H236: Adolescent Development Self & Identity H236: Adolescent Development

The Plan… Why Self and Identity in Adolescence? Why and for whom is the self important? Independent/interdependent cultures Developing and Socializing Identity

IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT The Making of ME!! TALENT/ ETHNIC/ INTERESTS RACIAL NATIONAL RELIGIOUS GENDER SEXUAL The Making of ME!!

Identity: The Hallmark of Adolescence Assumed identification with parents declines Identity created by modeling Friends Family Media Not imitating, but integrating behaviors, beliefs & attitudes into themselves Identification with parents

Why during Adolescence? Perspective Taking: Can imagine what others think Personal Fable: Need to be unique (but accepted) Ability to think abstractly about self and be planful about interactions

Increased Self-reflection What kind of person am I? What am I good at? How do other people see me? What kind of life will I have in 20 years?.... Having enhanced cognitive capacity & metacognition means… …adolescents change in their self-conceptions, self-esteem, and their emotional understanding. …they can shape how others view them

More Complex in Self Reflections There are contradictions in my personality…. Which is the REAL me??? I’m shy around my relatives, but outgoing with my friends…. I’m aware that I sometimes show a FALSE self to others that isn’t really me or the way I think and feel

What do we mean by “Self” A sense of awareness and agency that guides action Reflects one’s engagement with the world in patterned ways (the adoption, expression of societal patterns). It’s dynamic and changes based on context Provides an organizing function to makes sense of the vast stimuli and schemas provided by one’s context Develops as one attunes themselves to contexts that give meaning to their existence and experience

Why and for Whom is Self Important? Self in an Independent Culture “The Squeaky Wheel gets the Grease” One’s own thoughts and feelings are referent Reflecting on self as an individual is encouraged Self esteem becomes increasingly important Self definition and affirmation are encouraged Confidence in self expression is encouraged Self in an Interdependent Culture “The nail that sticks out is likely to be hammered down” Thoughts and feelings of others are the referent Thinking about self and high self esteem is not encouraged Resist the focus on self and consider interests & needs of others By adolescence, self is thought of as in relation to the group A Emphasis on Group Identity

Goals for developing self Independent Interdependent Sense of self as separate Individual preferences goals Unique contributions Individual achievement/ attribution Sense of self in relation to others Encouraging fitting in Taking perspective of others The self includes others

How does identity develop? In stages Individually driven Identification with roles, beliefs and lifestyles Group belongingness and embeddedness Shaped by context, which is shaped by families, schools, and society “the person and the person’s social world co-author identity.” McAdams (2001)

Four Identity Statuses (Marcia, 1966) Example Diffusion “I’m not worried about what to do after school… who cares.” Moratorium “I want to be a marine biologist… no, a lawyer… no, a hairdresser like my best friends’ mom.” Foreclosure “I never had to think about what to do; I’m taking over the farm from Dad.” Achievement “After studying in Peru, I realize I cannot work for a large corporation; I am going to be a nurse.” Primacy of exploration is a hallmark of Western or Individualistic cultures Early Identity theories based on American Majority Culture Males—very individual So individualistic, that Western Psychology assumed identity was developed alone Identity “crisis,” “encounter,” “event,” or “awakening” Not Marcia’s

Socializing Identity Self Selecting Communities AND being accepted (and socialized) by that community Groups become more alike over time “CULTURE” Identity Group Identity & Change

Identity formation cycle Micro-social interactions between the self and the environment produce frames for self –evaluation and self- identity. Exploration breadth Crisis Commit-ment making Identification w/ Commitment Information is assimilated by accumulating “like” information until it becomes a pattern or selectively interpreting information to fit existing ideas Exploration Depth Adolescents may believe they are forming identity on their own. But the structures are pre-given, pre-imposed by parents

For independent selves Breaking from parents and proscribed identity Non-imitation of parents’ opinions beliefs Recognition of parents as fallible Maintenance of personal private life (keeping secrets from parents) Remember monitoring and conflict from last week? Developing self-reliance/sufficiency Independence from functional and emotional support from parents Independence from excessive negative feelings Material and physical independence RENEGOTIATED RELATIONSHIP The transfer of authority and seeing responsible behavior permits new relational terms -- MORE EQUAL TERMS Reliance and self disclosure is possible again

Co-Authoring Identity Identity Agents—those who actively interact with youth to participate in their formation of an identity Parents who in day to day interactions socialize societal norms to their children and endorse role models and create/select into environments for raising their children Possess Identity goals Strategically implement practices to engage their goals Continuously monitor progress Reflect and adapt The challenge of allowing the self expression/rejection without withdrawing support Teachers/mentors in day to day interactions affirm, challenge, acknowledge and ignore identity expressions Create classroom that facilitate identity with the subject matter (or not)

In what ways do our American schools promote an individualist self? Support Interdependent selves? How can you be an identity agent?