Parental Attachment and Peer Attachment Bonds with the Identity Development during Late Adolescence

Abstract

The present study investigates the relationship between parental attachment and peer attachment bonds with the identity development during late adolescence. Correlational research design and purposive sampling was used to collect data from (N=100) college students of Lahore; including (n=50) male and (n=50) female students. A selfdeveloped Demographic Questionnaire, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment Bonds and Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status-Revised were administered. Pearson Correlation and Independent sample t-test were applied. Results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between parental and peer attachment bonds and not significant relationship between peer attachment bonds and identity development while a significant positive relationship between mothers' attachment bonds with identity development. Moreover, there are no gender differences between parental attachment bonds, peer attachment bonds and identity development during late adolescents. This research enabled us to develop a new insight into the parental and peer attachments bonds the common stereotype present in the society about peer attachment having the maximum influence on adolescents' proved wrong. On this basis many new researches can be conducted.