Antecedents of the Male Adolescent Identity Crisis: Age, Grade, and Physical Development

Erikson (1950) contends that the physical changes associated with puberty serve as a catalyst for adolescents to question childhood identifications and to consolidate these with current self-conceptions, personal ideologies, interpersonal values, and future aspirations. Erikson describes the adolesc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Youth & society 2014-07, Vol.46 (4), p.443-459
Main Authors: Jones, Randall M., Dick, Andrew J., Coyl-Shepherd, Diana D., Ogletree, Mark
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent Development
Adolescents
Age Differences
Childhood
Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status
Grade 6
High School Students
Identification (Psychology)
Identity
Ideologies
Instructional Program Divisions
Males
Masculinity
Middle School Students
Perceptions
Physical Development
Puberty
Questionnaires
Self Actualization
Self Concept
Self esteem
Sexual Identity
Sexuality
Social Integration
Surveys
Teenagers
Values
Whites
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Summary:Erikson (1950) contends that the physical changes associated with puberty serve as a catalyst for adolescents to question childhood identifications and to consolidate these with current self-conceptions, personal ideologies, interpersonal values, and future aspirations. Erikson describes the adolescent identity crisis as the developmental period when identity development becomes salient. For males, pubertal changes have implications for sexual identity development and self-perceptions of masculinity, which are aspects of the identity exploration and integration process that occurs during adolescence. This study is an examination of the impact of age, grade, and physical development on male identity development. A purposive sample of 173 Anglo-American male participants in Grades 6 through 12 completed the Petersen Development Scale and The Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (EOM-EIS) in their homes. Statistical analyses revealed that physical development shared more variability (20% explained) with the identity measure than either age (8.3%) or grade (4.2%). Advanced physical development correlates with lower Foreclosure scores and higher Moratorium and Achievement scores. These findings are consistent with Erikson’s life span theory of psychosocial development.
ISSN:0044-118X
1552-8499
DOI:10.1177/0044118X12438904