Original articleIdentity styles, dimensions, statuses, and functions: Making connections among identity conceptualizationsStyles, dimensions, statuts et fonctions d’identité : établir des liens entre les différentes conceptualisations de l’identité
Section snippets
The identity style model
Berzonsky (1989) postulated that individuals use different social-cognitive strategies or processing orientations to deal with or avoid the task of identity formation: informational, normative, and diffuse-avoidant. Adolescents utilizing an informational orientation are self-reflective and actively seek out and evaluate self-relevant information. Those with a normative orientation more automatically adopt prescriptions and values from significant others and conform to these others’
The three-factor identity dimensional model
Since the mid-1980s, European scholars (Bosma, 1985, Luyckx et al., 2006b, Meeus, 1996, Meeus et al., 1999) have identified multiple forms of commitment and exploration involved in the identity formation process. The consideration of multiple forms of commitment and exploration, along with the use of more refined, person-centered, and data-driven classification methods (e.g., cluster analysis, latent class analysis), have produced additional variants of Marcia's original identity statuses
The identity functions model
A further important contribution to the identity field has been that of Adams (Adams and Marshall, 1996, Serafini and Adams, 2002), focusing on the “functions” of identity. Drawing upon the Eriksonian notion that identity fulfills a self-regulatory function, Adams and Marshall (1996) proposed a model including five identity functions. First, identity provides individuals with a sense of structure with which to understand self-relevant information. Second, identity provides a sense of
Gender differences in identity
Gender may be of importance in identity formation (Lewis, 2003, Schwartz et al., 2006). However, gender differences have been consistently documented for some identity constructs but not for others (Kroger, 1997). More specifically, regarding identity styles, a recent meta-analysis (Bosch & Card, 2012) has indicated no significant gender differences for the informational identity style, a trivial gender difference for the normative identity style (mean r = 0.04) where women scored higher than men;
Age differences in identity
Similarly to gender differences, age patterns have been found to be more evident for some identity conceptualizations than for others. In particular, although the effect sizes are quite modest, there is some evidence for developmental changes in identity style scores: as adolescents and young adults mature, they tend to rely more on the informational style (cf. Berzonsky, 2011).
Klimstra et al. (2010) examined longitudinal changes in identity dimensions. They found maturational changes in
The present study
On the basis of the literature reviewed so far, the primary purpose of the present study was to examine the connections between the processes underlying identity development and the functions that identity provides. Specifically, we sought to ascertain the associations of identity styles (Berzonsky, 1989), identity dimensions (Crocetti et al., 2008b), and identity statuses (Crocetti et al., 2008a, Meeus et al., 2010) to identity functions (Adams & Marshall, 1996). In the areas of identity
Participants
Participants were 1158 Italian youth (435 males and 723 females), aged 17 to 22 years (Mage = 19.43 years, SD = 1.17). Two age groups were represented in the sample: a late adolescent group and an emerging adult group. The late adolescent group consisted of 389 students (152 males and 237 females) in their last year of secondary school (Mage = 18.30 years, SD = 0.64; age range 17–19).1
Procedure
Before the study was conducted, permission to administer questionnaires was obtained from the principals of the high schools and the deans of the university faculties. For late adolescents younger than 18, parental consent was also obtained. Students were contacted in high schools or in university buildings by a researcher. They were provided with written information about the research and asked if they wished to participate. Approximately 99% of the students who were approached chose to
Identity styles
The Italian version (Crocetti, Rubini, Berzonsky, & Meeus, 2009) of the revised Identity Style Inventory (ISI-3; Berzonsky, 1992) was used. This measure consists of 30 items with a response scale ranging from 1 (not at all like me) to 5 (very much like me). Sample items include: “I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking seriously about what I should do with my life” and “When making important decisions I like to have as much information as possible” (information-oriented style; 11 items); “I
Measurement models
As a preliminary step, we tested a measurement model in which ISI, U-MICS, and FIS items were used as indicators of latent variables corresponding to identity styles (i.e., informational, normative, and diffuse-avoidant), dimensions (i.e., commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment in the educational and interpersonal domains), and functions (i.e., structure, harmony, goal, future, and personal control), respectively. We performed these Confirmatory Factor Analyses
Discussion
The present study was designed to shed light on associations among identity conceptualizations that have expanded Erikson, 1950, Erikson, 1968 and Marcia's (1966) classic theoretical perspectives. Specifically, we have examined, in a large sample of Italian late adolescents and emerging adults, links among identity styles, dimensions, statuses, and functions. Given that identity functions represent outcomes of the identity development process, we sought to map the associations between these
Conclusion
Despite these limitations, the present results are among the first to explore the associations of identity dimensions, styles, and statuses with outcomes (functions) of identity. This is a key research direction because it emphasizes the consequences — and therefore the importance — of developing a sense of identity in adolescence and emerging adulthood. Further research might link the functions of identity to psychosocial and health outcomes to further demonstrate the importance of identity as
Disclosure of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest concerning this article.
Acknowledgements
Elisabetta Crocetti is a Marie Curie fellow at the Utrecht university, The Netherlands.
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