One of the major developmental tasks of adolescence is establishing a unified self-concept, or identity. Four identity statuses (conceptualized by J. E. Marcia as identity achievement, foreclosure, identity diffused and moratorium) are related to (1) the presence or absence of crisis, and (2) a resulting commitment to goals. To examine the relationship between parental identification, traditionality, and identity status in females, 55 college women participated in identity status interviews and completed the Index of Sex Role Questionnaire and the Parental Identification Protocol. An analysis of the results showed that foreclosure subjects ranked highest on both measures of traditionality, while identity achieved women ranked last. Women in moratorium ranked highest in mother identification, followed by identity achieved, foreclosure, and identity diffusion subjects. There was no relationship between mother identification and traditionality, suggesting that these are separate and distinct concepts. Finally, there was a significant relationship between identity achieved and foreclosure subjects' perceptions of their traditionality, suggesting that identity formation through achievment or foreclosure sharpens self-perceptions. The findings suggest that women who have passed through crises become nontraditional in their orientation to work and family, in contrast to women who have accepted a parental or societally-chosen identity who adopt a traditional orientation. (BL)