Adolescent Identity Formation, Psychological Well-being, and Parental Attitudes

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate adolescent identity formation in relation to psychological well-being and parental attitudes (viz., acceptance, concentration, and avoidance). For this purpose, a sample of 210 late adolescents (99 boys and 111 girls) with ages ranging from 17 years to 20 years. They were administered Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status-2 (Bennion & Adams, 1986), Friedman Well-being Scale (Friedman, 1994), and Family Relations Inventory (Sherry & Sinha, 1987). Pearson Product Moment correlation analyses revealed that for the boys' sample, psychological well-being was positively correlated with identity achievement while opposite pattern emerged for diffusion. Avoidant and concentrated parental attitudes have significant positive correlates with lower identity statuses (moratorium, foreclosure, and diffusion in either gender). Factor analyses revealed that identity achievement status clustered both with parental acceptance and parental concentration on different factors among boys; girls in lower identity statuses experienced more avoidant and concentrated parenting.Keywords: Late adolescents, adolescent identity formation, parental attitudes, psychological well-beingAdolescence has been considered as a period marked with identity crisis. The adolescent crisis of ego identity versus role confusion, when resolved, enables individuals to integrate all the images about oneself into a personal identity and consolidate various roles one has to play (Erikson, 1968). The content of identity tends to fall within two major domains, the ideological domain consisting of choices regarding career or occupation, religion, and politics (Grotevant, Thorbecke, & Meyer, 1982), and the interpersonal domain comprising family, dating, or romantic relationships, friendships, and sex roles (Balistreri, Busch-Rossnagel, & Geisinger, 1995). The relative importance of identity options within these domains for an adolescent depends on what is accepted and valued in their respective culture (Phinney & Baldelomar, 2011).A useful approach towards understanding the concomitants, precursors, and correlates of identity has been suggested by Marcia (1966). He elaborated upon the Erikson's (1968) bipolar framework of identity and laid down a four-status approach to study this phenomenon in detail. The four identity statuses viz. identity achievement, moratorium, foreclosure, and diffusion are built upon the dimensions of exploration and commitment. Identity achieved adolescents are those who have gone through a period of exploration, and have made identity-defining commitments (Marcia, 1980). Individuals in moratorium status are currently in the process of exploration, and the commitments are either vague or absent; Foreclosed persons have adopted goals, values, and beliefs from parents or other authority figures without much critical thought; and lack of commitment and exploration is the characteristic of diffused individuals. Identity diffused individuals seem to driftaimlessly and are carefree. Identity diffusion tends to be associated with low selfesteem, delinquency, and drug or alcohol problems (Adams, Munro, Munro, Doherty-Poirer, & Edwards, 2005; Luyckx, Goossens, Soenens, Beyers, & Vansteenkiste, 2005).Identity strives for consistency, coherence, and harmony between values, beliefs, and commitment, and enables the recognition of potential through a sense of future possibilities and alternative choices. A unique configuration of identity engenders a sense of psychological well-being, a feeling of being 'at home' in one's body, and a sense of knowing where one is going (Erikson, 1968). Empirical research also indicates that identity achievement status reflects the epitome of adolescent mental health, adjustment, and self-esteem, and is a predictor of positive social and psychological outcomes, such as positive psychological well-being (Waterman, 2007), emotional adjustment (Dumas, Lawford, Tieu, & Pratt, 2009), and intimate relationship satisfaction in adulthood (Beyers & Seiffge-Krenke, 2010). …

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