Skip to main content
Log in

Identity Formation in Adolescents from Italian, Mixed, and Migrant Families

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Child & Youth Care Forum Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare identity formation in adolescents from Italian (n = 261), mixed (n = 100), and migrant families (n = 148). Participants completed the Italian version of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale that assesses identity processes in educational and relational domains. Within a variable-centered approach we found that adolescents from migrant families reported significantly higher levels of reconsideration of commitment than did their peers from Italian and mixed families. Similarly, within a person-centered approach, adolescents from migrant families were more represented in the searching moratorium status than their counterparts from Italian and mixed families. Overall, these results indicated that migrant adolescents face more difficulties to define their personal identity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Preliminary analyses indicated that our data met assumptions of homogeneity of variances and normality. Furthermore, no univariate or multivariate outliers were detected.

  2. The 2 adolescents from migrant French families were not included in this analysis.

  3. When the cluster analysis was repeated only in the sub-group of adolescents from migrant families, the same 5-cluster solution emerged. It explained 59% of the variance in commitment, 67% of the variance in in-depth exploration, and 55% of the variance in reconsideration of commitment. Taken together these findings indicate the robustness of the 5-cluter solution and its replicability in different groups.

  4. Official data provided by the Italian Interior Ministry available at http://elezioni.interno.it/.

References

  • Abraham, K. G. (1986). Ego-identity differences among Anglo-American and Mexican American adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 9, 151–166.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Adams, G. R., & Marshall, S. K. (1996). A developmental social psychology of identity: Understanding the person-in-context. Journal of Adolescence, 19, 429–442.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Battistich, V., Schaps, E., & Wilson, N. (2004). Effects of an elementary school intervention on students’ “connectedness” to school and social adjustment during middle school. Journal of Primary Prevention, 24, 243–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F. (1987). How the self became a problem: A psychological review of historical research. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(1), 163–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., & Muraven, M. (1996). Identity as adaptation to social, cultural, and historical context. Journal of Adolescence, 19, 405–416.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berman, S., Montgomery, M., & Kurtines, W. (2004). The development and validation of a measure of identity distress. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 4, 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berman, A., Schwartz, S., Kurtines, W., & Berman, S. (2001). The process of exploration in identity formation: The role of style and competence. Journal of Adolescence, 24, 513–528.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berman, S. L., Weems, C. F., & Petkus, V. (2009). The prevalence and incremental validity of identity problem symptoms in a high school sample. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 40, 183–195.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. W. (2001). A psychology of immigration. Journal of Social Issue, 57, 615–631.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berzonsky, M. D. (2003). Identity style and well-being: Does commitment matter? Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 3, 131–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bosma, H. A. (1985). Identity development in adolescents: Coping with commitments. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.

  • Bosma, H. A., & Kunnen, S. E. (2001). Determinants and mechanisms in ego identity development: A review and synthesis. Developmental Review, 21, 39–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Branch, C. W., Tayal, P., & Triplett, C. (2000). The relationship of ethnic identity and ego identity status among adolescents and young adults. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 24, 777–790.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, London: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crocetti, E., Rubini, M., Luyckx, K., & Meeus, W. (2008a). Identity formation in early and middle adolescents from various ethnic groups: From three dimensions to five statuses. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37, 983–996.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crocetti, E., Rubini, M., & Meeus, W. (2008b). Capturing the dynamics of identity formation in various ethnic groups: Development and validation of a three-dimensional model. Journal of Adolescence, 31(2), 207–222.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crocetti, E., Schwartz, S., Fermani, A., Klimstra, T., & Meeus, W. (2010a). A cross-cultural comparison of identity statuses between two European countries. Manuscript submitted for publication.

  • Crocetti, E., Schwartz, S., Fermani, A., & Meeus, W. (2010b). The Utrecht management of identity commitments scale (U-MICS): Italian validation and cross-national comparisons. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 26(3), 169–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erikson, E. (1950). Childhood and society. New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erikson, E. (1968). Identity, youth and crisis. New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrer-Wreder, L., Lorente, C., Kurtines, W., Briones, E., Bussel, J., Berman, S., et al. (2002). Promoting identity development in marginalized youth. Journal of Adolescent Research, 17, 168–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goossens, L., & Luyckx, K. (2007). Identity development in college students: Variable-centered and person-centered analyses. In M. Watzlavick & A. Born (Eds.), Capturing identity. Quantitative and qualitative methods (pp. 105–118). Lahnam, Maryland: University Press of America.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gore, P. A., Jr. (2000). Cluster analysis. In H. E. A. Tinsley & S. D. Brown (Eds.), Handbook of applied multivariate statistics and mathematical modeling (pp. 297–321). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gozzoli, C., & Regalia, C. (2005). Migrazioni e famiglie [Migrations and families]. Bologna: il Mulino.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grotevant, H. D. (1987). Toward a process model of identity formation. Journal of Adolescent Research, 2, 203–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grove, K. J. (1991). Identity development in interracial Asian/White late adolescents: Must it be so problematic? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 20, 617–628.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez, L., Montgomery, M. J., & Kurtines, W. M. (2006). Identity distress and adjustment problems in at-risk adolescents. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 6, 27–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • ISTAT. (2008a). Annuario statistico italiano [Statistical Italian yearbook]. Roma: Istituto Nazionale di Statistica [National Institute of Statistics]. Available online at http://www.istat.it/.

  • ISTAT. (2008b). Rapporto annuale [Annual report]. Roma: Istituto Nazionale di Statistica [National Institute of Statistics]. Available online at http://www.istat.it/.

  • Ketner, S., Buitelaar, M., & Bosma, H. (2004). Identity strategies among adolescent girls of Moroccan descent in the Netherlands. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 4, 145–169.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, R. (1993). Recent immigration to Italy: Character, causes and consequences. GeoJournal, 30, 283–292.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kosic, A., Mannetti, M., & Sam, D. L. (2005). The role of majority attitudes towards out-group in the perception of the acculturation strategies of immigrants. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 29, 273–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kroger, J. (2003). Identity development during adolescence. In G. R. Adams & M. D. Berzonsky (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of adolescence (pp. 205–226). Malden, MA: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kroger, J. (2004). Identity in adolescence: The balance between self and other (3rd ed.). London, New York: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kurtines, W. M., Montgomery, M. J., Eichas, K., Ritchie, R., Garcia, A., Albrecht, R., et al. (2008). Promoting positive identity development in troubled youth: A developmental intervention science outreach research approach. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 8, 125–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luyckx, K., Goossens, L., & Soenens, B. (2006). A developmental contextual perspective on identity construction in emerging adulthood: Change dynamics in commitment formation and commitment evaluation. Developmental Psychology, 42, 366–380.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Luyckx, K., Schwartz, S. J., Berzonsky, M. D., Soenens, B., Vansteenkiste, M., Smits, I., et al. (2008). Capturing ruminative exploration: Extending the four-dimensional model of identity formation in late adolescence. Journal of Research in Personality, 42(1), 58–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mancini, T. (2007). Identità etnica. Un’analisi della letteratura psicologica [Ethnic identity. An analysis of the psychological literature]. Psicologia sociale, 1, 69–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcia, J. E. (1966). Development and validation of ego-identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3, 551–558.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marcia, J. E. (1993). The status of the statuses: Research review. In J. E. Marcia, A. S. Waterman, D. R. Matteson, S. L. Archer, & J. L. Orlofsky (Eds.), Identity: A handbook for psychosocial research (pp. 22–41). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meeus, W. (1996). Studies on identity development in adolescence: An overview of research and some new data. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 25, 569–598.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meeus, W. (in press). The study of adolescent identity formation 2000–2010. A review of longitudinal and narrative research. Journal of Research on Adolescence.

  • Meeus, W., Iedema, J., Helsen, M., & Vollebergh, W. (1999). Patterns of adolescent identity development: Review of literature and longitudinal analysis. Developmental Review, 19, 419–461.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meeus, W., Iedema, J., & Maassen, G. H. (2002). Commitment and exploration as mechanisms of identity formation. Psychological Reports, 90, 771–785.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meeus, W., van de Schoot, R., Keijsers, L., Schwartz, S. J., & Branje, S. (in press). On the progression and stability of adolescent identity formation. A five-wave longitudinal study in early-to-middle and middle-to-late Adolescence. Child Development.

  • Paluck, E. L. (2009). Reducing intergroup prejudice and conflict using the media: A field experiment in Rwanda. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96, 574–587.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pettigrew, T. F., & Tropp, L. R. (2006). A meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 751–783.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Phalet, K., & Schönpflug, U. (2001). Intergenerational transmission of collectivism and achievement values in two acculturation contexts. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 32, 186–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rotheram-Borus, M. J. (1989). Ethnic differences in adolescents’ identity status and associated behavior problems. Journal of Adolescence, 12, 361–374.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salmivalli, C., & Isaacs, J. (2005). Prospective relations among victimization, rejection, friendlessness, and children’s self- and peer-perceptions. Child Development, 76, 1161–1171.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, B. (2000). Self-determination: The tyranny of freedom. American Psychologist, 55, 79–88.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. J. (2001). The evolution of Eriksonian and neo-Eriksonian identity theory and research: A review and integration. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 1, 7–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. J. (2005). A new identity for identity research: Recommendations for expanding and refocusing the identity literature. Journal of Adolescent Research, 20, 293–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. J., & Montgomery, M. J. (2002). Similarities or differences in identity development? The impact of acculturation and gender on identity process and outcomes. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 31, 359–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. J., & Pantin, H. (2006). Identity development in adolescence and emerging adulthood: The interface of self, context, and culture. In A. Prescott (Ed.), The concept of self in psychology (pp. 45–85). Hauppage, NY: Nova Science Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. J., Zamboanga, B. L., Weisskirch, R. S., & Rodriguez, L. (2009). The relationships of personal and ethnic identity exploration to indices of adaptive and maladaptive psychosocial functioning. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 33, 131–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephen, J., Fraser, E., & Marcia, J. E. (1992). Moratorium-achievement (Mama) cycles in lifespan identity development: Value orientations and reasoning system correlates. Journal of Adolescence, 15, 283–300.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Streitmatter, J. (1988). Ethnicity as a mediating variable of early adolescent identity development. Journal of Adolescence, 11, 335–346.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H. (1981). Human groups and social categories. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Triandis, H. C. (2001). Individualism-collectivism and personality. Journal of Personality, 69(6), 907–924.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Verkuyten, M., & Kinket, B. (2000). Social distances in a multi ethnic society: The ethnic hierarchy among Dutch preadolescents. Social Psychology Quarterly, 63, 75–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voci, A., & Hewstone, M. (2003). Intergroup contact and prejudice towards immigrants in Italy: The mediational role of anxiety and the moderational role of group salience. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 6, 37–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • von Eye, A., & Bogat, A. (2006). Person-oriented and variable-oriented research: Concepts, results, and development. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 52, 390–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waszak, N. K., & Sines, M. C. (2003). Mixed methods in psychological research. In A. Tashakkori & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research (pp. 557–576). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watzlawick, M., & Born, A. (Eds.). (2007). Capturing identity. Quantitative and qualitative methods. Lahnam, Maryland: University Press of America.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elisabetta Crocetti.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Crocetti, E., Fermani, A., Pojaghi, B. et al. Identity Formation in Adolescents from Italian, Mixed, and Migrant Families. Child Youth Care Forum 40, 7–23 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-010-9112-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-010-9112-8

Keywords

Navigation