ABSTRACT
The aim of this article is to describe some general features of the Finnish and Russian girls and boys’ identity development. There has been three basic starting points. Firstly, the future orientation in adolescence is tightly connected with the identity development. The construct of the future self is an essential part of one’s identity. As Erikson (1968) emphasizes, the idenI tity is not only to question who I am but also who I want to be. Being something implies becoming something. The constructs of the future self can be interpreted as a reflection of this experienced continuity. The develI opment of identity requires congruence between one’s sense of inner sameI ness and continuity across a time, and corresponding sameness including continuity of one’s meaning for others.
