Identity Status Model Research Articles

Transcontinental Coming-of-Age: An Analysis of the Psychosocial Development of Feroza Ginwalla in Sidhwa’s An American Brat

Sidhwa’s An American Brat is an account of the story of Feroza Ginwalla, as she learns and unlearns lessons that shape her identity after her move from Pakistan to America. This paper analyses her coming-of-age process in a transcultural setting, tracing it through the lens of Erik Erikson’s theory of Psychosocial Development and by extension, James Marcia’s Identity Status Model. It does so, keeping in view her hybrid identity, in light of Bhabha’s theory of Cultural Hybridity. As the novel progresses, her character develops, achieving and then shedding the diffusion, foreclosure and moratorium identity statuses. This research shows that growing up in two different cultures opened up her identity exploration to go beyond issues of class and gender, bringing considerable changes in her social, religious and sexual beliefs. Having to face things that an adolescent growing up in one culture alone would not get the chance to, Feroza struggles to find her identity, and as a result, finds herself to be too foreign for both Pakistan and the States.

On the way to adult identity: An evaluation of identity status and narrative identity models of development

Successful resolution of identity is fundamental for a good life. According to the ego identity status model, emerging adults explore and commit to various identity domains. Concurrently, emerging adults are theorized to develop their narrative identity. Yet, it is unclear whether ego identity processes help to establish a narrative identity, or if the development of a narrative identity facilitates ego identity achievement. Therefore, we assessed autobiographical meaning making in repeated narratives and identity status processes of 180 emerging adults (Mage = 20.47, SDage = 3.35, 68.90 % female) at two measurements 8-months apart. Results showed differential effects on identity depending on the meaning made and suggest that narrative identity provides the ground for identity status processes such as identity exploration.

Ethnic Identity Formation Among Students in Post-High-School Religious Gap-Year Programs in Israel

The aim of this study is to test changes in ethnic identity from two points of view, focusing on Marcia's identity status model and the ethnic identity literature. Based on 135 participants who completed the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) questionnaires at two-time intervals, stability was found at the mean level, while stability, progression and regression were found at the individual level. Transitions from moratorium into achievement were found more than to diffusion and status changes derived mainly following changes in the commitment component. In line with Erikson's theory, the results highlight the effect of the sociocultural context on the identity formation process and the need to examine changes in identity formation processes over time, both at the mean level and the individual level. These findings could be relevant to other countries that are going through similar processes of demographic changes in which the minority challenges the hegemony of the majority.

Capturing the collectivist cultural dynamics of vocational identity formation in Macao: expanding the three-dimensional status model

This research expanded the three-dimensional vocational identity status model proposed by Crocetti et al. (J Adolesc 31(2):207–222, 2008b, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2007.09.002 ) to develop the Macao Vocational Identity Status Assessment (MVISA). The MVISA was then validated on two samples of 274 and 245 college students in Macao, China. The original in-depth exploration dimension was differentiated into inter- and intra-exploration, and the original reconsideration of commitment dimension was extended into self-doubt and flexibility. The MVISA exhibited solid psychometric characteristics and was able to identify the theoretical vocational identity statuses proposed by Marcia (J Pers Soc Psychol 3(5):551–558, 1966, https://doi.org/10.1037/h0023281 ), with the culturally meaningful variations being assessed using cluster analyses with differentiated constructs.

National and European Identity Formation: A Longitudinal Cross-National Comparison Study

ABSTRACT This study examined social identity development on the national and European domain using the three-dimensional identity status model. We took a person-centered approach to identify identity statuses and to study stability and change of identity statuses across one year within two longitudinal samples of young people aged 15 to 26 (MT1 = 19.81, SDT1 = 3.22) from Germany (n = 1028) and Czech Republic (n = 1342). Latent profile analyses of questionnaire-based data showed evidence for four identity statuses for the national and European domain (i.e., diffusion, moratorium, closure, and achievement). The statuses differed substantially in terms of civic engagement, nationalism, and views toward the EU. Stability of identity statuses was moderate to high across domains and countries with little evidence for systematic transitions over time. Overall, identity patterns were very similar across domains and countries. However, congruence between the national and the European identity domain was substantially lower in Czech Republic than in Germany, suggesting that both identities are more aligned in the latter country.

Looking forward: Career identity formation and the temporal orientations of young Australians

This paper provides insights into young people's experiences of transitions from adolescence into emerging adulthood by focusing on connections between their career identity formation, time perspectives, and future outlook. The data used in this paper are based on two sets of in-depth interviews undertaken with 28 young people when they were aged 16 and again at age 22. We have identified four main temporal orientations (time perspective/future outlook combinations) and describe how those patterns correspond to proposed extensions to the identity status model as it relates to career identity. Our findings offer support for the inclusion of postponement as a process of identity formation and hiatus as an additional identity status. We also observe three temporally based expressions of career identity achievement, which we label: temporary achievement, permanent achievement, and sequential achievement.

Identity Formation in Adolescence: The Dynamic of Forming and Consolidating Identity Commitments

AbstractThe biological, cognitive, and social changes that occur in adolescence stimulate young people to think about themselves, reflect on the kind of people they want to become, and find their place in society. Traditionally, these changes have been explained by Erikson's theory and Marcia's identity status model, but process‐oriented models of identity provide new insights. In particular, dual‐cycle models, such as the three‐factor identity model, focus on the dynamic process by which young people iteratively form and maintain their identity over time. This iterative process is captured by the interplay of commitment, in‐depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment, as well as by distinct identity statuses. Furthermore, the extent to which adolescents find a stable identity is intertwined strongly with their psychosocial functioning and well‐being.

Predictors of Financial Identity Development in Emerging Adulthood

To explore how emerging adults grapple with the increasing demands of fiscal responsibility, the present study tests a model of identity formation in the domain of finance. We draw on Erikson’s theory of identity formation as operationalized by Marcia’s identity status model, which details four identity statuses: achieved, foreclosed, moratorium, and diffused. A sample of college students ( N = 1,511) were surveyed at two time points: in their first (ages 18–21, T1) and fourth (ages 21–24, T2) years of college. Primarily, we find evidence for financial identity stability, although we found some evidence for financial identity regression from moratorium to foreclosed status. After controlling for T1 financial identity, T1 variables were most predictive of changes in T2 foreclosure: Increases in foreclosure were predicted by measures of perceived parental socioeconomic status, parental communication, financial education, and subjective norms at T1.

Identity Status Differences among Italian Adolescents: Associations with Parent and Peer Attachment Relationships

Based on identity status model, this cross-sectional study examined adolescents identity formation analyzing its association with parent and peer attachment. A sample of 1,480 adolescents from Italy completed self-report measures assessing ego identity status, and the perceived quality of parent and peer attachment. Adolescents who achieved an integrated identity status seemed to perceive a high quality of attachment both with parents and peers reporting main levels of trust and communication. On the contrary diffused and foreclosed adolescents reported more intensive feelings of distancing than the others groups, even if on the whole they did not differ significantly from youngsters in moratorium status. The implications of the findings, limitations and suggestions for future theoretical and empirical development of research in this field are discussed.

Personal and social aspects of professional identity.: An extension of Marcia's identity status model applied to a sample of university students

The study proposed an extension of Marcia's identity status model based on validation of the Professional Identity Status Questionnaire (PISQ-5d), a scale able to measure both intra-individual and intergroup processes connected with the development of a professional identity in university students. The aims were to prove the construct validity of the PISQ-5d, to determine the appropriate number of identity statuses, and to assess the concurrent validity of the identity statuses considering both job-related and academic factors. In this study, 477 university students completed a questionnaire with the PISQ-5d scale; 220 also completed the measures of work values; and 168 completed the measures of student self-esteem and self-efficacy, academic motivation, and grades. Results confirmed the expected five-dimensional structure of the PISQ-5d and the scale's effectiveness at differentiating five types of identity status. Relationship between professional identity status and job-related and academic factors showed that the students with achievement or foreclosure identities had higher scores on measures of academic self-esteem and intrinsic work value and had lower scores for intention to leave university. Implications in terms of considering the PISQ-5d scale a useful tool for the evaluation of professional identity construction processes in university students will be discussed.Personal and social aspects of professional identity. An extension of Marcia's identity status model applied to a sample of university students.

Identity status differences among Italian adolescents: Associations with time perspective

Abstract Based on Marcia's identity status model, this cross-sectional study examined adolescents' identity formation analyzing its association with time perspective. A sample of 1300 Italian adolescents filled in self-report measures assessing two major developmental processes: identity resolution and time perspective. Adolescents who achieved an integrated identity status seemed to primarily adopt a future time perspective and to have a positive view of the past. By contrast, Diffused adolescents reported negative experiences in the past, a lower future orientation and a greater inclination to fatalism compared to others. The implications of the findings, limitations and suggestions for future theoretical and empirical development of research in this field are discussed.

Characteristics of Young Adults' Personal Religious Narratives and Their Relation with the Identity Status Model: A Longitudinal, Mixed Methods Study

This longitudinal study investigated precursors to the formation of the life story in the particular context of the religious self in young adulthood using qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Religious or spiritual peak experience narratives told by 100 Canadian young adults at age 26 were examined in relation to earlier religious beliefs and identity statuses at ages 17, 19, and 23. Coherent relationships over time between identity status development and religious narratives supported a link between the development of a personal ego identity and characteristics of the life story, as expected. Overall, these findings suggest that the life story approach to identity development (McAdams, 2008) can be illuminating in the domain of religious experience and can enrich Eriksonian models of identity.

Identity statuses as developmental trajectories: a five-wave longitudinal study in early-to-middle and middle-to-late adolescents.

This study tested whether Marcia’s original identity statuses of achievement, moratorium, early closure (a new label for foreclosure), and diffusion, can be considered identity status trajectories. That is, we examined whether these statuses are distinct and relatively stable, over-time configurations of commitment strength, levels of in-depth exploration of present commitments, and consideration of alternative commitments. The study examined identity development in a five-wave study of 923 early-to-middle (49.3% female) and 390 middle-to-late adolescents (56.7% female), covering the ages of 12–20. Using Latent class growth analysis (LCGA), the authors found that Marcia’s (1966) statuses are indeed identity status trajectories. Two kinds of moratorium were also found: the classical moratorium and searching moratorium. Support was found for Waterman’s developmental hypothesis of the identity status model: the number of achievers was significantly higher, and the number of diffusions lower, in middle-to-late adolescence than in early-to-middle adolescence. Females were more often in the advanced identity status trajectories, and stable differences were found between the trajectories in psychosocial adjustment. Study findings highlight that identity formation should be conceptualized as an over-time process.

Not Always a Straight Path: College Students’ Narratives of Heterosexual Identity Development

Research has recently begun to examine heterosexual identity development, providing preliminary evidence of variation within a sexual identity category that has frequently been conceptualized as uniform and unremarkable. The current study sought to classify and describe young adult participants’ narratives on their heterosexual identity development using Worthington et al. (2002) heterosexual identity status model. Participants included 1,051 heterosexually-identified undergraduates (632 women; 419 men) from two public universities in the western United States who provided written narratives about their sexual identity development. Responses were analyzed for levels of identity exploration and commitment, which were used to create five identity status categories. The majority of participants described identity commitment with passive exploration, with more men in this category than women. A significant subset of participants described identity commitment with active exploration, with more women in this category than men. Smaller numbers of participants described active exploration without commitment, unexplored commitment, and identity diffusion. More women were in the active exploration without commitment status than men; no gender differences emerged in the other two statuses. Participants classified into statuses with active exploration and higher commitment also evidenced higher scores on quantitative measures of sexual identity exploration and commitment, respectively. Men evidenced higher quantitative scores than women on identity commitment; there were no gender differences in the quantitative assessment of identity exploration. Findings support the existence of variations and systematic gender-based differences in young adults’ heterosexual identity development.

Examining the Light and Dark Sides of Emerging Adults’ Identity: A Study of Identity Status Differences in Positive and Negative Psychosocial Functioning

Identity is a critical developmental task during the transition to adulthood in Western societies. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate an empirically based, cluster-analytic identity status model, to examine whether all four of Marcia's identity statuses (diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, and achievement) would emerge empirically, and to identify different patterns of identity formation among American college-attending emerging adults. An ethnically diverse sample of 9,034 emerging-adult students (73% female; mean age 19.73years) from 30 U.S. universities completed measures of identity exploration (ruminative, in breadth, and in depth) and commitment (commitment making and identification with commitment), identity synthesis and confusion, positive and negative psychosocial functioning, and health-compromising behaviors. The identity status cluster solution that emerged provided an adequate fit to the data and included all four of Marcia's original identity statuses, along with Carefree Diffusion and Undifferentiated statuses. Results provided evidence for concurrent validity, construct validity, and practical applicability of these statuses. Implications for identity research are discussed.

Ego identity in adolescence: Preliminary validation of a French short-form of the EIPQ

Following the seminal work on personal identity of Erikson, Marcia's identity status model has been one of the most enduring paradigms. The Ego Identity Process Questionnaire (EIPQ; Balistreri et al., 1995) is a widely used measure of identity status. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factor structure and the reliability of a French version of the EIPQ. The hypothesized structures were not confirmed. In light of the failed attempts to validate the original version, an alternative short-form version of the EIPQ (EIPQ-SF), maintaining the integrity of the original model, was developed in one sample and cross-validated in another sample. Additionally, theoretically consistent associations between the EIPQ-SF dimensions and self-esteem confirmed convergent validity. Globally, the results indicated that the French short-version of the EIPQ might be a useful instrument for the assessment of the identity statuses in adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Teaching and Learning Guide for: Broadening the study of the Self: Integrating the Study of Personal Identity and Cultural Identity

Teaching and Learning Guide for: Broadening the study of the Self: Integrating the Study of Personal Identity and Cultural Identity

Meta-Analytic Studies of Identity Status and the Relational Issues of Attachment and Intimacy

Marcia's ego identity status model has been a popular means of examining various dimensions of the adolescent identity formation process over the past 40 years. The purpose of this investigation was to undertake a meta-analysis of studies addressing the relationship between Marcia's identity statuses and attachment (Study 1) and intimacy (Study 2). The following databases were used to identify relevant studies reported between 1966 and 2005: PsycINFO, ERIC, Sociological s, and Dissertation s International. Some 14 investigations served as the data for Study 1 and 21 investigations for Study 2. Results from Study 1 found weak to moderate correlations between attachment styles and the identity statuses; however, certain predicted patterns in the relationships were found. Furthermore, the mean proportion of secure attachment was far higher among the identity achieved compared to foreclosures and diffusions. Study 2 showed a positive association between identity and intimacy status, although the relationship was stronger for men than women.

A narrative approach to ethnic identity in emerging adulthood: Bringing life to the identity status model.

This study used a narrative approach to understand how emerging adults experience ethnicity in their everyday lives and to link ethnic identity processes with the content of how ethnic identity is experienced. Participants were 191 ethnically diverse emerging adults who completed the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) and provided a written narrative about a time at which they became aware of their ethnicity. Participants' narratives differed significantly by ethnic group and by ethnic identity status membership, as indexed by the MEIM. The results underscore the value of adopting a narrative approach to understanding the content of ethnic identity and the links between content and ethnic identity development processes.

Life's little (and big) lessons: Identity statuses and meaning-making in the turning point narratives of emerging adults.

A longitudinal study examined relations between 2 approaches to identity development: the identity status model and the narrative life story model. Turning point narratives were collected from emerging adults at age 23 years. Identity statuses were collected at several points across adolescence and emerging adulthood, as were measures of generativity and optimism. Narratives were coded for the sophistication of meaning-making reported, the event type in the narrative, and the emotional tone of the narrative. Meaning-making was defined as connecting the turning point to some aspect of or understanding of oneself. Results showed that less sophisticated meaning was associated particularly with the less advanced diffusion and foreclosure statuses, and that more sophisticated meaning was associated with an overall identity maturity index. Meaning was also positively associated with generativity and optimism at age 23, with stories focused on mortality experiences, and with a redemptive story sequence. Meaning was negatively associated with achievement stories. Results are discussed in terms of the similarities and differences in the 2 approaches to identity development and the elaboration of meaning-making as an important component of narrative identity.