The current study focused on three aspects of identity development relevant to the adolescent years: being an authentic person, perceiving control over and consistency in one's environment, and having consistent expectations from close others. In a two-wave study of adolescents (n = 750), we examined how these aspects change over the course of a…

This article reports on a study that examined the subset of qualitative cases in the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education where students experienced substantial self-authorship shifts over the first three college years (N = 30 students, 90 narratives). Engagement in experiences and roles demanding more sophisticated, internal meaning…

The study is an attempt to extend the construct validity of identity statuses (identity achievement, moratorium, foreclosure, and identity diffusion) to a controlled interpersonal situation. (DB)

Study conducted with college-age women to determine the relationship between absence of father in childhood and adult self-concept and interpersonal relationships with men. Results suggest that father absence is not a factor differentially associated with the self-concept of women except in evaluation of self in social situations. (Author/JLF)

We conceptualize personality and individual variation from the perspective of dynamical systems. People's thoughts, feelings, and predispositions for action are inherently dynamic, displaying constant change due to internal mechanisms and external forces, but over time the flow of thought and action converges on a narrow range of states--a…

The authors offer a new, integrative conceptualization of the relational self based on a synthesis of recent approaches to the self and significant others. This conceptualization provides a sharper and fuller definition of the relational self than does any existing approach alone and a common framework to interpret findings from separate…

Examined the marriage relationship in relation to the personality of the partners and the context within which the relationship exists. Results indicated that both the amount of love expressed and the amount of marriage problems declined from the first stages of marriage to the last. (Author/RC)

Phenomenological and psychodynamic differences between girls who score at the high and low extremes of the Psychosocial Maturity Inventory are explored. Ability to tolerate anxiety and the developmental use of interpersonal relationships are discussed as central to identity formation among these girls. (Author/MV)

Describes the impact of a one month Interim college course at Kendall College, Evanston, Illinois designed to promote development in the area of feminine ego identity. (RJ)

Discusses three alternative life styles to monogamous marriage: swinging, open marriage, and group marriage. Includes brief reviews of both the critique of monogamous marriage as not fulfilling intimacy needs, and research on individuals in alternative life styles as displaying potentially normal behavior. (Author)

Provides empirical evidence supporting Erikson's postulation of two ego identity status groups (identity achievement and identity diffusion). Shows that persons high in ego identity development demonstrate higher levels of intrapersonal and interpersonal psychological adjustment than persons low in ego identity. (RL)

Male and female college students were assessed on measures of ego identity development, intimacy development, and sex role orientation. For both males and females, identity was related to masculinity; also, there were more high-intimacy females than males. This low identity-high intimacy finding in women is discussed with respect to proposed…

Argues for a view of adolescence as deriving from the nature of the interaction of adolescent thought and action in a social setting. Suggests the necessity for rethinking current definitions of adult as well as adolescent development and calls for a change in ways both groups are educated. (RC)

Based on intense observations of one child's development from 1 to 3 years of age, this book describes how children acquire the knowledge they need to become persons. The book has 13 chapters, divided chronologically. Topics covered include: (1) personhood and social identity, and methodological issues; (2) 15-16 months, doing a lot with a little,…