Self and Identity

Katie DavisH-137October 28, 2009

Who am I?Who am I?

IdentityIdentity

INFANCYTrust vs. Mistrust

EARLY CHILD-HOODAutonomy

vs. Shame

PLAY AGEInitiative vs. Guilt

SCHOOL AGEIndustry

vs. Inferiority

ADOLESCENCE

Identity vs.

Identity Diffusion

YOUNG ADULTIntimacy vs.

Isolation

ADULTGenerativity

vs. Self-absorption

MATURE AGEIntegrity vs.

Despair

Erikson’s Conception of Identity

IdentityConfusion

IdentityConsolidation

“the awareness of...self-sameness and continuity...[and] the style of one’s individuality [which] coincides with the sameness and continuity of one’s meaning for others in the immediate community.”

(Erikson, 1968, pg.50)

Marcia’s Identity Status ModelCommitment

Exploration

Foreclosure Achievement

Diffusion Moratorium

Possible Developmental Pathways

Identity Achieved

Moratorium

ForeclosedIdentity Diffused

Adapted from Moshman (2005)

What do youth actually do?

Identity achievement increases over time; most stable state

Foreclosures decrease over time

Diffusions decrease or stay the same

Moratorium – rarest & most volatile state

High school students’ main movement is out of diffusion

Emerging adults’ main movement is towards identity achievement

Meeus, Iedema, Helsen, & Vollebergh (1999)

Identity Statuses & Well-Being

Moratorium Diffusion Foreclosure

IdentityAchieved

Psychological Adjustment

Meeus, Iedema, Helsen, & Vollebergh (1999)

SelfSelf

Self = content + valenceSelf = content + valence

Early Childhood (~ 3-4 years)

Physical attributes (eye/hair color)

Possessions (e.g. toys)

Self-representations tied to behavior

Specific skills

Can’t distinguish between ideal and real selves

Unrealistically positive self-assessments

No social comparison

Middle Childhood

(~ 5-7 years) Positive self-representations persist

Self defined in terms of competencies

Coordination of emotions with same valence

Difficulty coordinating emotions of different valence

Social comparison begins

Compare former self to present self

Late Childhood (~ 8-11 years)

Self-descriptions become more interpersonal

Integrate specific behavioral traits into higher order generalization

Self-attributes tied to specific situations

More balanced self-assessments

Social comparison used for self-evaluation

“Looking-glass self”

Early Adolescence

(~ 12-14 years) Begin to form self-theory

Self-attributes tied to interpersonal relationships & social skills

“Proliferation of selves” across social contexts

Compartmentalized selves

Unconcerned about self-contradictions

Self-worth varies across contexts

Self-concept easily distorted; greater uncertainty

Middle Adolescence

(~ 15-17 years) More selves due to more social contexts & roles

Angst due to awareness of self-contradictions

Girls more bothered by self-contradictions

Lowered self-worth

Adolescent egocentrism: “imaginary audience” & “personal fable” (Elkind, 1967)

Late Adolescence

(~ 18-20 years) Ability to coordinate contradictory self-attributes

Self-theory becomes more coherent

Focus on “possible selves” (Markus & Nurius, 1986)

Increased self-worth

Self & IdentitySelf & Identity

•Adolescence, adulthood

•2nd order integrated self-system

•“Story”

•Childhood, early adolescence

•1st order collection of self-attributions

•“List”

What’s the relationship

between self & emotion?

In what ways are digital media influencing youth’s experience of themselves?

Blogger Study

20 girls, ages 17-21

Recruited from LiveJournal

At least 3 years blogging experience

Hour-long, semi-structured interviews

Timeframe: May – December 2007

Early Adolescence

Emergence of abstract thought Uncertainty about true self Compartmentalized self-concepts

Personality surveys List of daily experiences Emoticons, “Current Mood,” “Music Listening To”

Middle Adolescence

Abstract mappings Confusion & distress over self-contradictions

Emotionally charged writing Use blog to “vent” and express “high school angst”

Late Adolescence

System of abstractions Sense of stability & security Attention turns outward to broader society Contemplation of “possible selves”

Increased confidence in writing Shift in attention from personal topics to broader society Use of blog to contemplate future