An examination of Terman's gifted children from the theory of identity

Employing Erikson's identity theory within Marcia's operational framework, the association between identity formation and adult achievement was examin ed in a subset of gifted individuals from Terman's longitudinal study. Term an's most successful A group and the least successful C group were compared with respect to their identity formation. Significant relationships were f ound between identity formation and occupational success at the data points under study. The successful As were found to be mostly Identity Achievers, whereas the unsuccessful Cs were more likely Identity Diffusers. The expla nation power of Erikson's identity theory for varied achievement in adultho od calls for attention to identity research in gifted education.