Identity And Values During The Extended Adolescent Period

Edward J. Murray
KentStateUniversityAshtabula

Carol A. Puthoff -Murray
KentStateUniversityAshtabula

Meghan P. Murray
AlliantInternationalUniversity, San Diego

     The research concentrated on the issues of Identity and values, because the Erikson (1969) model has suggested that identity resulted from a commitment to values. The lack of commitment led to the absence of values and identity (Archer, 1989).
     These issues were graphically described by Marcia, (1966,1967,1976,1989, 1991, 1994). In the multiple articles, Marcia pinpointed the key areas for investigation and exploration. Beyond examining sexual identity, the individual was expected to explore questions and issues pertaining to job, career, and education. When the commitments were seriously focused on career and education, the individual during the extended adolescent period had the opportunity to explore religious and political ideologies. These commitments created a climate for community, national and global engagement. The individuals struggled with values and determined that these values had implications for all parts of the planet. Kroger (1999) supported this vision in that she understood that a self- identified person wrestled with ethical and moral values and was expected to formulated a personal sense of directionality.
     Kroger (1999) also concluded that these value processes were impossible without the higher order cognitive functioning of Formal Thought. These value judgments demanded abstract thinking and critical thinking. Without the logic of Formal Thought, a wholeness of identity was impossible and the person was left with a diffused identity. This research examined the question of identity in conjunction with issues pertaining to value judgments. The research question asked: did extended adolescents from various backgrounds reach the same identity level and value level? Specifically, the questions raised this issue: Did young offenders, young working class employees and young college students attain similar identities and values?
METHODOLOGY
     The primary voluntary sample was 50 young people between the ages of 18 and 28. These extended adolescents consisted of 45 males and 5 females, who were convicted offenders. Each offender was prosecuted through the Ashtabula or Conneaut Municipal Court system. The offender sample was matched for age and sex with a subject, who worked in the community and had not attended college and possessed no criminal record. These samples were matched for age and sex with a full time college student, who attended Kent Sate University. The total study included 150 young people. All subjects freely volunteered.
     An 108 item attitude questionnaire was developed to examine issues related to the identity process, job-career goals, community issues, spiritual values, political values, other directed behaviors, responsibility, role models, pop-cultural models and anger Each subject in the study had an university research student read the individual items. The subjects responded verbally and the response was recorded on a 7 point Likert Scale. The responses ranged from strongly agree to strongly disagree with neutral as a middle response. All subjects responded to each items. After the data were collected, negatively stated items were reverse scored.
     The items were analyzed with a SPSS software program. The items produced three significant factors and these factors had loadings on all but two items. Two factors accounted for 48 per cent of the variance. The sixteen items that did not load on factors 1 or 2 were analyzed and 14 of these items produced a third factor. This factor accounted for 15 percent of the total variance. The total variance for the three factors was 63 percent. One-way analysis of variance was performed on factors 1 & 2 to determine differences between the three groups.
RESULTS:
     The 108 items were analyzed with a rotated factor analysis. The items loaded significantly on three factors with the exception of two items. Each group was factor analyzed separately and a significant loading was determined by a .40 or above score for an item. There was one exception, when an item had a .39 and .38 respectively for the probation group and working class group with loadings on Factor I. In determining a particular factor, criteria was set up that required a significant loading from one of the three groups on a particular items. When an item loaded on a specific factor, the item was eliminated for consideration on the other factors. The data showed factor loadings for each group and a loading for the combined groups.
FACTOR I
     On Factor I, the combined groups showed significant loadings on 40 items. There were definitely five non-significant items with three other items approaching significance for the combined groups. Factor I had 48 items that loaded for one of the three groups at a significant level. On 39 items of Factor I, two or more groups had significant loadings.
     The items on Factor I received a content analysis to determine the variables that loaded on this factor. The various items clustered around the following themes: help for others, goals, career, family support, anger control, social and political concerns and positive role models. These themes suggested that Factor I related to issues pertaining to the identity process. The data for Factor I that focused on issues related to identity are reported in Table 1. Factor I was analyzed with an one-way ANOVA. The data indicated that the college group wrestled with these issues significantly more than either the probation group or the working class group. There were no significant differences between the probation group and the working class group. These data are reported in Table 2.
     The Newman-Keuls post hoc analysis supported the previous findings in that the College group was significantly different than the probation group or working class group in relationship to the identify process. There was no significant difference between the probation group and the working class group. The Newman-Keuls analysis showed a significance at an @ level of .01.
FACTOR II
     Factor II had 44 items and was determined by loadings at or above a .40 level for one of the three groups. On factor II, the combined groups loaded significantly on 8 items with ten other items approaching significant at a .30 level or above. On 22 items,2 or more groups loaded significantly on a specific item. These data showed considerably more variability than Factor I. Themes for Factor II included anger, anger expression and control, anger related to employment, impulse control, spiritual values, freedom and responsibility and pop culture role models. The content analysis suggested that Factor II focused on problems related to personal control and social values. These data are reported in Table 3.
     Factor II was analyzed with an one-way ANOVA. These data showed significant differences between the three groups. These data suggested that the college group reported more personal control and value concerns than the probation group or the working class group. These data are reported in Table IV
     The Newman-Kuels post hoc analysis indicated that the college group reported more personal control than the working class group. These data were significant at an @level of .02. The difference between the college group and the probation group was significant at an @level of .05.
 FACTOR III
     Sixteen items did not load on Factor I or II. These items were examined in relationship to factor III and the data showed that 14 items loaded significantly on this factor for one of the three groups. On factor III, five items had significant loadings for two groups and five items were significant for the combined groups.
     It was difficult to determine a common connection for these items, because the themes crossed multiple areas. The themes for these items centered on church, help for the needy, goals, education, emotions and motivation and anger. With the wide diversity of responses, these data were not analyzed for group differences. Factor III is not reported.                 
CONCLUSION:
     The findings from Factor 1 support Marcia's ( l966, l967, l976, l988, l991 and l994) areas of exploration in that the college students show a significant interest in goals, directionality other people, job and career and political problems. This college group wrestles significantly more than working class or probationary young people.
     The college students also show more personal control and more interest in related values than working lass or probationary young people. These data suggest that higher levels of education increase the capacity to inhibit aggressive behaviors and control anger.

TABLE  I      IDENTITY PROCESS   FACTOR 1

TABLE  2        FACTOR  I

                                          Probation                     Working Class                              College
                                            Group                             Group                                       Group 
         Mean                          219.20                                  215.10                                    247.18
    Standard Deviation            38.03                                   35.69                                      27.25

                                                          Factor I ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE
 
                                    Sum of                                            MEAN        
                                 SQUARES                     DF               SQUARE                  F              SIGN      
    Main Effect               30480.28                      2                 15240.14             13.21         .0001
   Residual                  169661.88                   147                  1154.16
   TOTAL                    200142.16                   149                  1343.24

          
TABLE 3         PERSONAL CONTROL AND VALUES  FACTOR II

TABLE  4
MEANS AND ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE   FACTOR  2 

                                                                
                                                    Probation                Working Class                 College 
                                                      Group                            Group                       Group            
           Mean                                   200.26                         191.06                         213.20
          Standard Deviation                27.61                           38.39                          23.00

ANALYSIS  OF VARIANCE                                           

                                         SUM OF                                       MEAN                        
                                       SQUARES                  DF                SQUARE            F             SIGN            
    Main Effect                     12371.05                 2                 6185.53           6.71            .002
   Residual                        135484.44              147                  921.66
   TOTAL                          147855.49              149                  992.32       

TABLE  5      CATCH  ALL   FACTOR III

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