IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT, PARENTAL AND PEER SUPPORT IN ADOLESCENCE - RESULTS OF A NATIONAL DUTCH SURVEY

The aims of this study were to examine the development and structure o f identity throughout adolescence, and the influence of parents and pe ers on identity development. A representative sample of Dutch adolesce nts, aged 12 to 14, completed the Utrecht-Groningen Identity Developme nt Scale (U-GIDS). This instrument encompasses separate scales for com mitment in exploration for relational, school, and occupational identi ty. The results show that relational identity becomes consistently str onger as adolescents grow older. Less consistent developmental trends were found for school identity, and no developmental trends for occupa tional identity. A different identity structure was found in different groups of adolescents. For girls the relational identity is much more important than school or occupational identity. The same difference w as found in adolescents aged 21 to 24 vs. their younger peers. Identit y development is mostly influenced by peers, with parents having only an additive positive influence.