Jax Xhabrahimi
ENGL 11000
Ms. Rodwell
11/28/22
The Building Blocks to Adolescents’ Identity Development
Within the stages of growing up, everyone is tasked with the development of their identity. One’s identity development begins early into one’s childhood and continues well until adulthood, but the identity development process mainly occurs when one is in their adolescence stage. In order to build upon an unadulterated identity, adolescents need to explore various aspects that make up an individual’s identity to find their true self. Experimenting with different characteristics of their self-image, personality, personal interest, and belief (“Identity Development” 2022). Before any identity exploration, one’s identity needs a foundation built first. The two factors that provide adolescents with a solid foundation for their identity and the ability to explore several aspects to their identity are the relationships with family and media, respectively. For a young individual to find success in the process of developing their identity, both the influence of family and media are massive contributors to adolescents’ identity development.
For a family’s influence to have an impact on building a foundation for an adolescents’ identity, it depends on the family’s functioning. A family’s function is “a dynamic continuum, with individual families falling between fully dysfunctional and fully functional and fluctuating on the continuum based on life events” (Wallace 8). Based on Brenna M. Wallace’s definition of a family’s function, depending on whether a family’s function is positive or negative, will distinguish the characteristics that an adolescents’ identity will inherit. The impact that a positively functioning family has on an adolescent’s identity is higher self-esteem and positively affects how adolescents deal with stressful matters. Being able to handle difficult situations allows adolescents to be able to guide themselves through the identity formation processes. Yet a functional family’s influences on adolescents’ identity materialize from their care, responsiveness, and their discipline of behavior control. Making sure when setting boundaries on disciplining adolescents’ behavior to not being too low, to encourage identity exploration. But setting appropriate boundaries will teach adolescents proper behavior and social norms. With these boundaries that are structured by one’s family, this translates to adolescents having a positive self-image and self-acceptance, flexibility, and accepting their responsibility (Ibáñez-Alfonso). These positive traits strengthen adolescents’ overall well-being, benefiting them when entering into adulthood ensuring confidence, trustworthiness, and reducing negative risk taking (Ibáñez-Alfonso).
Secondly, in a positive functioning family, there is a well-balanced adaptability and cohesion. Cohesion is the emotional bond that is shared within a family and adaptability is if families can adapt to a situation by changing their family’s hierarchy to help resolve the issue they are facing (Place 215), this influences adolescents’ identity to acquiring positive communication skills. The ability to communicate effectively can help adolescents better understand others and build stronger personal connections. Adolescents gain from being able to connect with others as they will have a support system during the process of developing their identity and will be encouraged during the identity discovery process (Ragelien).
Unlike a fully functional family, in dysfunctional families there is an unevenness to a family’s adaptability and cohesion; either messy or not flexible adaptability and a close or distant cohesion. Depending on both factors on a family’s function, they pose an issue for emerging adults’ identity development because of the lack of communication skills and emotional bonds, resulting in delays for adolescents’ identity development. Setbacks such as negative mental health, low self-esteem, and taking part in negative risk taking (Ludwig). If a family function has a low cohesion but high adaptability level, this impacts adolescents’ identity development to a rumination exploration; not taking part of exploring the various aspects to one’s identity. But if a family function has a high cohesion but low adaptability levels, this affects adolescents’ identity development into committing to an identity without any identity exploration (Wallce 10-11). This presents a problem for the development of an adolescents’ identity due to the unbalanced adaptability and cohesion in a family’s function, leading to them being too controlling to where they lose sight of the development of their children’s identity. Instead of being a support system for them, dysfunctional families will typically design a road for their kids that they figure will be the best for them (Crocetti & Mueeus). In response, this leads to poor relationships with adolescents and their families and any risk-taking.
With a set foundation to an adolescent’s identity provided from their family, the second step of the development of an adolescent’s identity is identity exploration. About 95% of adolescents have access to technology, this allows them to reach and interact with media (Vogels). Media being a tool that adolescents spend roughly about 7.5 hours daily, gives them the chance to explore the vast possible identity opportunities before commenting on one (Penn State’s PSYCH blog). The ability that media contributes to adolescent’s identity exploration is through communication, allowing adolescents to interconnect with their fellow peers or the chance to meet new figures. This communication reaches adolescents and gives them the possibility to learn new knowledge, find or develop an interest, and of course an outlet for entertainment (Akram & Kumar). This consumption of media helps adolescents develop personality traits, find their likes and dislikes, and find their sense of humor from the content they are being exposed to. After sorting through the potential identities and to figure out what represents an adolescent’s true self, media give adolescents a platform to expermining with multiple aspects to build upon their identity by presenting themselves until they find their true identity (Social Psychology in the News).
Although media provides adolescents a large platform for identity exploration, there are also problems with media being a factor in adolescents’ identity development. Due to this fact, adolescents are prone to being self- conscious and easily influenced. As the content that is being consumed by adolescents of unrealistic/ unattainable body image affects how they perceive themselves, leading to adolescents having false self-image (Penn State’s PSYCH blog). Hence when adolescents are presenting themselves to others, they often display a false self-presentation due to them valuing others’ view of them (Association for Psychological Science). This is leading to adolescents having low self-esteem and poor mental health because of adolescents disguising their true self for the feeling of approval by others (Vargová 4). Furthermore, media being a massive platform for entertainment that reaches adolescents, that causes an issue in adolescents developing a slothful and poor nutritious lifestyle (Davidson). With advertisements being televised all day and the combination of fast foods, candy, soda, and other unhealthy food being put on display for adolescents creates the viewers’ craving for those foods. Plus, the substantial amount of time spent on media creates a perfect mixture of sitting all day, eating junk food in front of a screen for a lazy and unfulfilling lifestyle. As for adolescents being subjectable to media’s influence during the identity exploration process, comes with the potential to enhance aggressive and violent behaviors in adolescents’ identity. The recent cases of aggressive and violent behavior in adolescents is the Laughing Jack case in 2015; a 12-year-old girl from Indiana, who had stabbed her stepmother because of the influence of a fictional character known as “Laughing Jack”. Also, the slender man stabbing in 2014, done by two girls in Wisconsin to please the fictional character “Slender Man” (Salinger). These cases of aggressiveness and violent behavior begin with adolescents priorly having rough and rude behavior. A study done by Telegraph Magazine in finding the connection of violent media and aggression, found that the group with aggressive background showed evidence of being stimulated and invested when being exposed to violent content. While the non-aggressive group showed no interest in the violence being shown (Shaiymkulova 5). An addition to adolescents being easily influenced by the use of media is the encouragement of sexual risk-taking behavior. As media is established as a well renowned platform for communication, this allows adolescents to take part in any intimate messaging without any parental supervision. Consequently, resulting in the impact of adolescents’ health due to the bullying and depression from partaking in any sexting and participating in unpermitted activities (Landry).
In conclusion, adolescents must first lay a solid foundation for their identity before engaging in any identity exploration. The connection with family and the media, respectively, gives adolescents a firm foundation for their identity and the capacity to explore diverse facets of it. Thus, the influence of family and media are crucial components to emerging adult’s success in the process of forming their identity. An adolescent’s identity is built on their family’s influences, providing them the ability to help them feel good about themselves, accept responsibility, and build positive self-esteem. This helps to increase their general wellbeing. That will help them as they grow into adulthood in ensuring their confidence, dependability, and lowering risky behavior. Then comes the use of media as a tool for identity exploration, giving adolescents the ability to be exposed to numerous aspects of one’s identity. In this matter, resulting in adolescents experiment with multiple aspects to build upon their identity until they find their true identity. Then comes the use of media as a tool for identity discovery, offering adolescents the opportunity to be exposed to a wide range of identity-related topics. Adolescents throughout this situation experiment with various elements of their identities as they develop them until they discover their genuine selves.
Work Cited
Wallace, Brenna M. “The Impact of Family Function on Identity … – Wakespace Scholarship.” WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, May 2017, https://wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/bitstream/handle/10339/82195/Wallace_wfu_0248M_11025.pdf.
Ibáñez-Alfonso, Joaquín, et al. “The Influence of Family Context on Identity Processing: Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology.” Cambridge Core, Cambridge University Press, 26 Oct. 2015, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-pacific-rim-psychology/article/influence-of-family-context-on-identity-processing/D61FADD5A71475A4A3FC772454DD2ACA.
“Identity Development” . Encyclopedia.com. 27 Oct. 2022 .” Encyclopedia.com, Encyclopedia.com, 6 Nov. 2022, https://www.encyclopedia.com/children/applied-and-social-sciences-magazines/identity-development.
Vogels, Emily A, et al. “Teens, Social Media and Technology 2022.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center, 10 Aug. 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/#:~:text=About%20three%2Dquarters%20of%20teens,%25.
Akram, W, and R Kumar. “A Study on Positive and Negative Effects of Social Media on Society.” A Study on Positive and Negative Effects of Social Media on Society , 19 Oct. 2017, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323903323_A_Study_on_Positive_and_Negative_Effects_of_Social_Media_on_Society.
Davidson, Simon, et al. “Putting Media under the Microscope: Understanding and Challenging Media’s Influence on the Health and Well-Being of Children and Youth.” Shibboleth Authentication Request, 2003, https://academic-oup-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/pch/article/8/5/265/2648394.
Dutta, Dr. Sanchari Sinha. “Eating Disorders and Social Media.” News, News Medical Life Science , 28 Mar. 2022, https://www.news-medical.net/health/Eating-Disorders-and-Social-Media.aspx.
Cherry, Kendra. “How People Develop an Identity or Cope with Role Confusion.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 22 June 2022, https://www.verywellmind.com/identity-versus-confusion-2795735.
Place, Maurice, et al. “The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES): an Instrument Worthy of Rehabilitation?” Cambridge , 2005, https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/4C790777D04B0409D81EB622B22E89BA/S0955603600028191a.pdf/div-class-title-the-family-adaptability-and-cohesion-evaluation-scale-faces-an-instrument-worthy-of-rehabilitation-div.pdf.
Salinger, Tobias. “Indiana Girl, 12, Killed Stepmother Because Creepy Clown Character ‘Laughing Jack’ Told Her to Do It: Reports .” New York Daily News, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2018, https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/indiana-girl-12-killed-stepmom-laughing-jack-article-1.2440821.
Ragelienė, Tija. “Links of Adolescents Identity Development and Relationship with Peers: A Systematic Literature Review.” Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry = Journal De L’Academie Canadienne De Psychiatrie De L’enfant Et De L’adolescent, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2016, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4879949/#:~:text=Adolescents’%20identity%20development%20is%20positively,related%20with%20adolescent%20identity%20development.
Landry, Megan, et al. “Social Media and Sexual Behavior among Adolescents: Is There a Link?” JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 19 May 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5457530/.
