Identity And Intimacy In Adolescence

Identity and Intimacy in Adolescence: What Happens First?
Although Eric Erickson’s theory of development suggests that an adolescent must develop an identity before he or she can be intimate with others, the truth may be a bit more complex. The level of intimacy adolescents experience in relationships and how their capacity to be intimate develops could be a result of various factors, including the adolescent’s gender, identity style, and the duration and quality of relationships.
For instance, studies have suggested that female and male adolescents develop intimacy and identity in different ways. Arlene Confalone, a private clinician with a PhD from Temple University, and Judith Gay, who received a PhD in experimental psychology from
Pittman, Hans Saint-Eloi Cadely, Felicia J. Tuggle, Marinda K. Harrell-Levy, and Francesca M. Adler-Baeder of Auburn University conducted a study on high school students assessing their identity style and their comfort level in romantic relationships. The identity styles they assessed were: normative style, when the adolescent seeks guidance from respected others; informational style, when the teen welcomes new possibilities and information; the diffuse style, when the teen shows apathy towards developing identity and absorbs the identities of those around them; and the avoidant style, when the teen avoids engaging in identity exploration. Their results suggest that among adolescents currently in dating relationships, the informational style of identity development was negatively associated with attachment avoidance. This suggests that adolescents who actively pursue information to make decisions about their identity are more capable of feeling comfortable in a relationship. This correlation is especially stronger compared to adolescents who have never dated. Similarly, having a more normative approach is associated with less relationship avoidance. However, adolescents involved in avoidance or anxiety toward romantic relationships tended to have a diffuse or avoidant style in the identity processes. This may suggest that the anxiety an adolescent feels toward identity development could also be reflected in their romantic relationships, or
They identified five ways emerging adults respond to each other. The first way a friend group can respond is by relating to the story to a similar experience. This can be by either recalling past events or a problem the supportive friend is currently experiencing. This approach can have two implications for developing mastery of romantic relational issues. This first is that by recalling a related past story, the troubled friend gains assurance that his or her current problem is not unique, thus reaffirming his or her identity. In the event that the friends are currently dealing with same problem; it opens an opportunity to resolve the problem as a team. The second approach is by validating and encouraging the troubled friend. This is when a friend responds by siding with the dilemmatic friend and encourages the perpetuation of his or her perspective. According to Morgan and Korobov, this approach encourages the friend to act in a manner “congruent with [his or her] established identities” (Morgan, 2012). The third approach is through humor. The purpose is often to encourage the friend to change his or her behavior in a playful way. However, in practice Morgan and Korobov warn that it could encourage the friend to continue the behavior even if it conflicts with the person’s perceived self. The