SELF-CONCEPT AND QUESTIONS OF LIFE - IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT DURING LATEADOLESCENCE

The purpose of the present study was to explore identity development i n late adolescent (18-20) years. Three areas were examined: (a) self-c oncept, (b) existential questions; content and communication patterns, and (c), connections between (a) and (b). The population consisted of 44 Swedish college students. Three methods were used: a questionnaire , the writing of a short essay and a self-evaluation test, Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB). The results demonstrated a positiv e and stable self-concept for the majority of the group, and that ques tions of life mainly concerned questions of future. The quality of the self-concept (positive vs. negative) was significantly related to how subjects experienced adults' interest in their existential questions. Several issues are discussed: the importance of the social environmen t for identity development not only during early childhood but also du ring adolescence, the use of the SASB method in this age group and the need for placing processes of integration into focus in research conc erning late adolescence. (C) 1996 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents