Article
The relationships of personal and ethnic identity exploration to indices of adaptive and maladaptive psychosocial functioning
International Journal of Behavioral Development
(2009)
Abstract
Identity exploration has often been associated with maladaptive aspects of psychosocial functioning such as anxiety and depression. It is not known, however, whether maladaptive psychosocial functioning is related to both personal and ethnic identity exploration. In the present study, we examined the relationships of personal and ethnic identity exploration to adaptive (self-esteem, purpose in life, internal locus of control, and ego strength) and maladaptive (depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and tolerance for deviance) psychosocial functioning, as well the extent to which these relationships were mediated by identity confusion. A multi-ethnic sample of 905 White, Black, and Hispanic university students completed measures of personal and ethnic identity exploration, as well as of adaptive and maladaptive psychosocial functioning. Current personal identity exploration was negatively associated with adaptive psychosocial functioning and was positively associated with anxiety, depression, and impulsivity. An opposite pattern of relationships emerged for past personal identity exploration. All these relationships were mediated by identity confusion — positively for current exploration and negatively for past exploration. Ethnic identity exploration was not directly associated with psychosocial functioning and evidenced only a weak association through identity confusion. These findings were consistent across gender and across the three ethnic groups studied. Implications for identity theory, research, and intervention are discussed.
Keywords
- distress,
- ethnic identity,
- ethnicity,
- identity confusion,
- identity exploration,
- personal identity,
- well-being
Disciplines
Publication Date
2009
DOI
10.1177/0165025408098018
Citation Information
Seth J. Schwartz, Byron L. Zamboanga, Robert S. Weisskirch and Liliana Rodriguez. "The relationships of personal and ethnic identity exploration to indices of adaptive and maladaptive psychosocial functioning" International Journal of Behavioral Development Vol. 33 Iss. 2 (2009) p. 131 - 144 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/rob-weisskirch/33/