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The Role of Domain Content in Understanding Identity Development Processes
Author(s) -
McLean Kate C.,
Syed Moin,
Yoder Alisha,
Greenhoot Andrea F.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/jora.12169
Subject(s) - narrative , psychology , content (measure theory) , identity (music) , narrative identity , interpersonal communication , social psychology , identity formation , ideology , domain (mathematical analysis) , narrative inquiry , existentialism , developmental psychology , self concept , epistemology , aesthetics , literature , political science , mathematics , art , philosophy , mathematical analysis , politics , law
The current studies examined the importance of domain content in the processes of identity development using two approaches—narrative and status. We examined personal narratives for identity domain content, the co‐occurrence of different contents, and the relations between content and processes, using two approaches to identity—status and narrative. Across two studies, 762 participants (average age = 19 years) and 2214 narratives, traditional ideological and interpersonal status domains were present, but so was a novel domain: existential concerns. Narrative identity processes were more frequent in narratives with multiple contents, and relations between identity statuses processes and narrative processes were modest. We discuss theoretical implications, the importance of examining content, and the utility of narrative approaches for doing so.