Possible selves typically are conceptualized as resources that facilitate identity development and that motivate and sustain self-change. The concept of possible selves, however, generally has not been extended to examining the aftermath of personal transformation. In this article I explore the self and social processes that operate during efforts…

Proposed and investigated model that examined direct relationships between athletic identity and college student development, moderating effects of gender and year in school on these relationships, and mediating effects of socialization factors for recreational athletes. Found significant relationship between athletic identity and Lifestyle…

The issue of Aboriginal identity is most often played out in Canadian law. Aboriginal "difference" from others is used to maintain inequities in power relations when it is convenient for those with power. Canada Natives should identify themselves from inside themselves, their communities, and their traditions, and not allow others to…

Results indicated that self perception in terms of ethnic identity increased with age, and that identity was strongest with the immediately surrounding group rather than with a national group. (CB)

In-depth interviews with Mexican-American and Euro-American bilingual teaching candidates examined differences in reference group orientation, affiliative identity, and rationale for becoming a bilingual teacher. Mexican Americans had a strong Mexican affiliative identity and seemed personally compelled to maintain the language and culture.…

Descriptive data from the first three years of a five year longitudinal study of immigrant adolescents are presented in this report. The 30 bilingual students studied represent 20 countries and 13 languages. Students were administered the Self-Description Blank which measures the ratio of success to failure on an Eriksonian task of identity versus…

Three studies evaluating the reliability and validity of the Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (OM-EIS) are reported. Two studies analyzed college students' results from the OM-EIS, the Extended Range Vocabulary Test, the Crowne-Marlowe Social Disability Scale and achievement records. Study 3 correlated high school seniors' OM-EIS scores…

This study documents the struggles and successes of three Mexican American teachers over a 40-year period in the Alice Independent School District, Texas. In order to focus on the construction of the subjects' identity as Mexican American teachers, the interviews were transcribed and categorized into themes: parental influence, school experiences,…

This paper is based on a year-long ethnographic study of successful Hispanic high school students. Twenty Hispanic high school seniors, 10 male and 10 female, were repeatedly observed and interviewed in school, home, and other settings. In this article the ways in which these students constructed their social identities is carefully examined.…

Assessed identification with same-sex parent and decision-making style for late adolescents classified by Marcia's (1964) criteria as identity achieved, foreclosed, moratorium, or diffused. Foreclosed subjects were more impulsive, male moratorium subjects more reflective, female moratoriums more impulsive, and diffuseds more reflective, than…

A total of 211 male and 353 female gifted high school juniors completed the Vocational Identity Scale of Holland et al.'s My Vocational Situation (MVS) and the Self-Directed Search. Results suggested that vocational identity was not related to consistency or differentiation, either because the MVS may be inaccurate or the gifted population may be…

Explores feelings and referents contained in cultural-identity definitions of student teachers at the University of Montreal. Reveals that developing a sense of belonging to a cultural identity requires that individuals experience opportunities to identify with the cultural group. Notes importance of this research for teacher education in…

This study is a replication and extension of the work of Forbes and Ashton (1998). Seventy-seven African American high school students completed the revised version of the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status. Most of the students were found to be in uncommitted identity statuses. Similar results were found in both ideological and…

Investigates undergraduate students' judgments regarding the degree to which relationships with celebrity idols influenced their sense of identity and feelings of self-worth. Discusses the characteristics of the sample of idols participants reported as well as descriptive data concerning the degree to which participants perceived these idols as…

Many adult literacy programs invite their clients to become authors by articulating their life experiences, ideas, and opinions in writing that is published. Theoretical perspectives from feminist poststructuralism were used to determine what happened when clients were positioned as authors in light of their identities other than authors. The…