Ad Chp 6

Postmodern identity

A conception of identity as complex as highly variable across contexts and across time

Barometric self esteem

A fluctuating sense of worth and well being people have as they respond to different thoughts, experiences and interactions in the course of a day

Self esteem

A person's overall sense of worth and well being

Possible selves

A persons conception of the self as it potentially may be. May include both an ideal self and a feared self

Actual Self

A persons perception of the self as it is, contrasted with the possible self

Baseline self esteem

A persons stable, enduring sense of worth and wellbeing

6.9 Explain how identity issues develop in adolescence, according to Erikson's theory, and how and why identity development might go off track.

According to Erik Erikson, the key crisis in adolescent development is identity versus identity confusion, and the three principal areas of identity formation are love, work, and ideology. Identity development occurs as adolescents assess their traits, abilities, and interests, and how these match up with the possibilities available to them in their culture. Then they explore possibilities in love, work, and ideology to decide which paths to follow. Identity confusion may develop if adolescents are unable to choose among the possibilities available to them.

6.12 Describe Phinney's model of ethnic identity in adolescence.

Adolescents who are members of ethnic minorities face the challenge of developing an ethnic identity in addition to an identity in the areas of love, work, and ideology. Four possible alternatives of ethnic identity formation are assimilation, marginality, separation, and biculturalism.

Identity status model

An approach to conceptualizing and researching identity development that classifies people into one of four identity categories: foreclosure, diffusion, moratorium or achievement

Identity Foreclosure

An identity status in which young people have not experimented with a range of possibilities but have nevertheless committed themselves to certain choices-Commitment but no exploration

Identity diffusion

An identity status that combines no exploration with no commitment. No commitments have been made among the available paths of identity formation, and the person is not seriously attempting to sort through potential choices and make enduring commitments

Identity Moratorium

An identity status that involves exploration but no commitment, in which young people are trying out different personal, occupational and ideological possibility

Hybrid identity

An identity that integrates elements of various cultures

6.7 Evaluate the claim that girls lose their "voice" in adolescence.

Carol Gilligan has argued that gender differences exist in emotional self-development during adolescence, as girls "lose their voice" in the course of conforming to cultural pressures for the female role, rather than asserting their authentic selves. However, research has provided limited support for this claim.

Emotional loneliness

Condition that occurs when people feel that the relationships they have lack sufficient closeness and intimacy

Social loneliness

Condition that occurs when people feel that they lack a sufficient number of social contacts and relationships

6.1 Summarize the differences among cultures in conceptions of the self.

Cultures differ greatly in their views of the self, with some promoting an independent self that is high in self-esteem and others promoting an interdependent self that is defined by relations with others.

Negative identity

Erikson's term for an identity based on what a person has seen portrayed as most undesirable or dangerous

Intimacy versus isolation

Erikson's term for the crisis typical of the adolescent stage of life, in which individuals may follow the healthy path of establishing a clear and definite sense of who they are and how they fit into the world around them or follow the unhealthy alternative of failing to form a stable and secure identity

Identity versus identity confusion

Erikson's term for the crisis typical of the adolescent stage of life, in which individuals may follow the healthy path of establishing a clear and definite sense of who they are and how they fit into the world around them, or follow the unhealthy alternative of failing to form a stable and secure identity

Identity crisis

Erikson's term for the intense period of struggle that adolescents may experience in the course of forming an identity

Psychosocial moratorium

Eriksons term for a period during adolescence when adult responsibilities are postponed as young people try on various possible selves

6.13 Explain how globalization is influencing identity development in adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Globalization is leading to the development of more bicultural and hybrid identities that combine elements of the local culture with elements of the global culture, and it appears to be leading to greater identity confusion among young people in some traditional cultures.

Separation

In the formation of ethnic identity, the approach that involves associating only with members of one's own ethnic group and rejecting the ways of the majority culture

Marginality

In the formation of ethnic identity, the option that involves rejecting one's culture of origin but also feeling rejected by the majority culture

Identity

Individuals perceptions of their characteristics and abilities, their beliefs and values, their relations with others and how their lives fit into the world around them

6.11 Evaluate Erikson's theory from the perspective of postmodern theory, and note the theory's limitations concerning gender and culture.

Postmodern identity theory proposes that people have many different and sometimes contradictory aspects of themselves that they exhibit in different contexts, rather than one stable identity. It also asserts that changes in the self continue to occur throughout the life span rather than being concentrated in adolescence. The gender critique notes that Erikson's theory values the independent self most often associated with males over the relational self most often associated with females. The cultural critique of Erikson's theory is that it assumes a range of independent choices in love, work, and ideology, but in most cultures, individual's choices are shaped and constricted by cultural beliefs and by the influences of others.

6.3 Explain how and why self-esteem changes from preadolescence through adolescence, including ethnic variations.

Research indicates that self-esteem tends to decline in early adolescence and rise through late adolescence and emerging adulthood. Self-esteem does not decline among all adolescents but is more likely to decline for girls than for boys and more likely to decline among Whites than among African Americans. The most influential aspects of self-esteem in adolescence are physical appearance and peer acceptance.

6.2 Describe the different kinds of selves adolescents may have, and explain how this variation reflects adolescents' cognitive development.

Self-conceptions become more abstract in adolescence. This includes the development of the capacity to distinguish between an actual self and two types of possible selves, an ideal self and a feared self. Self-conceptions in adolescence also become more complex, with an increased awareness that different aspects of the self might be shown to different people and in different situations. This includes an awareness that one may show a false self to others at times.

6.5 Explain why self-esteem is relatively high for some adolescents and relatively low for others.

Self-esteem is influenced mainly by feeling accepted (or not) by others, especially parents and peers. Succeeding in school also promotes self-esteem.

6.8 Summarize adolescents' emotional states during times they are alone.

The ESM studies find that adolescents are alone about one fourth of the time. Although their moods tend to be low during these hours, they often use these times for reflection and regeneration. Emotional loneliness tends to be high among college freshmen.

6.6 Summarize the evidence for emotional volatility in adolescence.

The ESM studies show that adolescents tend to experience more extremes of emotions, especially negative ones such as feeling embarrassed or awkward, compared with preadolescents or adults.

6.4 List Harter's eight domains of self-concept, and identify which of them has the most influence on global self-esteem in adolescence.

The eight domains of self-concept are scholastic competence, social acceptance, athletic competence, physical appearance, job competence, romantic appeal, behavioral competence, and close friendship. Physical appearance has the most influence on adolescents' global self-esteem.

Biculturalism

The formation of ethnic identity, the approach that involves developing a dual identity, one based in the ethnic group of origin and one based in the majority culture

6.10 Connect Erikson's theory of identity development to the identity status model on which most research is based.

The identity status model has guided most research in this area by classifying adolescents into one of four statuses: foreclosure, diffusion, moratorium, and achievement. Research using the identity status model has shown that achievement and moratorium are related to positive aspects of development, whereas diffusion is mostly negative. It also shows that most identity development takes place in emerging adulthood rather than adolescence.

Ideal self

The person an adolescent would like to be

Psychohistory

The psychological analysis of important historical figures

Feared self

The self a person imagines it is possible to become but dreads becoming

False self

The self a person may present to others while realizing that it does not represent what he or she is actually thinking or feeling

Identifications

relationships formed with others, especially in childhood, in which love for another person leads one to want to be like that person

Identity achievement

the identity status of young people who have made definite persona occupational and ideological choices following a period of exploring possible alternatives