ABSTRACT
The process of identity exploration that occurs during adolescence, the role of physical space in that process, and the ways in which gender becomes intertwined with space as girls, boys and adults attempt to conduct a smooth passage into adulthood, is the focus of this chapter. As Winnicott (1971) observes, identity development throughout the life-course is facilitated by a ‘good enough’ environment, one which offers a mix of guidance and independence. Such a ‘transitional space’ allows the individual to play with different identities and ways of being by wilfully acting on surrounding environments, the first of which is the child’s home (Aitken and Herman 1997).
