ABSTRACT
The search for an identity and the accompanying questions that arise about one’s own group, behaviors, values, and traditions are an important undertaking for all adolescents. A sense of ego identity provides a feeling of being one and the same to oneself and to continue being the same in other people’s views (Erikson, 1963). As Archer and Waterman (1994) point out, “the multiple components of the individual’s identity need to become integrated or synthesized for there to be a sense of continuity, stability, and effectiveness within one’s social environmental context” (p. 78). The primary social context for this synthesis is that of the family, with parents playing a key role. Erikson (1968) suggests that the process of identity development involves questioning of authority figures, especially parents. Indeed, Marcia’s (1966) conceptualization of identity achievement requires an exploration of the impact of parents on the self, and research shows that parents’ behavior has a tremendous influence on identity development (Marcia, Waterman, Matteson, Archer, & Orlofsky, 1993).
