis was used. Fifteen adolescents participated. The most salient themes over time related to the development of adolescent identity, cancer identity, and integration of the two into an adolescent with cancer identity. This research demonstrates the active role that adolescents with cancer take in constructing their identities both around their cancer and separate of it. Further research is needed to more fully delineate this process, but this research provides a framework for next steps. Understanding this process allows practitioners to provide anticipatory guidance for adolescents experiencing cancer, understanding their need for peer support (peers with cancer and without) as well as the need to normalize the cancer experience to the greatest extent possible.

Understanding Transgender Identity Development in Childhood and Adolescence

Many sexuality educators and professionals, even those involved in program development and planning, are not aware of the biological and social factors involved in gender identity development in youth. As such, this topic is often not as well addressed in whole life educational curricula as better understood topics, such as reproductive anatomy, puberty, and contraception. This review article is intended to provide an overview of gender identity development in childhood and adolescence, in order to encourage better integration of comprehensive understandings of gender identity into new sexuality education curricula through the inclusion of specific information about transgender and other gender nonconforming identities.

Examining multiracial youth in context: ethnic identity development and mental health outcomes.

Although multiracial individuals are the fastest growing population in the United States, research on the identity development of multiracial adolescents remains scant. This study explores the relationship between ethnic identity, its components (affirmation, exploration), and mental health outcomes (anxiety, depressive symptoms) within the contexts of schools for multiracial adolescents. The participants were multiracial and monoracial minority and majority high school students (n = 4,766; 54.6% female). Among the participants, 88.1% were Caucasian, 7.4% were African American, and 4.5% were multiracial. The research questions examined the relationship between ethnic identity exploration and affirmation on mental health outcomes and explored the role school context plays in this relationship. The findings suggested that multiracial youth experience more exploration and less affirmation than African Americans, but more than Caucasians. In addition, multiracial youth were found to have higher levels of mental health issues than their monoracial minority and majority peers. Specifically, multiracial youth had higher levels of depressive symptoms than their African American and Caucasian counterparts. Multiracial and Caucasian youth had similar levels of anxiety but these levels were significantly higher than African Americans. School diversity did not influence mental health outcomes for multiracial youth. These findings provide insight into the experiences of multiracial youth and underscore the importance of further investigating factors that contribute to their mental health outcomes.

Between two worlds in Asia: Korean youth in Singapore

Migration within Asia has increased dramatically in recent years; however, very little is known about how Asian immigrant adolescents adapt to their new Asian environments. The present study explores the processes of acculturative stress and identity formation among Korean adolescents living in Singapore. Using focus group discussions among 17 Korean adolescents, the study finds five overarching themes on acculturative stress and identity formation: feeling superior but separated; peer pressure to keep being a Korean; less stress in speaking English; more stress in learning another language; Chinese, pride that ‘I am a Korean’, and multiculturalism. The study findings emphasize the role of context of reception as important in understanding the acculturative stress and identity development of Korean adolescents in Singapore. The implications for quantitative research are discussed.

The Mediating Role of Self-Discrepancies in the Relationship Between Media Exposure and Well-Being Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adolescents

Extant research suggests that exposure to depictions of sexuality in the media may influence the well-being of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents. Far less is known about the underlying processes that may explain this relationship. Self-discrepancy theory was utilized to predict that relationships between media exposure and well-being among LGB adolescents would be mediated by self-discrepancies in identity. A national survey of 573 LGB adolescents revealed that exposure to gay- and lesbian-oriented media was positively related to the well-being of LGB teens. The relationship between gay- and lesbian-oriented media exposure and well-being was mediated by self-discrepancies in identity for LGB adolescents low in sexual identity commitment. This finding suggests that increased exposure to gay- and lesbian-oriented media could decrease uncommitted LGB teens' perceived differences between their actual selves and their ideal selves, which, in turn, could increase their well-being. A positive relationship between mainstream media exposure and well-being was not mediated by self-discrepancies. The discussion focuses on the role of media in the identity development and sexual socialization of LGB adolescents.

Identity development in deaf adolescents.

We studied identity development during 5 years in seven deaf adolescents who attended a school for deaf children in the highest level of regular secondary education (age between 14 and 18 years), administering identity interviews every year. Identity development is conceptualized as the processes of exploration and commitment formation (Bosma, 1985). We started from the assumption that because deaf adolescents meet more challenges and also-in our sample-were stimulated in their identity development by school programs, they meet identity conflicts at a relatively early age. The findings were highly consistent with our hypotheses that-compared to a general sample-identity development proceeds faster than in a hearing group and that commitment formation in the domain "Being Deaf" starts earlier than in other domains. We did not find evidence for the hypothesis that commitment formation in this domain in the last year was more mature than in other domains due to a ceiling effect.