Moratorium Matters: Creating a Fertile Environment for Faith Formation

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-44
Author(s):  
Mark W. Cannister

When the faith formation of adolescents is a priority in youth ministries we value the disequilibrium in their lives as formation necessitates questioning, exploring, and wrestling with contradictions. This article explores the intersections of identity development and faith formation while seeking to understand the importance of providing adolescents with space to wrestle with their faith in the midst of a caring faith community. Attention is given to Marcia’s theory of identity formation in light of Smith’s research on the religious lives of adolescents and emerging adults. Special consideration is given to developing healthy environments that fosters adolescent faith formation.

2020 ◽  
pp. 216769682094659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua G. Parmenter ◽  
Renee V. Galliher ◽  
Ashley C. Yaugher ◽  
Adam D. A. Maughan

Although modern comprehensive conceptual models of sexual identity development acknowledge contextual factors, existing models have placed less emphasis on (a) the influence of multiple domains of identity on sexual identity formation and (b) centrality and negotiation of various domains of identity. The present study sought to explore processes, identity conflicts, and management of sexual identity relative to other identity domains among sexual minority emerging adults in the United States. Fourteen sexual minority emerging adults (20–25 years) with a diverse array of identities participated in semistructured individual interviews, and five participants engaged in two follow-up focus groups. Findings supported two broad categories with subthemes: identity conflict (unaffirming and oppressive contexts, lack of resources to explore identity) and identity coherence (resources used to manage and facilitate identity coherence; acceptance, affirmation, and harmony; and centrality and salience of sexual identity within identity configurations). Findings have implications for the study of sexual identity development within the context of other domains of identity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 422-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nino Skhirtladze ◽  
Nino Javakhishvili ◽  
Seth J. Schwartz ◽  
Koen Luyckx

In this study, we examine personal identity formation using two approaches: a dual-cycle model of identity development and a narrative life-story model. We used quantitative and qualitative methods for studying personal identity: Luyckx et al.’s Dimensions of Identity Development Scale and D. P. McAdams’ life-story interview. Using six cases selected from a sample of 62 Georgian emerging adults, we illustrate how identity profiles created using six identity dimensions (exploration in breadth, commitment-making, identification with commitment, reflective exploration in depth, reconsideration of commitment, and ruminative exploration) are reflected in life stories depicting participants’ paths toward identity commitments and their ideas about the future and life themes. This article demonstrates how identity dimensions are connected to the context and how this connection is manifested in their life stories. The research illustrates theoretical exemplification by case studies and exemplifies the manifestation of dual-cycle identity development theorizing in case examples through narratives.


2021 ◽  
pp. 216769682110161
Author(s):  
Rimantas Vosylis ◽  
Angela Sorgente ◽  
Margherita Lanz

Financial identity formed during emerging adulthood is important for the regulation of youth financial behaviors, decisions, and long-term financial goals. This three-wave short-term longitudinal study investigates how youth develop a distinct manner of approaching and managing personal finances and reveals the structure and dynamics of financial identity development during emerging adulthood. Using the cross-lagged panel model analysis, it also investigates longitudinal reciprocal associations between financial identity processes, financial behaviors, and financial well-being of emerging adults. The sample consists of 533 Lithuanian higher education students (56.8% women; M age = 18.93, SD age = 0.71) who took part in three assessment waves. The findings support the use of the three-factor model of financial identity formation and show that financial identity formation is shaped by emerging adults’ financial situation and contribute to the formation of financial behaviors and financial well-being. Practical implications of study results are also discussed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 64-86
Author(s):  
Angela Watson ◽  
Emily Goodwin ◽  
Claire Michael

Spiritual maturity greatly impacts psychosocial development (Bravo, Pearson, & Stevens, 2016; Dreyer & Dreyer, 2012; Power & McKinney, 2014). Much of the identity formation process occurs during adolescence and early adulthood (Good & Willoughby, 2014; Hardy et al., 2011). The current study sampled students from a private Christian university to examine the relationship between religious ego identity status and subjective well-being. Positive relationships were found between religious ego identity and subjective well-being. Discussion includes the unique developmental needs of emerging adults to help Christian universities better facilitate their students’ growth and education.


2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 1798-1807
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Rękosiewicz

Abstract The objective of the study was to diagnose changes in the identity of individuals with mild intellectual disability (ID) in late adolescence and emerging adulthood, comparing them to their non-disabled peers. The dual-cycle model of identity formation of Luyckx et al. was employed (Developmental Psychology, 42, 366–380, 2006). The study included 127 participants living in Poland. Three waves were performed at half-year intervals. The Dimensions of Identity Development Scale in its modified version for people with ID was used (DIDS/PL-1; Rękosiewicz Studia Psychologiczne, 53, 19–31, 2015). People from the four study groups (A - late adolescents with ID, B - emerging adults with ID, C - late adolescents within the intellectual norm, D - emerging adults within the intellectual norm) in the main did not differ from one another in respect of the dimensions of identity formation. Over time, there was an increase in commitment making and identification with commitment, but only among adolescents with ID. None of the groups demonstrated significant changes in exploration in breadth, in depth, nor in ruminative exploration. It was successfully demonstrated that people with mild ID are not distinct on all dimensions of identity formation when compared to their peers within the intellectual norm. Minor changes in identity may indicate a longer period of identity formation, or dynamic changes coming earlier – during early adolescence or later – in early adulthood.


2021 ◽  
pp. 216769682110155
Author(s):  
Kate C. McLean ◽  
Isabella M. Koepf ◽  
Jennifer P. Lilgendahl

The present study employed a narrative identity analysis to the examination of identity development in relation to major choice for college-going emerging adults. We focused on underrepresented minorities (URMs) who expressed an interest in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) majors. In a qualitative, longitudinal, case-based study of URMs at two different campuses ( n = 26), we followed their development through college over 4 years, engaging in a comprehensive analysis of their experiences, including individual differences in pathways of identity formation. Results revealed five trajectories of development that focused on the degree of certainty in major and career choice, and general psychological functioning and identity integration. Implications include the need to examine a diversity of experiences to understand the “whole person,” which includes attending to motivations and psychological well-being, along with experiences in the classroom.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-367
Author(s):  
Stephanie Fong Gomez ◽  
Cassondra Marshall ◽  
Regina Jackson ◽  
Amani Allen

Identity is the key psychological task of adolescence, with lifelong implications on health and behavior. A holistic understanding of content and process of identity development among male adolescents and emerging adults of color may lead to more effective interventions to improve health outcomes. Men aged 18 to 24 years were recruited from a nonprofit serving predominantly low-income Black and Latino youth in Oakland, CA. This exploratory, multimethod study utilized self-portraiture, interviews, and a focus group. Procedures were approved by the University of California (UC), Berkeley Committee for Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS). Phenomenology and grounded theory principles facilitated a rich understanding of the lived experiences and meanings participants attributed to their identities. Participants used positively valenced language to describe multifaceted, intersectional identities. Despite identifying with stigmatized groups, participants were proud to be male, Black or Latino, and from Oakland. Cognitive processes and adaptive behaviors mediated the impact of environmental factors—including discrimination, family members, peers, and place—on identity development. Practitioners will benefit from recognizing the complex identities of boys and young men of color. Further research should explore the intersectional nature of identity, cumulative health effects of developing and maintaining positive identities despite pervasive discrimination, and role of positive youth development programming in positive identity formation.


Author(s):  
Σπυρίδων Τάνταρος ◽  
Φωτεινή Σπαντιδάκη-Κυριαζή ◽  
Ευστάθιος Γράψας

The current research aims to investigate the relationship between identity formation processes and the manifestation of symptoms of general distress in emerging adults. For the purpose of the study, 237 university students from five Universities in Greece, aged from 18 to 25, completed the following questionnaires: Dimensions of Identity Development Scale (DIDS), Symptom Checklist 90 – Revised (SCL – 90 – R) and a demographics questionnaire. The results showed that ruminative exploration and identification with commitment can significantly predict the intensity of distress symptoms. As hypothesized, significant, positive correlations emerged between the identity commitment dimensions, as well as among the identity exploration dimensions. As expected, the identity commitment dimensions were negatively correlated with ruminative exploration. However, their correlation with in-depth exploration was found negative, whereas with in-breadth exploration was found insignificant. Significant differences were observed in the levels of commitment making and ruminative exploration in regard to participants’ type of accommodation, financial status and financial independence. Most scales showed overall good reliability, with the exception of in-depth exploration, the reliability of which was found questionable.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate C. McLean ◽  
Isabella Mayan Koepf ◽  
Jennifer Lilgendahl

The present study employed a narrative identity analysis to the examination of identity development in relation to major choice for college-going emerging adults. We focused on underrepresented minorities (URMs) who expressed an interest in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) majors. In a qualitative, longitudinal, case-based study of URMs at two different campuses (n = 26), we followed their development through college over four years, engaging in a comprehensive analysis of their experiences, including individual differences in pathways of identity formation. Results revealed five trajectories of development that focused on the degree of certainty in major and career choice, and general psychological functioning and identity integration. Implications include the need to examine a diversity of experiences to understand the ‘whole person,’ which includes attending to motivations and psychological well-being, along with experiences in the classroom.


Author(s):  
Perry N. Halkitis

The life experiences and sexual identity development of three generations of gay men, the Stonewall, AIDS, and Queer generations, are explored. While there are generational differences in the lived experiences of young gay men shaped by the sociopolitical contexts of the historical epoch in which they emerged into adulthood, and a crisis that has come to define each generation, there also are consistencies across generations and across time in the psychological process of coming out that defines identity formation of gay men, as these individuals transition from a period of sexual identity awareness to sexual identity integration. The life experiences are also shaped by conceptions of hypermasculinity, racism and discrimination, substance use, and adventurous sexuality. Despite the many challenges that have defined the lives of gay men across time and that are informed by the homophobia of American society, the vast majority of the population also has demonstrated resilience and fortitude in achieving both pride and dignity. These ideas are explored through the life narratives of fifteen diverse gay men, across the three generations.


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