THE CONTRIBUTION OF FAMILY-STRUCTURE AND DIFFERENTIATION TO IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT IN FEMALES

We examined the relationship between Minuchin's structural family mode l, adolescent separation-individuation, and identity development. One hundred sixty-four female undergraduate students completed the Structu ral Family Interaction Scale Revised (SFIS-R), the Parental Relationsh ip Inventory (PRI) and the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identify Status (EOM-EIS) scale. Exploratory Factor Analysis of the SFIS-R and PRI scales indicated that two factors Proximity-Differentiation and Ge nerational Hierarchy-Differentiation, accounted for 90% of the varianc e. Canonical correlation analysis with the two factor scores and age i ncluded in the predictor variables, and the four measures of ego ident ity included in the dependent variables, yielded two significant roots . The results supported Minuchin's model.