Ego identity status, conformity behavior, and personality in late adolescence.

Abstract

Three related studies were completed to test the predictive relation among identity status, personality, and conformity behavior. The investigations were undertaken to replicate the earlier research findings of Toder and Marcia (1973). As predicted in Study 1, personality differences were found for both sexes. However, no relation was observed between identity status and conformity on the Asch task. Study 2 was completed to confirm the reliability of the identity status measure. Finally, in Study 3 four measures of conformity behavior (peer assessments, an experimental task, two self-report scales) were completed by college students of diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, and identity-achievement statuses. Diffusion students were most influenced by peer pressure conformity, whereas identity-achievement students were most likely to report engaging in conformity behavior for achievement gains. Although earlier research by Toder and Marcia (1973) was not replicated via the Asch conformity task, the third study does support a predicted relation between identity and conformity behavior.

A Mediated Moderation Model of Conformative Peer Bullying

“…The fact that resistance to influence functions as a moderator in the relationship between peer pressure and antisocial conformity reflects the self-perception with respect to his/her social relationships. Prior research on the impact of bullying on social cognition largely focuses on two areas: social self-esteem (Adams et al 1985;Egan and Perry 1998;Yang and Doh 1999) and self-perception based on social relationships (Lee 2008). The results of the present study are similar to those of the abovementioned studies in the sense that individual factors of the social cognition, such as self-perception of social relationships, function as a protective element that moderates bullying behaviors.…”

Identity processing style and sex-role identity predict attachment style and psychosocial balance.

“…Achievement identity women appeared more adept (compared to lower status women) at social-cognitive functions governing encoding, decoding, and analyzing interpersonal social information (Adams et al, 1985).…”

“…On measures of social behavior, individuals with a diffuse identity status scored the lowest of the identity statuses for conformity behavior to gain from achievement and highest for being influenced by peer pressure (Adams, Ryan, Hoffman, Dobson, & Nielson, 1985). That is, these individuals engaged in conformity behavior, not in order to achieve their goals, but in response to peer pressure to behave in certain ways.…”

“…For example, it has been suggested that greater gender differences exist for lower status versus higher status individuals (Waterman, 1982) and Erikson argued that identity formation was "a process of increasing differentiation" (1958, p. 23). Although some authors (e.g., Adams et al, 1985;Read, Adams, & Dobson, 1984) have stated that few, if any, significant gender differences exist between statuses, others have suggested that some gender differences do exist. For example, Fitch and Adams (1983) found that occupational identity for men and religious identity for women tended to contribute to higher identity status.…”

“…Adams et al (1985) noted that achievement identity men (compared to lower status men) were more relaxed, less prone to worry, experienced less social anxiety, demonstrated greater maturity in interpersonal functioning, and did not tend to exhibit extremes of either extraversion or introversion.…”