Personal identity processes and self-esteem: Temporal sequences in high school and college students

Which came first, personality traits or identity processes during early and middle adolescence?

“…Moreover, early adolescence appears to be characterized more by commitment formation, whereas from middle adolescence onwards commitment evaluation (e.g., exploration in depth) starts to play a larger role (e.g., Luyckx et al, 2005). In addition, one previous study showed that the linkage of identity processes and correlates (e.g., self-esteem) took different forms in different age groups (Luyckx et al, 2013). These studies implied that the directionality of the relationships between personality traits and identity may change when adolescents grow older.…”

“…Previous studies focused on the association between domain level of personality traits and identity processes (e.g., Crocetti et al, 2008;Hatano et al, 2016;Hill et al, 2011;Hill et al, 2010;. However, to more precisely gain insight into how individuals differ from one another during adolescence, we need to focus on the interaction between facet level of personality traits and identity processes (Klimstra et al, 2013;. It has been argued that personality facets underlying the same trait could tap different aspects of personality and develop in different ways (e.g., Jackson et al, 2009). were differentially related to identity dimensions; that is, internalizing tendencies (e.g., depression and anxiety) were related to identification with commitment, exploration in depth, and ruminative exploration, whereas externalizing tendencies (e.g., angry hostility and impulsiveness) were not so.…”

“…Furthermore, as pointed out, previous studies focused only on personality domains. Because Klimstra et al (2013) indicated that facets of the same domain were often differently associated with identity dimensions, the longitudinal relationships between personality facets and identity processes are probably also more complex than those between personality domains and identity processes. Therefore, studying personality-identity interplay at the facet level of personality may provide greater insight into what it is exactly about personality that predicts, or is predicted by, identity processes.…”

“…Therefore, we hypothesized that the relationships between four personality traits (emotional stability, extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness) and three identity dimensions (i.e., exploration in breadth, exploration in depth, and ruminative exploration) would be unidirectional in early adolescence, but bidirectional in middle adolescence. Moreover, based on previously reviewed literature (e.g., Klimstra et al, 2013), we hypothesized that there would be relationships between personality traits and commitment dimensions in both age groups.…”

Big Five traits and relationship satisfaction: The mediating role of self-esteem

“…These associations could be based on the benefits certain personality traits entail. More specifically, personality traits have been found to be linked to a myriad of life outcomes, including identity formation (Ozer & Benet-Martinez, 2006), positive affect, and social support, which in turn are associated with self-esteem (Luyckx et al, 2013;Swickert, Hittner, Kitos, & Cox-Fuenzalida, 2004). However, to our knowledge, the mediational role of self-esteem on the association between Big Five traits and relationship satisfaction has not yet been explored in the context of romantic relationship.…”