Adolescent Identity Formation

The way identity influences the way adolescents make decisions and cope with stress is one of the topics explored in this thought-provoking volume. The contributors examine the processes of identity formation, social and behavioural outcomes and management, social contextual factors and issues of alternative conceptualizations and measurement. They also address subjects such as women's identity and Erikson's notions of inner space, a multidimensional approach to ethnic identity and the influence of cognitive identity styles on ways in which adolescents cope with stress.

Do adolescents have a critical period of identity development? How much identity activity is needed in each of the life domains, such as career, family, and ideology for "healthy" adolescent development? An interdisciplinary team of scholars and practitioners addresses these and related questions to examine what we know about adolescent identity formation and how this information can be effectively used to intervene with adolescents to provide them with better guidance about their life choices.

This fully revised fourth edition of Identity in Adolescence: The Balance Between Self and Other presents four theoretical perspectives on identity development during adolescence and young adulthood and their practical implications for intervention. Ferrer-Wreder and Kroger consider adolescent identity development as the unique intersection of social and cultural forces in combination with individual factors that each theoretical model stresses in attempting to understand the identity formation process for contemporary adolescents. Identity in Adolescence addresses the complex question of how adolescent identity forms and develops during adolescence and young adulthood and serves as the foundation for entering adult life. The book is unique in its presentation of four selected models that address this process, along with cutting-edge research and the implications that each of these models hold for practical interventions. This new edition has been comprehensively revised, with five completely new chapters and three that have been extensively updated. New special topics are also addressed, including ethnic, sexual, and gender identity development, the role of technology in adolescent identity development, and ongoing identity development beyond adolescence. The book is essential reading for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying adolescent development, self and social identity within developmental psychology, social psychology and clinical psychology, as well as practitioners in the fields of child welfare and mental health services, social work, youth and community work and counselling.

This fully revised fourth edition of Identity in Adolescence: The Balance Between Self and Other presents four theoretical perspectives on identity development during adolescence and young adulthood and their practical implications for intervention. Ferrer-Wreder and Kroger consider adolescent identity development as the unique intersection of social and cultural forces in combination with individual factors that each theoretical model stresses in attempting to understand the identity formation process for contemporary adolescents. Identity in Adolescence addresses the complex question of how adolescent identity forms and develops during adolescence and young adulthood and serves as the foundation for entering adult life. The book is unique in its presentation of four selected models that address this process, along with cutting-edge research and the implications that each of these models hold for practical interventions. This new edition has been comprehensively revised, with five completely new chapters and three that have been extensively updated. New special topics are also addressed, including ethnic, sexual, and gender identity development, the role of technology in adolescent identity development, and ongoing identity development beyond adolescence. The book is essential reading for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying adolescent development, self and social identity within developmental psychology, social psychology and clinical psychology, as well as practitioners in the fields of child welfare and mental health services, social work, youth and community work and counselling.

The Second Edition of Identity Development: Adolescence Through Adulthood presents an overview of the five general theoretical orientations to the question of what constitutes identity, as well as the strengths and limitations of each approach. The volume then proceeds to describe key biological, psychological, and contextual issues during each phase of adolescence and adulthood.

Fully updated to include the most recent research and theoretical developments in the field, the third edition of Identity in Adolescence examines the two way interaction of individual and social context in the process of identity formation. Setting the developmental tradition in context, Jane Kroger begins by providing a brief overview of the theoretical approaches to adolescent identity formation currently in use. This is followed by a discussion of five developmental models which reflect a range of attempts from the oldest to among the most recent efforts to describe this process and include the work of Erik Erikson, Peter Blos, Lawrence Kohlberg, Jane Loevinger, and Robert Kegan. Although focussing on each theorist in turn, this volume also goes on to compare and integrate the varied theoretical models and research findings and sets out some of the practical implications for social response to adolescents. Different social and cultural conditions and their effect on the identity formation process are also covered as are contemporary contextual, narrative, and postmodern approaches to understanding and researching identity issues. The book is ideal reading for students of adolescence, identity and developmental psychology.

Adolescenceâ€"beginning with the onset of puberty and ending in the mid-20sâ€"is a critical period of development during which key areas of the brain mature and develop. These changes in brain structure, function, and connectivity mark adolescence as a period of opportunity to discover new vistas, to form relationships with peers and adults, and to explore one's developing identity. It is also a period of resilience that can ameliorate childhood setbacks and set the stage for a thriving trajectory over the life course. Because adolescents comprise nearly one-fourth of the entire U.S. population, the nation needs policies and practices that will better leverage these developmental opportunities to harness the promise of adolescenceâ€"rather than focusing myopically on containing its risks. This report examines the neurobiological and socio-behavioral science of adolescent development and outlines how this knowledge can be applied, both to promote adolescent well-being, resilience, and development, and to rectify structural barriers and inequalities in opportunity, enabling all adolescents to flourish.

What are the major self and identity concerns for early adolescents? What are the applications and interventions that can address those concerns, helping to ease the transition into later adolescence and adulthood? Providing a broad and interdisciplinary approach to studying the self, the contributors emphasize the practical implications of their work for understanding early adolescent self and identity and for designing interventions that facilitate development and adjustment. The book consists of four major sections, in which contributors address conceptual issues, school transitions, peer and behavioral problems, and intervention programs.