Adolescents’ Identity Formation: Linking the Narrative and the Dual-Cycle Approach

Abstract

The narrative and dual-cycle approach conceptualize and operationalize adolescents’ identity formation in different ways. While the narrative approach focuses on the construction of an autobiographical life story, the dual-cycle approach focuses on the formation of identity commitments. Although these approaches have different emphases, they are conceptually complementary. Yet, their empirical links and distinctions have only scarcely been investigated. Empirical knowledge on these links in adolescence and across time has been especially lacking. In the present research, it was therefore examined whether key characteristics of adolescents’ narration (autobiographical reasoning and agency) were concurrently and prospectively related to engagement in the dual-cycle processes of commitment making, identification with commitment, exploration in breadth, exploration in depth, and ruminative exploration. The findings from a cross-sectional sample of 1,580 Dutch adolescents (Mage = 14.7 years, 56% female) demonstrated that autobiographical reasoning was significantly positively associated with the commitment and more adaptive exploration processes (i.e., in breadth and in depth). In addition, agency was significantly positively associated with the commitment processes and exploration in depth. Yet, these associations between the narrative characteristics and dual-cycle processes were only weak. Subsequently, the findings from a two-year longitudinal subsample (n = 242, Mage = 14.7 years, 62% female) indicated that on average commitment strength remained stable but exploration increased across middle adolescence. A stronger increase in identification with commitment and adaptive exploration (i.e., in breadth and in depth) was predicted by a higher degree of agency in adolescents’ narratives. Overall, these findings indicate that both approaches to identity formation are associated, but the small size of these associations suggests that they predominantly capture unique aspects of identity formation. Both approaches could thus complement and inform each other.

The Importance of Mental Functions and Autobiographical Memory in the Development of Identity and Life Story in Adolescence: Their Role in Preventing Identity Diffusion, Aggressiveness And Depression Among Adolescents

“…The construction of personal identity is captured in quite distinct ways by different developmental theories and methodologies, including the Narrative Approach 10 .…”

Exercício Físico E Ansiedade No Adolescente

“…Além das mudanças emocionais, durante a adolescência ocorre grande parte do processo de encontrar um senso de identidade pessoal e uma identidade social. o desenvolvimento de uma identidade sólida e positiva está associado a melhores resultados em diversos aspectos da vida, como autoestima, satisfação com a vida, bemestar psicológico e desempenho acadêmico, no entanto, a formação de identidade na adolescência é um processo complexo e desafiador, que pode ser influenciado por fatores como gênero, etnia, orientação sexual, classe social e contexto cultural ( VAN DOESELAAR et al, 2020).…”

Testing Exploratory Narrative Processing as a Mechanism of Change in Identity Status Processes over Four Years in College-Going Emerging Adults

“…Thus, there is little explanation for what individuals might be doing, or the activity of exploring and committing, or the potential mechanisms of these developments over time. This may be, in part, because even many of the existing longitudinal studies are not well-equipped to identify mechanisms of change due to limited time spans of study (e.g., three waves over one year, Negru-Subtirica et al, 2016), few time points of assessment (e.g., three waves over three years, van Doeselaar et al, 2020), and/or inappropriate measurements and operationalizations of identity processes based on the frequency of those measurements (e.g., attempting to measure micro-level changes of identity using macro-level measurements on a dayto-day basis, Klimstra et al, 2010b; see also Klimstra & Schwartz, 2021). In short, such designs are ill-equipped to understand mechanisms that explain the unfolding of exploration and commitment over the lengthier time frame in which identity is actually developing.…”

“…Given the modesty and inconsistency of past research on relations between narrative and identity status models (e.g., McLean & Pratt, 2006;van Doeselaar et al, 2020), we had no specific hypotheses for how the two would be related. We also included measures of socio-economic status (SES), gender, and conscientiousness because we know from prior analyses with this dataset that they are associated with missingness (Lilgendahl & McLean, 2020).…”