Identity Formation, Youth, and Development

A landmark volume in the scientific study of identity formation and youth development, this fully revised second edition synthesizes sociological and psychological approaches to the study of identity. It illuminates the challenges and opportunities that contemporary young people face as they attempt to form identities in societies undergoing transition.

The book introduces simplified identity formation theory, which helps newcomers connect the dots across a broad and promising area of study. Part I places the “identity question” in historical and cultural context, providing a multidimensional framework for studying the developmental dynamics of identity formation. Part II examines the development of perspective taking and moral reasoning, exploring their relationship to ethics and agency in identity formation. Part III investigates scientific evidence concerning identity formation in various societal contexts, implications for understanding youth mental health problems, and the most promising treatments, programs, and practices for addressing the identity issues young people face today.

This book is an essential text for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying self and identity development within developmental psychology, social psychology, clinical psychology, and sociology. Educators and practitioners in child welfare, mental health services, social work, youth and community work, and counseling will also benefit from its introductory and jargon-free nature.

Kyle Eichas is Professor of Psychology at Tarleton State University in Waco, Texas, USA. His scholarly interests include outreach research and the development of community-supported interventions to promote positive human development.

James E. Côté is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. He is the founding editor of Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, associate editor of The Journal of Adolescence, and the author or co-author of ten other books.

Charles G. Levine was Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. Among other publications, he co-authored several articles and a book with Lawrence Kohlberg, Moral Stages: A Current Formulation and a Response to Critics.