| dc.description.abstract | In recent years, the development of identity in adolescence has
become a popular issue in developmental psychology. In the present
study seven hypotheses were formulated on this subject and tested. The
period of adolescence observed was limited to one year during which the
subjects left a boarding school for a new role in society. Eighty-one
sixteen year olds were interviewed using the repertory grid method six
months prior to leaving school, immediately before departure, and then
a third time six months later. The interview data was analyzed in terms
of five operationally defined dependent variables of identity:
construing, identifications, perception of self sameness, perception of
continuity, and identity diffusion. The hypotheses regarded the effect
of the independent variables of transition from school; vocational
commitment, temporal orientation, early environmental disruptions, and
sex, on the measures of identity.
The hypotheses were only partially confirmed, yet four effects in
the development of identity during this specific period of adolescence
were found. Reconstruing was observed after the transition from school
in those with considerable identity diffusion prior to leaving school.
Identifying with the peer group affected identity diffusion before
leaving school. Vocational commitment affected the identity development
of girls but not boys; and other sex differences were found in several
measures of identity. These findings were discussed in terms of existing
theories of adolescence and identity outlined in this thesis, and led to
the description of a focal model of the development of identity in
adolescence. The findings also revealed some of the coping processes
adolescents use in making the transition from school to a new role in
society. Finally, the findings also led to new ideas about adolescence
and identity. | en_US |
