Identity Development Theory Research Articles

A Longitudinal Investigation of the Ethnic and National Identities of Children With Migration Background in Germany

Abstract. How immigrants define their ethnicity and nationality is relevant for integration: They can identify with their ethnic group, the receiving society, and a combination of both. A longitudinal study with elementary-school children with migration background ( N = 200; age 9–10) in Germany investigated the predictors and stability of ethnic and national identities. Ethnic identity was more highly endorsed than national identity. National and dual identities were compatible (i.e., positively related), whereas ethnic identity was compartmentalized (i.e., unrelated to national and dual identities). Contact with Germans predicted national identity over time, but not vice versa. Thus, the study contributes to a better understanding of multiple social identities of young ethnic minority children in light of social psychological theories of social identity development.

Coaching in maternal reminiscing with preschoolers leads to elaborative and coherent personal narratives in early adolescence

This long-term follow-up of an early childhood training study (Growing Memories) to promote elaborative reminiscing tested continued effects on mother–child reminiscing and on adolescents’ narrative coherence. Of the original 115 families, 100 participated when their children were 3.5 years of age and 76 participated when their children were young adolescents (Mage = 11.2 years). Mothers and children reminisced about a positive event and a negative event at each timepoint, and adolescents narrated high points and low points. Mothers and children who had participated in the reminiscing intervention in early childhood remained more elaborative in dyadic reminiscing over time. Moreover, adolescents whose mothers had participated in elaborative reminiscing training in early childhood told more coherent low-point narratives (with respect to context and theme) than adolescents of mothers in the control group. These long-term benefits for the quality of mother–adolescent reminiscing and adolescents’ narrative coherence have implications for theories of narrative identity development and for designing interventions in early childhood to foster autobiographical memory, which may help later understanding of difficult life events.

Toward a Theory of Latino Male Occupational Identity Development: The Role of School Experiences

ABSTRACTYoung Latino males fare poorly in various measures of occupational outcomes compared to their peers. Identity development theory proposes that occupational outcomes are extensions of identity, and that school is a special context for the development of work skills, principles, and diligence. Given that Latino males have some of the worst educational outcomes of any US demographic group, understanding how school experiences shape their occupational identity development is critical to understanding their occupational outcomes. The study utilized a qualitative design to retrospectively explore the occupational identity development experiences in school of 20 young adult Latino males. Interviews were conducted using semistructured interviewing techniques. The study followed a constructivist grounded theory approach to generate a theory of how school experiences help shape occupational identity that also explains the divergence along working-class and white-collar occupational outcomes. Sixteen codes emerged from the data that, together, posit that the extent to which the participants felt academically adequate in school determined whether they accepted or rejected the school context in their occupational identity development, which in turn shaped their commitment to attending college after high school. The emergent theory is discussed to propose a more well-rounded theory into the occupational identity development of Latino males.

Nurturing Identity Among Indigenous Youth in Care

Indigenous cultures have been under significant attack in Canada since first contact with Europeans. This has resulted in significant harm to Indigenous Peoples and particularly to youth in state care, who often struggle with their identity when they are placed in non-Indigenous out-of-home settings. Developing protective ways of countering this is compounded by the lack of understanding of identity development amongst Indigenous youth. This article reviews theories of Indigenous identity development and their implications for Indigenous children, particularly those caught in the nexus of two cultures, as is the case with those in state care.

“They Think You Should Be Able to Do It All:” An Examination of Black Women College Athletes’ Experiences with Role Conflict at a Division I Historically White Institution (HWI)

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and experiences of Black women college athletes at a Division I historically White institution (HWI) to understand their role negotiation processes. There is a need to explore the experiences of Black women college athletes in Olympic sports along with their same race peers in high-profile sports to ensure the professed National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) mission is being fulfilled for all college athletes regardless of their race, gender, and sport and specifically related to their academic experiences and outcomes. The current study fills this gap. Data collection methods included a focus group interview with four participants, two individual interviews, and an 8-item demographic questionnaire. Priori intersectionality, psychological identity, and college student development theories were incorporated to highlight key aspects of participants’ lived experiences in college. Findings revealed participants’ experiences with role conflict, athletic identity foreclosure, and social isolation. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

The Linguistic Garden: A Case Study of an Emergent Bilingual’s Participation, Positioning and Identity Development in a Dual Language Program

ABSTRACTDrawing upon sociocultural theories of learning and social constructivist theories of identity development, this article defines learning and identity as outcomes of participation in order to investigate how an emergent bilingual in elementary school, Roselyn, has opportunities to participate in school-based activities and how these structured shifts in her learning and identity. Drawing upon a unique data set that aligned 18 months of student interviews with student observations, findings indicate how Roselyn’s shifts in participation lend insight to how she was able to construct identities of herself as a learner in general, and more specifically as a Latina language learner.

Self-Acceptance in Black and White

This reflective, autoethnographic qualitative case study at focus in this article is based on broader research on the experiences of Black teachers working at predominantly white and affluent private schools in the United States. It was motivated by the author/researcher’s own experiences of personal, academic, and professional racial identity development as a student, educator, parent, and educational administrator while living and working in predominantly white and affluent communities. The two main research questions this study engaged were: (1) How did the author/researcher develop her Black identity as a transracial adoptee living at the intersection of race and class; and, (2) What was the author/researcher’s journey towards her present state of racial self-acceptance and understanding? Three ancillary research questions were also engaged: (a) How did social and societal factors influence the author/researcher’s racial identity development? (b) How did the author/researcher build a support network of personal and professional community? and, (c) How was the author/researcher able to get to a place of self-love? Using Hill Collins’ (1998) intersectional analysis framework and Cross’s (1991) theory of Black racial identity development, this article explores the author/researcher’s experiences as an affluent racialized minority by unpacking lived experiences, coping strategies, and support mechanisms that led to her current professional calling.

Learning, selfhood, and pragmatic identity theory: Towards a practical and comprehensive framework of identity development in education

In this essay we discuss a theory of identity development through the elaboration of American Pragmatists’ conception of how individuals develop awareness of the self, others, and the environment. We then outline the potential contributions of Pragmatic Identity Theory as a practical conceptual framework and a method of analysis that can provide insights into identity formation, self-conceptions, and well-being for educators in day-to-day interactions. The literature on learning and identity can benefit from a more practical understanding of identity development, as identity development is relevant to how individuals form their values, beliefs, and behavioral dispositions. Based upon a gap in the current literature, this article explores four premises that educators can use to understand identity formation, and then argues for Pragmatic Identity Theory’s potential contributions to research and practice as an analytical framework.

Ethnic Identity Exploration Among South Asian Immigrant Young Adults in New Zealand

The exploration of ego-identity is a normative process that is necessary for the development of an achieved identity, but how this relates to ethnic identity for immigrant youth is not completely clear. This research sought to test a model combining theories of ego-identity and ethnic identity development with South Asian immigrant young adults in New Zealand. It was hypothesized that moratorium (ego-identity exploration without commitment) would trigger domain-specific ethnic exploration, evident in relationships with both negative (ethno-cultural identity conflict [EIC]) and positive (ethnic identity search [EIS]) facets of ethnic identity exploration. In turn, EIC was hypothesized to be negatively related to ethnic identity achievement (measured as a composite of centrality, in-group ties, and in-group affect), whereas EIS was hypothesized to be positively related to ethnic identity achievement. Results indicate that the model fit the data well, χ2(1) = 0.72, p = .15, comparative fit index = 1.00, adjusted goodness-of-fit index = .96, root-mean-square error of approximation = .00, standardized root-mean-square residual = .01. These findings suggest that moratorium has a negative indirect effect on ethnic identity achievement (through EIC) and a positive indirect effect on ethnic identity achievement (through EIS).

Taking it to the stage: Performing arts education and African American male academic identity development

Author(s): Walton, Calvin Wesley | Abstract: This case study examines the relationship between school-based performing arts participation and academic identity development for African American male high school students. Participants addressed how their engagement in a school-based performing arts program influenced their academic achievement and school experiences. The researcher used African American Male Academic Identity Development theory, a proposed framework, to address the following questions: What are the experiences of African American males who participate in school-based performing arts programs? How do performing arts education experiences influence the academic identity development of African American male high school students? Based upon the data derived from this study the author argues that school-based performing arts participation may improve academic performance, engender positive school experiences and encourage affirmative racial identity development for African American male high school students. Findings from this study contribute to the body of literature on the relationship between arts education and academic achievement among African American males.

English

The objective of this review is to examine factors influencing African adolescents’ identity development. The review begins with defining identity and discuses major theories of identity development. Moreover, this review focuses on colonialism, globalization, media and other factors which are considered to influence youth identity development. The author has used the terms ‘adolescence’ and ‘youth’ interchangeably though they are not exactly synonymous. Identity development is the major developmental task during the time of adolescence including social identity formation. Africans are characterized by collective identity and they have indigenous cultural values and traditions. Despite this, African youth have been losing their cultural identity as a result of the influence of Western value. The old generation in Africa also seems to have ignored to socialize the young ones in line with African values and norms. This ignorance has paved way for young people to be attracted to western value systems and ignoring their own. Meanwhile, absence of contextualized school curricula and migration are also additional negative factors that lead African adolescents to be ignorant of their own culture and adhere to western values.   Key words: Adolescence, Africa, globalization, identity crisis, media, parenting style. &nbsp

Coaches Who Care: Moral Exemplars in Collegiate Athletics

This study examines moral exemplar coaches to better understand how they are able to maintain integrity in the high-stakes environment of NCAA Division-I college sport. In-depth interviews based on moral exemplar and moral identity development theories were conducted with peer-nominated, “moral exemplar” Division-I collegiate head coaches (n = 12). Interviews elicited themes of moral exemplarity, including, for example, having an internalized moral compass and engaging in ongoing personal and professional growth. Illuminating themes and mechanisms by which these coaches develop and sustain moral identity can inform applied work with coach education efforts for current and future members of the profession.Lay Summary:This study looks at coaches who are known by their peers and athletic directors as having strong morals and integrity despite the challenges they face balancing the competing values of fostering athlete well-being with winning while working in the highly competitive environment of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletics.

Introduction to the Series: A Look Back at Influential Books in Student Development

Introduction to the SeriesA Look Back at Influential Books in Student Development J. Patrick Biddix Over the past 60 years, the field of student affairs and specifically the subdiscipline of college student development has experienced significant growth and advancement. As societal norms, personal values, attitudes and beliefs toward others, and our understanding of who can and should attend college have shifted, the practice of student affairs has similarly advanced with a deeper emphasis on student development. These paradigmatic changes reflect the influence of John Dewey (1916) and the vision of Esther Lloyd-Jones (1934) that postsecondary education extends beyond the classroom—influence that can be cultivated and enhanced by student affairs educators. Reflecting on the influential scholarship that has shaped the field, I contemplated the prominent books on which current work is built and that continue to influence our work. As associate editor for book reviews, I was drawn to book-length considerations of college student development that have become exemplars—scholarship that is recognizable in citation counts, evident in graduate curriculum, and visible at conferences as well as campus programs, initiatives, and practices. As John Braxton described in his rereview of Tinto’s work in this issue, these are works that have attained a “paradigmatic status” by attaining consensus among scholars. Editor Debora Liddell described these works as having “stood the test of time” by becoming scholarship “upon whose shoulders much of our work rests.” Would we have scholarship of intersectionality (Torres, Jones, & Renn, 2009) without first having scholarship of identity development (Erikson, 1968)? The past six decades have yielded some tremendously influential books that have advanced the scholarship and practice of student affairs work. As I reflected on which to revisit, an initial question framed my thinking: What are the most influential and enduring books related to student development? As a graduate faculty advisor and mentor, I also had this related question in mind: What books should all professionals know? Another important consideration was continued relevancy. For example, many students recognize the names Astin, Chickering, Gilligan, and Tinto, but what makes their work enduring? Perhaps more importantly, is their work applicable today? How might they be framed or understood better in a contemporary context? Months of careful consideration resulted in a list of six books matched to six scholars charged with the challenging task of rereading and reconsidering legacy, rigor, and relevancy. The result is a revisit of fundamental texts by contemporary scholars representing a diversity of views and perspectives, one in each 2019 issue (along with reviews of recent books). Each reviewer was asked to provide a description of the work, to consider its initial and enduring value, to critique the work, to consider its continued influence, and to describe its place today as a fundamental text for the field. We hope that readers find these revisits valuable and look forward to the discussion we hope they engender. [End Page 128] REFERENCES Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. New York, NY: Macmillan. Google Scholar Erikson, E. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York, NY: Norton. Google Scholar Lloyd-Jones, E. (1934). Personnel administration. Journal of Higher Education, 5, 141–147. Google Scholar Torres, V., Jones, S. R., & Renn, K. A. (2009). Identity development theories in student affairs: Origins, current status, and new approaches. Journal of College Student Development, 50, 577–596. Google Scholar Copyright © 2019 ACPA–College Student Educators International

Saplings in the Hurricane: A Grounded Theory of College Trauma and Identity Development

Research confirms trauma as pervasive in college student populations. Yet, a literature gap exists regarding the intersection of trauma and college student development. The purpose of this constructivist grounded theory study, informed by situational analysis, was to understand how college student identity development is impacted by college trauma. Based on the experiences of 12 participants, a grounded theory model of college trauma and identity development emerged that includes three major components: (a) orienting systems that shape trauma meaning making; (b) identity sites where trauma meaning making connected to identity is made; and (c) a trauma-informed lens on self in the world.

The Influence of Racial Identity on White Students' Perceptions of African American Faculty

Due to the underrepresentation of African American teachers and college faculty, students have limited to no interaction with Blacks as authority figures in the classroom. When White students in particular face African American faculty in class, they often exhibit negative attitudes and inappropriate behavior. Using racial identity development and critical race theory, we seek to understand how White college students perceive African American professors and from where those perceptions stem. In considering the social and educational context in which students live, our study explores the ways White students perceive Black professors and how students' racial identity development influences their perceptions.

Research in brief: Social network sites, social comparison, and adolescent identity development: A small-scale quantitative study

Whilst social network sites provide users with unprecedented opportunities for social comparison, we know very little about the extent to which social network site social comparisons are associated with adolescent identity development. Drawing upon neo-Eriksonian theories of identity development, this paper reports on the findings of a small-scale study which sought to investigate the relationship between social network sites, social comparison, and adolescent identity development. Sixty-eight adolescents (Mean age = 14.9; 55.9% Male) were surveyed in Spring 2018. It was found that social comparison of ability and social comparison of opinion were both positively correlated with in-depth exploration, but not reconsideration of commitment.

Intentional Engagement in the Transition to Adulthood

Abstract. During the transition to adulthood, young people need to choose their career and overall life pathway and cope successfully with the transitions they face. The theories of personal identity development ( Luyckx, Goossens, Soenens, & Beyers, 2006 ; Luyckx et al., 2008 ), career development ( Savickas, 2005 ), and goal developmental regulation ( Nurmi, 2004 ; Salmela-Aro, 2009 ) address the question of how people commit and engage in the changes faced during the transition from adolescence to adulthood, and particularly how they deal with educational and occupational transitions. We reviewed how each of these theories discusses both adaptive and maladaptive processes during the transition to adulthood, including such themes as the feeling of competent, exploring choices, crystallizing and making decision, forming certainty, managing transition, changing direction and rumination. We propose that these theories are in fact presenting different perspectives on the same developmental process of intentional engagement. Finally, suggestions for future research and intervention outcomes are discussed.

“We Were All Just the Black Kids”: Black Mixed-Race Men and the Importance of Adolescent Peer Groups for Identity Development

While critical Mixed-Race studies (CMRS) has paid attention to the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality in sampling and analysis, most studies disproportionately focus on women. This means that generalizability of findings and theories to men should not become axiomatic. Regarding black Mixed-Race people, for example, the theory that rejection from black people is influential for many black Mixed-Race individuals’ identity development is derived from interviews with mainly women. Explicitly noting that these processes are not as applicable for men, yet offering no accompanying theorizing as to the influence of gendered interactions on men’s racial identity development, appears to have become the standard. Therefore, bringing together data from two studies that explored black mixedness in the United States and the United Kingdom, this article joins a nascent literature on the gendered experiences of Mixed-Race men. Our analysis shows that, unlike black Mixed-Race women, black Mixed-Race men’s mixedness is often constructed as compatible with the heteronormative gender identities that are constituted in racialized peer groups. As such, black Mixed-Race men are able to cultivate a sense of strategic sameness with same gender black peers. This and other findings are discussed in light of their implications for CMRS’s intersectional theories of identity development.

Examining Leadership With American Counseling Association Presidents: A Grounded Theory of Leadership Identity Development

In a grounded theory study, the authors examined the leadership identity development of 12 past presidents of the American Counseling Association. Using individual interviews, the authors identified 3 interactional themes that form a theoretical framework for leadership identity development: (a) influence, motivation, and support to lead; (b) leadership skills; and (c) reinforcing experiences. Implications for counselors and counselor educators are offered.

Kiedis’s Scar Tissue: A Phenomenological Psychobiography

This study uses a psychobiographic research method as a means to explore and describe the life of lyricist, Anthony Kiedis. Kiedis’s history is investigated through the lens of Erik Erikson’s theory of identity development. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as a means to platform the psychobiographic methodology, this study explores Kiedis’s creativity and writing as intrinsic aspects of his identity. In addition, the analysis attempts to understand how Kiedis resolved his identity crises, and puts forward a presentation of Kiedis’s subjective experiences of his identity development. Through this in-depth analysis, the study concludes that Kiedis is engaged in an infinite moratorium, and in so doing demonstrates the value of using the combined methods of IPA and psychobiography to understand the human condition.