ABSTRACT
Know thyself. These two words of the Oracle at Delphi summarize the main task of identity development. Scholars interested in identity development have focused on the intrapsychic process, whereby young people begin to explore (or discover) who they might become. Through this individuation process, which begins in infancy and culminates in adulthood, an individual develops a unique and autonomous self-concept distinct from others. However, the individuation process does not take place in a social vacuum; family context has a great influence on, and is very much involved in, the process of defining one's identity. Accordingly, family scholars have focused attention on the differentiation process, a family process that regulates distance between family members and affects the development of individual identity (Sabatelli & Mazor, 1985).
