Youth identity styles - presentation of research results

Abstract

According to EH Erikson (2004), identity formation is one of the most important tasks of adolescence. According to the latest research results, we know that identity is not a permanent, unchanging construct, but is shaped subject to various influences, especially cultural and socio-economic influences, and not only during adolescence, but also in subsequent stages of adulthood. The formation of identity is a process that produces a lot of challenges, limitations and conflicts, the experience of which can trigger different ways of dealing with them. These methods are called identity processing styles or identity processing orientations. The article presents the results of my research into understanding the identity styles of young people attending public upper secondary schools in Bydgoszcz (N=1.541). These styles were studied based on the socio-cognitive concept of Michael Berzonsky, according to which identity styles are understood as individual preferences when shaping personal identity, as well as the conflicts that arise during its shaping. M. Berzonsky (2005; 2011) uses the term identity style and identity orientation interchangeably, emphasising that he has in mind the organisation of identity processing strategy. His Identity Styles Model assumes differences in how young people deal with the task of shaping, maintaining and changing their identity, or how they avoid doing so. Within the model, three identity styles are distinguished: informative, normative and diffuse-avoidant, as well as the important factor known as commitment, which provides the individual with a sense of purpose and direction. In my research, these styles were measured based on the Polish adaptation of the ISI-5 Identity Style Inventory by A. Senejko and Z. Moose, the original version of which was developed by M. Berzonsky and his colleagues.