Identity Formation, Youth, and Development: A Simplified Approach

✍ Scribed by James E. Cote, Charles Levine

• Publisher: Psychology Press / Routledge
• Year: 2015
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 217
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The concept of identity is one of the most important ideas the social sciences have investigated in recent years, yet no introductory textbooks are available to those who want to gain a sense of this burgeoning field. The first of its kind, this text provides an introduction to the scientific study of identity formation, with a focus on youth development. The analyses of the problems and prospects faced by contemporary young people in forming identities are placed in the context of societies that themselves are in transition, further complicating identity formation and the interrelated processes of self development and moral-ethical reasoning.

In order to sort through what is now a vast literature on the various aspects of human identity, this book introduces the Simplified Identity Formation Theory. This theory cuts through much of the academic jargon that limits the accessibility of this promising field, and builds an understanding of human identity from first principles.

This book is optimized for students and instructors, featuring several useful pedagogical tools and a robust series of online resources:

Primer format: the text synthesizes the vast and disparate literature that has characterized the field of Identity Studies, with a focus on identity formation during the transition to adulthood; theory and research is discussed in plain, non-technical language, using the author’s new Simplified Identity Formation Theory.

In-text pedagogy: to enhance student engagement, box insert and in-text examples from current events, popular culture, and social media are incorporated throughout the text; key terms are in bold in each chapter and combined in a glossary at the end of the text.

Online resources for instructors: A robust set of resources that, when combined with the text, provides a complete blueprint for designing an identity course; resources include PowerPoint Presentations, test bank, sample syllabi, and instructor manuals for both face-to-face and online courses that include weekly written assignment questions and discussion-forum questions along with essay topic ideas and grading rubrics.

Online resources for students: a student manual, flashcards, practice quizzes, and exercises with video links.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Title
Copyright
BRIEF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
PART I Philosophical and Conceptual Roots of the Identity Question
1 From Ageless Questions to Current Theories
Ageless Questions
The Self and Its Development
Identity and Its Formation
Differential Dimensions of Identity and Self-Development
Conclusion: A Hindu Folktale
2 Culture and History: How Current Experiences Differ From the Past
Socio-Historical Variations in Identity Formation
Social Identities
Personal Identities
Ego Identity
Individualized Societies and Identity Problems
Developmental Problems
Characterological Patterns
Trauma/Stress-Based Pathologies
Conclusion: Identity Formation and Its Discontents
3 A Social Psychology of Identities and Their Formation
The Triadic Model of Identity Formation
Identity Processes: Forming and Maintaining Self-Definitions
Conclusion: Cars, Engines, and Traffic Congestion
PART II Late Modernity: Contextual Adaptations to Individualization Processes
4 Moral Reasoning: A Relational Basis of Individualized Identities
The Cognitive-Development Approach
The Developmental Bases of Moral Reasoning
Empathy and Perspective-Taking Capacities
Stages of Moral Reasoning
The Developmental Contextualism of Moral Reasoning
Synthesizing the Self/Identity and Moral Reasoning Literatures
The Eriksonian Approach: The Developmental Basis of Ethical Identities
Conclusion: Ethical Identities
5 Proactivity: Agency in Identity Formation
Objections to the Concept of Structure
The Importance of Locating Agency in Structure
Objections to the Concept of Agency
Political Objections
Feminist Objections
Objections Based on Cross-Cultural Research
Conclusion: Agentic Identities
6 Identity Capital: Strategic Adaptions to Late-Modern Societies
Origins of the Identity Capital Model
Fundamental Assumptions of the Identity Capital Model
Identity Capital Resources
The Late-Modern Identity Capital Workplace Portfolio
Conclusion: The Ripple Effects of Strategic Identities
PART III The Transition to Adulthood: Developmental Contextualism Applied to Late Modernity
7 Current Scientific Approaches to Self-Development and Identity Formation
Some Typical Identity Formation Strategies in Late Modernity
Developmental Trajectories
Self and Identity
The Development of Self-Concepts in Childhood and Adolescence
The Transformation of Self-Concepts Into Identities in Adolescence and Early Adulthood
The Synthesis of Identities in Adolescence and Early Adulthood
Conclusion: The Developmental Benefits of Proactivity
8 Contexts of Identity Formation in Late-Modern Societies
Societal Influences Regarding Who People Are and How They Feel About Themselves
Ethnicity
Gender
Culture
Social Class
Special-Needs Youth
How Family and Friends Influence Who People Are and How They Feel About It
Family Settings
Peer Influences
How Identity Formation Is Influenced by Educational Experiences
Identity Capital and Mass Higher Education
Conclusions: Proactivity and Context
9 Identity Formation and the Potentials of Human Development
Factors Affecting Development
Self-Development
Identity Formation
Moral Reasoning Development
Intervention and Counseling Applications
Identity Capital Therapies
Moving Forward
A Methodological Model: Applied Developmental Science
Promising Theoretical Directions
Conclusion: Improving Outcomes for All
Glossary of SIFT Terminology
Endnotes
Index