ABSTRACT
Adolescence is a phase in which a sense of a psychological self as a specific
person embedded in time and relationships is established. Authors from differ-
ent theoretical traditions have consistently pointed out that this adolescent
sense of self is deeply integrated in relationships. In particular, experiences in
relationships with close friends and peers help the adolescent develop a psy-
chological understanding of himself or herself as a specific person. Affective
bonding in relationships with close friends plays a central role in the develop-
ment of a moral self because in these relationships loyality and commitment to
another person are built. In adolescence the self is defined in terms of relation-
ships and as Kegan (1982) aptly phrased it, the self is the relationship. There-
fore, the developmental task in the transition into late adolescence and
adulthood is to establish autonomy and a sense of moral self that transcends
group conformity. The conception of self in relationships in middle and late
adolescence is the focus of this chapter.
