Model Of Identity Development Research Articles

On the other side: supporting sexual minority students

ABSTRACT This paper examines aspects of coming out as a gay or lesbian person through the models of identity development presented in the literature as well as presenting some findings from face-to-face in-depth interviews conducted with young people telling us what it is like to grow up and identify oneself as gay. The coming out process is set in the context of theory, recent legislative changes and media representations and it is argued to be a key point at which counsellors and other helpers can intervene. An argument is made for moving away from the linear models presented in the academic literature and a new framework, the RAC model (realisation, activation and consolidation), is offered for understanding this process. The article identifies how counsellors and others involved more widely in the welfare of young people can best intervene in both an individual and holistic manner.

Gay Men Becoming Fathers: A Model of Identity Expansion

ABSTRACT Based on in-depth interviews, this article proposes a six-stage model of identity development for gay men who are becoming parents. The six stages include (1) a coming out experience that assumes being gay means not parenting; (2) increased self-awareness and confidence as a gay man; (3) recognition of the strength of newly constructed gay families; (4) observation of gay families and learning about the effects of gay parents on children; (5) valuing the unique gifts a gay man has to offer a child; and (6) an integration of the gay and father components of identity, including both a narrowing and expansion of support networks. The model is compared with well-known models of gay identity and ethnic identity development. To understand this developmental transition, 10 gay men who became fathers after establishing a gay identity were interviewed. These men (four single and six in a couple relationship) described the development of their family, their understanding of their gay father identity, challenges as male primary caregivers, and their evolving relationship with the gay community, with their families of origin and families of choice, and with the larger society.

Doth the lady protest too much? Pre-service teachers and the experience of dissonance as a catalyst for development

This paper presents findings from an ethnographic study of beginning pre-service teachers enrolled in a large U.S. teacher preparation program ( N = 34). Discussion focuses on participants' identity development as examined through the lens of the stories they learn and tell during and about their initial experiences of becoming teachers. Specifically, the analyses suggest that dissonance may play an important catalytic role in pre-service teacher identity development among the study participants. The stories participants tell illuminate their negotiations of conflicting stories about teaching, teachers work and themselves and inform a tentative theoretical model of identity development. The implications for teacher educators include immediate programmatic concerns as well as issues potentially related to teacher attrition.

BEFORE IDENTITY: THE EMERGENCE AND OBJECTIFICATION OF NEW ORGANIZATIONAL FORMS.

The evolution of new organizational forms has attracted growing theoretical and empirical attention, but little research has considered the micro-social processes that promote the emergence of quasi-similar organizations that may evolve over time into organizational forms with distinctive identities that are both claimed and granted. Drawing on social psychological theories of identity formation within and among organizational groups, we develop a model of identification and identity development for organizational forms that underpins arguments from ecological and institutional theory.

Academic Identity Development Through Self-Determination

This study provides a model of academic identity development for college students with learning disabilities from the integrative self-determination themes of persistence, competence, career decision making, and self-realization. Nineteen self-determined and high-achieving participants were interviewed. The participants' stories illustrate how persistence influences competence, which in turn influences career decision making and ultimately enhances self-realization and supports one's academic identity. Knowledge of one's learning disability, along with self-advocacy and conflict resolution skills, improved the students' ability to obtain academic accommodations in college settings. Secondary education implications include the importance of providing opportunities for students to (a) acquire self-knowledge about their disability, (b) autonomously practice self-advocacy with teachers, and (c) develop conflict resolution skills within the context of academic accommodation requests.

Reflections on a ‘virtual’ practice development unit: changing practice through identity development

This paper draws together the personal thoughts and critical reflections of key people involved in the establishment of a 'virtual' practice development unit of clinical nurse specialists in the south of England. This practice development unit is 'virtual' in that it is not constrained by physical or specialty boundaries. It became the first group of Trust-wide clinical nurse specialists to be accredited in the UK as a practice development unit in 2004. The local university was asked to facilitate the accreditation process via 11 two-hour audio-recorded learning sessions. Critical reflections from practice development unit members, leaders and university staff were written 12 months after successful accreditation, and the framework of their content analysed. Practice development was seen as a way for the clinical nurse specialists to realize their potential for improving patient care by transforming care practice in a collaborative, interprofessional and evolutionary manner. The practice development unit provided a means for these nurses to analyse their role and function within the Trust. Roberts' identity development model for nursing serves as a useful theoretical underpinning for the reflections contained in this paper. These narratives provide another example of nurses making the effort to shape and contribute to patient care through organizational redesign. This group of nurses began to realize that the structure of the practice development unit process provided them with the means to analyse their role and function within the organization and, as they reflected on this structure, their behaviour began to change. Evidence from these reflections supports the view that practice development unit participants have secured a positive and professional identity and are, therefore, better able to improve the patient experience.

Moving From Victim to Survivor of Cultural Violence: A Conceptual Model

The authors propose the Moving From Victim to Survivor of Cultural Violence model, using the stages of D. W. Sue and D. Sue's (1999) Racial/Cultural Identity Development model. This conceptual model describes the process of first overcoming internalized sexism, domestic abuse, sexual harassment, rape, and other forms of oppression and then healing from cultural violence.

Development, reliability, and validity of the Measure of Sexual Identity Exploration and Commitment (MOSIEC).

Four studies were conducted on the development and validation of the Measure of Sexual Identity Exploration and Commitment (MoSIEC). Exploratory factor analysis of an initial item pool yielded a 22-item measure with 4 distinct factors assessing commitment, exploration, sexual orientation identity uncertainty, and synthesis/integration. Exploratory factor analysis findings support the argument that sexual identity is a broad, multidimensional construct and that the MoSIEC assesses the construct of sexual identity in a manner consistent with J. E. Marcia's (1966) model of identity development. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated the stability of the MoSIEC factor structure, providing evidence of construct validity. Test-retest stability, internal consistency, and validity coefficients supported the use and continued development of the MoSIEC. Significant differences in levels of exploration and sexual orientation identity uncertainty were found among different sexual orientation identity groups, establishing the criterion-related validity of the MoSIEC. Implications for further development and use of the MoSIEC are discussed.

Identity Processing Style and Defense Mechanisms

Identity Processing Style and Defense Mechanisms To investigate relationships between identity processing styles and patterns of defense mechanisms, 213 participants (Mean age = 23.01 years) completed measures of defense-mechanism clusters and styles of negotiating (or managing to avoid) identity conflicts and threats (64% of the participants were female). A self-exploratory, informational identity style was associated with defense mechanisms that control anxiety and threats via internal cognitive maneuvers. In contrast, a diffuse-avoidant identity style was found to be related to maladaptive defensive maneuvers including turning against others and turning aggression inward against oneself, which is related to depressive reactions. A foreclosing, normative identity style was associated with defenses that limit awareness of threatening ideas and information by denial, distortion, and negation. None of these relationships was qualified by age or gender. The findings are discussed in terms of a process model of identity development that emphasizes social-cognitive differences in how individuals construct, maintain, and reconstruct their self-identity.

Being a Heterosexual Ally to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Community: Reflections and Development

SUMMARY The author provides a narrative of his development as a heterosexual ally of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The author uses those parts of his own experience that are consistent with components of existing ally identity development models to provide qualitative evidence regarding the validity of those models. The author goes on to discuss the role of affect components in ally identity development and the implications of these models for training non-LGBT allies to the LGBT community.

Integration of Social Identities in the Self: Toward a Cognitive-Developmental Model

This article presents a model of social identity development and integration in the self. Classic intergroup theories (e.g., social identity theory, self-categorization theory) address the situational, short-term changes in social identities. Although these theories identify the contextual and environmental factors that explain situational changes in social identification, the intraindividual processes underlying developmental changes in social identities and their integration within the self remain to be identified. Relying on recent intergroup models as well as on developmental (i.e., neo-Piagetian) and social cognitive frameworks, this article proposes a four-stage model that explains the specific processes by which multiple social identities develop intraindividually and become integrated within the self over time. The factors that facilitate versus impede these identity change processes and the consequences associated with social identity integration are also presented.

Emerging ethnic identity and interethnic group social preferences in middle childhood: Findings from the Children of Immigrants Development in Context (CIDC) study

This study characterizes several aspects of emerging ethnic identity in childhood and its associations with interethnic group social preferences. Understanding these processes is important, as early interethnic group social practices may form a foundation for later interethnic group attitudes and behaviors in adolescence. Children of Cambodian, Dominican, and Portuguese heritage (aged 6—12 years) consistently and accurately identified with labels of their family's nationality of origin across the three study years, and reported strong ethnic pride. In support of existing developmental models of ethnic identity in adolescence, older children demonstrated greater ethnic identity exploration than younger children. Importantly, for second-generation children, a positive sense of ethnic identity was not only associated with ingroup social preferences, but also ethnic outgroup social preferences. Findings are discussed with regard to existing models of ethnic identity development.

35. Models that change: The study of gay identity development

Since the declassification of homosexuality as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association in 1974, a large number of models of gay identity development have been proposed in the literature. This is unique because for the first time, more attention was paid to the process of developing a gay identity rather than theorizing about the etiologies of homosexuality. This paper reviews the changes in thought found in the literature describing how one comes to develop a gay identity.
 For the marginalized, identity development is generally described against a backdrop of stigma. Fortunately, our current society is very different from the hostile world that surrounded the APA in 1974: homosexuality is more tolerated and accepted, laws are less discriminatory, and gay role models are more abundant and accessible. As society has evolved, so too have its descriptive models. Shame and reluctance are found in Plumer’s (1975) and Lee’s (1977) models. Pride and activism appear in Hencken and O’Dowd’s (1977) and Cass’ (1979) models. Troiden (1989) mentions the fear of AIDS in his writings. Alderson’s (1998) model reflects a climate where religion, friends, and society can be catalysts in developing a positive identity. Taken together, these models are like time capsules containing clues as to the social conditions of the time.
 As the rate of social evolution accelerates, it is doubtful that any model regarding marginalized individuals will ever become definitive. For the case of homosexuality, if and when its stigma is removed, then the defining feature of gay identity development is also removed. It is possible that in its place will be a general model of sexual identity development, where homosexual and heterosexual paths diverge innocently and quietly in a society that does not value one over the other.
 Alderson K. The ecological model of gay male identity. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality 2003; 12(2):75-85.
 Cass V. Homosexual identity formation: A theoretical model. Journal of Homosexuality 1979; 4(3):219-35.
 Troiden R. The formation of homosexual identities. Journal of Homosexuality 1989; 17(1/2):43-73.

Hiding in the closet?

In discourses about gay, lesbian and bisexual identity, and in the models of sexual identity development that emerged in the 1970s and 1980s, coming out is marked as one of the crucial steps in developing a healthy sexual identity. In these discourses, coming out is positioned as `good' as it enables the healthy development of sexual identity, while non-disclosure is positioned as `bad'. As such, there is a disclosure imperative attached to living as gay, lesbian or bisexual. Using empirical evidence gathered from in-depth interviews with 60 Australian bisexual men and women, this article argues that, for bisexuals, the decision about whether to come out is influenced by several factors not often taken into account in sexual identity development models and coming out narratives. These factors make it inherently more difficult to come out to others as bisexual, and significantly challenge the notion of the disclosure imperative.

Masculinity Unraveled: The Roots of Male Gender Identity and the Shifting of Male Ego Ideals Throughout Life

A model of masculine gender identity development is presented that demonstrates how a male's sense of his masculinity and the ambiguities of his gender are being reworked throughout his life. Of factors shaping the boy's sense of masculinity early on, particular emphasis is placed on the role of the involved father, the nature of the parental relationship, and the mother's recognition and affirmation of her son's maleness. While healthy masculine gender identity is founded predominantly on the boy's unique struggles in separating from his mother, it does not result from what has been traditionally viewed as the boy's disidentification from her (and from the feminine more generally). Indeed, boys who need to violently repudiate their identifications with their mother are more susceptible to a fragile, rigid masculine identity and narcissistic psychopathology. A case example of a young adult man illustrates the impact of identifications with both parents. The interplay of early masculine identity development and later life challenges confronting the adult male is briefly noted. "Masculine" ego ideals shift across developmental junctions until, ultimately, a more mature sense of masculinity emerges: the phallic wish to deny differentiation and maintain unlimited possibility is renounced and mourned and certain real limits concerning sex, gender, and generational differences are accepted. This reshaping of the "masculine" ego ideal consequently involves the transformation of a man's previously adaptive "phallicism" into more realistic, "genital" ego ideals-an achievement involving interplay between masculine and feminine identifications and the integration of antithetical elements no longer so unconsciously gendered.

The Status Model of Racial Identity Development in African American Adolescents: Evidence of Structure, Trajectories, and Well‐Being

Although the identity formation model is widely used to assess adolescent ethnic identity development, the model propositions have rarely been tested. The existence of the identity statuses (diffuse, foreclosed, moratorium, achieved), the proposed developmental trajectories, and whether youth in the achieved status report higher levels of psychological well-being were examined among a longitudinal sample of 224 African American adolescents, aged 11-17. Cluster analyses were used to create 4 identity statuses consistent with the theoretical model at both time points. The findings indicate that some adolescents progressed, while others regressed or remained constant across time periods. Lastly, the results generally support the assumption that individuals in the achieved status had the highest levels of psychological well-being at both time periods.

A Leadership Identity Development Model: Applications from a Grounded Theory

This article describes a stage-based model of leadership identity development (LID) that resulted from a grounded theory study on developing a leadership identity (Komives, Owen, Longerbeam, Mainella, & Osteen, 2005). The LID model expands on the leadership identity stages, integrates the categories of the grounded theory into the LID model, and develops how the categories of the theory change across stages of the model. The model has implications for working with individuals as they develop their leadership identity and for facilitating groups as they develop empowering environments for shared leadership. Connections to related scholarship and stage-based implications for practice are explored.

Involvement and Leadership: A Descriptive Analysis of Socially Responsible Leadership

The development of students as leaders remains a central goal for institutions of higher education as evidenced by mission statements and the increased presence of leadership development programs on college campuses (Astin & Astin, 2000; Boatman, 1999; Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, 1999; McIntire, 1989; Zimmerman-Oster & Burkhardt, 1999). Additionally, research indicates that college students can and do increase their leadership skills during the college years (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005), and that this increase can be attributed in part to collegiate involvement (Astin, 1993). These findings complement the growing number of leadership models that specifically target college students, including the relational leadership model (Komives, Lucas, & McMahon, 1998), the social change model (Higher Education Research Institute [HERI], 1996), the leadership challenge/ Student Leadership Practices Inventory (Posner, 2004; Posner & Brodsky, 1992), and the leadership identity development model (Komives, Owen, Longerbeam, Mainella, & Osteen, 2004; Komives, Owen, Longerbeam, Mainella, & Osteen, 2005). In most cases, however, a gap exists between research on college student leadership and the models used in practice. Researchers’ use of general measures of leadership development rather than those tied to existing models has contributed to a scarcity of empirical studies grounded in the theory that informs leadership practice. The purpose of this study is to examine leadership development as well as the role of involvement in leadership learning using the social change model.

Why is commissioning with black people such hard work?

The task of providing care and support services for vulnerable people from black communities for commissioners is often like a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea… or so it seems. However, an understanding of the interactions between peoples at micro level can aid in the delivery of a larger agenda, for example when delivering racial equality. In this article I profile a model of racial identity development which can shed some light on the planning of services in local areas.

Intersections in Identity–Identity Development among Queer Women with Disabilities

Until recently the sexuality of individuals with disabilities has largely been ignored or incorrectly assumed to be non-existent. Individuals with disabilities have a range of sexual orientations encompassing both heterosexual and queer identities. In what ways do individuals with disabilities construct their sexual orientation identity? How do women who identify as both disabled and queer develop their multiple identities? Do current models of lesbian identity development or models of disability identity development address the reality of queer women with disabilities identity? This project involved interviews with five queer women with disabilities in the Northwest to understand their subjective experiences of their identity and the process of its development. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with Atlas.ti software. Both identity development models for disability and queer identity could be used to describe either women’s disability identity development or queer identity development. A combination of identity development models best fit these women’s life experiences.