College student's identity development and its relationship to gender, gender role, and family interaction style

Jeong-Ran Kim, Purdue University

Abstract

Although some researchers have proposed a link between family environment and identity status (Grotevant & Cooper, 1981; Sabatelli & Mazor, 1985) and a positive relationship between identity status and future time perspective (Erikson, 1968), few studies have examined the relationships between family cohesion and identity development and between identity status and perception about future. Also, both gender and gender roles are thought to be related to family relationship and identity development (Gilligan, 1982; Mellor, 1989; Orlofsky, 1977). However, research findings on these relationships have been rather contradictory (Archer & Waterman, 1988). Therefore, the present study was designed to clarify the relationships among identity development, future orientation, family cohesion, gender, and gender roles during late adolescence. The sample consisted of 662 female and male college students, ranging in age from 18 to 41 years. They were asked to complete the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (Adams, Bennion, & Huh, 1987), the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales III (Olson, Portner, & Levee, 1985), the Bem Sex Role Inventory (Bem, 1981), and questions regarding their future. It was found that identity achieved students were more likely to foresee their future as certain and optimistic, and have an androgynous gender role attitude. On the other hand, identity diffused subjects were not sure about their future, indicated undifferentiated gender role attitude, and perceived their family as more emotionally unavailable. Finally, foreclosed students were more likely to consider their family as close and functional. Related to gender, females considered their family as more cohesive than males. Although males and females were similar in overall identity status, there were gender differences in ideological and interpersonal identity statuses. In terms of ideological identity, more females were in the status of moratorium, while more males were in the status of foreclosure or diffusion On the other hand, more females were either in the status of identity achievement or moratorium, and more males were in foreclosure or identity diffusion in the area of interpersonal identity. Concerning Bem's gender role, it was significantly related to overall identity status, and identity achieved students were more frequently androgynous. While it was not an important factor in ideological identity status, however, interpersonal identity achieved students were more frequently androgynous or feminine as expected.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Schulenberg, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Developmental psychology|Psychology|Personality

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