Integrating self and experience in narrative as a route to adolescent identity construction

The authors outline the concept of self-event relations and propose that adolescents accomplish narrative identity construction in part by building relations between self and experience as they tell stories about their lives. They outline different types of self-event relations and consider how they contribute to building a sense of identity. They then examine the likely developmental trajectory of self-event relations from childhood through adolescence. Finally, the authors consider the importance of conversational narration in allowing expert adults, especially parents, to help adolescents acquire skills in constructing self-event relations.     

Self-concept as a factor in the quality of diets of adolescent girls

The effect of self-concept on the quality of diets of adolescent girls was investigated. Scores for self-concept as measured by the Tennessee Self Concept Scale (TSCS) and fat area values were obtained from 160 15-year-old girls. Twenty-four-hour dietary recall interviews were conducted with a random subsample of 40 girls. Mean dietary adequacy ratios (MARs) were calculated to assess dietary quality. Girls in this study had larger arm fat areas than did their national counterparts. Mean intakes of energy and nine nutrients met or exceeded their respective RDAs except for vitamin A, calcium, and iron. MAR values were correlated positively with Self-Satisfaction scores and negatively with carbonated beverages, candy, and baked desserts. Fat area values were correlated negatively with Physical Self scores. Significant predictors of MAR values below 80% were Total Conflict, Moral-Ethical Self, Family Self, Identity, and Physical Self scores.     

The co-construction of adolescent narrative identity: narrative processing as a function of adolescent age, gender, and maternal scaffolding

The current study aimed to situate the development of adolescent narrative identity in the context of past-event conversations between adolescents and their mothers, extending work on conversational contexts in early childhood to adolescence. We examined a cross-section of 63 adolescents with 2 goals: (1) to examine how adolescent age and gender interacted with mothers' scaffolding behaviors and how those interactions were associated with adolescents' narrative processes of meaning-making, vulnerability, and resolution; (2) to examine mothers' behaviors in conversation and how the interactions between those behaviors and event type (important, sad, and happy themes) were associated with those narrative processes. We found that maternal behavior in the conversation was related to adolescent narrative processes, yet this link varied as a function of characteristics of the adolescent and type of event discussed. Overall results suggest that those with potentially less practice at narrating the self in elaborative ways--younger adolescents and boys--receive more supportive scaffolding, and that for those with likely more practice with elaborative narration--girls and older adolescents--mothers engage in more negation behavior. The role of these scaffolding behaviors in adolescent narrative identity development is discussed.     

Locus of control as a contributing factor in the relation between self-perception and adolescent aggression

Researchers continue to debate the role of self-esteem in aggression, but research has shown a consistent association between narcissism and aggression in adults and adolescents [e.g., Barry et al., 2007; Bushman and Baumeister, 1998; Stucke, 2007]. The primary aim of the current study was to examine whether locus of control (LOC) moderated the relation between self-perception variables (i.e., self-esteem and narcissism) and aggression in adolescents. Participants were 174 youth (145 males, 26 females) between the ages of 16 and 19 who were enrolled in a voluntary residential program for youth who have dropped out of school. The results showed that LOC moderated the association between self-esteem and aggression such that low self-esteem was associated with higher levels of aggression for individuals with an external LOC. Contrary to expectations, LOC failed to moderate the narcissism-aggression relation. The implications of this study for understanding how self-perception is related to adolescent aggression are discussed.     

New parenthood as a risk factor for the development of obsessional problems

Research on emotional disturbance during pregnancy and the postpartum period has focused primarily on mood disorders and psychosis, yet preliminary evidence suggests that early parenthood is also associated with an increased risk for the development and exacerbation of obsessional problems. In this article we describe the nature of "postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder" (ppOCD) and present a cognitive-behavioural model to account for these signs and symptoms. The model outlines features of early parenthood that might increase vulnerability to ppOCD and proposes a conceptual framework similar to that described in cognitive-behavioural models of OCD in general. The empirical status of the model described herein is discussed, along with suggestions for future research and implications for treatment.     

Seriousness of adolescent problems.

Two hundred and forty white middle class adolescents in a four year high school were administered a 14-item questionnaire designed to assess the seriousness of typical adolescent problems. The three most worrisome problems were physical appearance, careers and grades. Sex, year of high school and college vs. work bound differences were analyzed and discussed.     

Narrating career, positioning identity: Career identity as a narrative practice

In contrast to traditional definitions of career identity as an individual construct, this article argues for a discursive approach to career identity as a narrative practice. Career identity is conceptualized as a practice of articulating, performing and negotiating identity positions in narrating career experiences. By using the concept of positioning, this approach situates identities within particular historic, cultural and interactional contexts via the discourses and master narratives that position identity. It also leaves space for individual agency and change via the reflexive capacity of the person to modify and negotiate the competing positions available. The methodological implications are considered, and illustrated with an empirical case analysis. The contribution of the proposed approach is in offering contextualized understandings of actual practices, resources and constraints of identity construction while also allowing for in-depth analyses of the particularities of identity work and possibilities for change in careers.     

Distinctiveness as a marker of identity formation

Individual distinctiveness is theorized to characterize an adaptive identity, but its importance remained underexplored. In two studies, we investigated the nomological networks of two common conceptualizations of distinctiveness: general and comparative distinctiveness. We compared these to the network of identity formation’s best-validated marker: commitment. Findings from two samples of young adults living in the Netherlands (n = 320) and in the US (n = 246) both revealed that general distinctiveness marked adaptive identity formation and greater psychosocial well-being. Moreover, general distinctiveness had unique predictive value over commitment strength. Comparative distinctiveness from important others uniquely indicated lowered social well-being. Our findings illustrate that careful attention should be paid to the conceptualization of distinctiveness, because distinctiveness is an important but complex concept.     

Language as a determinant of Welsh identity

The study was designed, using the ?matched-guise' technique, to determine how different groups of Welshmen perceive members of their own national group who use various linguistic codes. Three matched groups of adult Welsh Ss were used: Bilinguals, those who were learning Welsh and those who could not speak Welsh and were not learning it either. These Ss were asked to evaluate on 22 scales the personalities of various Welsh speakers they heard reading the same passage of prose on tape. Essentially, the stimulus tape consisted of two male bilinguals reading the passage once each in Welsh, in English with a Welsh accent and in English with an RP accent. It was found, despite the fact that the groups differed in their language skills and self-perceived Welshness, that Ss as a whole upgraded the bilingual speakers on most traits. Indeed, the RP speakers were evaluated most favourably on only one trait - self-confidence. It was suggested that language to a large extent serves as a symbol of Welsh identity, and the results were discussed in relation to how other ethnic groups appear to view their own linguistic codes.     

Affective quality of family relations and adolescent identity exploration

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between adolescent pubertal status, the affective quality of family relations, and the early adolescent's exploration of a sense of ego identity. Fifty-one intact families with adolescents in the seventh grade agreed to participate. Each family member completed a battery of questionnaires designed to assess familial adaptation to pubertal growth and identity exploration. The results reveal that the affective quality of parent-adolescent relationships and the pubertal status of the adolescent appear to influence the adolescent's exploration of ego identity. The need to establish the functional significance of familial adaptation to adolescent pubertal growth for identity development is discussed.     

Affirming patterns of adolescent sexual identity: the challenge

Issues concerning sexual identity are not uncommon in therapy with adolescents, although they may manifest in a variety of ways. For young people who have experienced same-gender attractions or sexual experiences there is the question of how to absorb these experiences within the construction of a coherent sexual identity. In many cases the family context plays an important role in sexual identity formation and acceptance. Therapists too may play an important role in terms of two key aspects of sexual identity formation: self-definition and disclosure. Family therapists in particular occupy a unique position with respect to the adolescent and his or her family, opening up not only potential opportunities but also potential risks in practice. Practice issues are identified and explored in this paper.     

Maturity is coherent: Structural and content-specific coherence in adolescent moral identity

Identity narrative may involve considerable variations in structural and content-specific coherence. These variations are potentially relevant to the development of moral commitment in adolescence. The present study analyzed coherence in moral identity narratives for a matched comparison sample of urban adolescents. Thirty nominated adolescent moral exemplars and 30 everyday comparators were given interview prompts designed to tap identity narrative. Structural and content-specific coherence dimensions were assessed with a palette of computational techniques known as coh-metrix. Consistent with study hypotheses, exemplar adolescent moral identity narratives generally evinced greater structural and content-specific coherence than everyday comparators, particularly on causality and agentic intentionality dimensions. Findings suggest that moral identity coherence is a kind of expertise fixed in developmental processes and associated with real-world action.