ABSTRACT
Self-concept and identity are personal characteristics that play an important role in adolescence and during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. According to Erikson’s theoretical framework, an identity crisis is the major psychological issue of adolescence, and resolving this crisis is the main developmental task of this life period. In more current overviews of adolescence, the development of identity and self-concept is a prominent theme (Gullotta, Adams, & Markstrom, 2000; Steinberg, 1996). Identity refers to the individual’s general sense of self comprising a coherent and integrated self-image that combines past and present states, gives direction to the future, and reects a commitment to basic values (Fuhrer & Trautner, 2005; Gullotta et al., 2000; Wigeld, Byrnes, & Eccles, 2006). As proposed by Rosenberg (1979), the self-concept can be conceptualized as an attitude toward the own person, including a cognitive, an affective, and a behavioral component (Pinquart & Silbereisen, 2000). The cognitive component comprises knowledge about oneself (i.e., one’s attributes), the affective component refers to the evaluation of these attributes, and the behavioral component refers to the action tendencies with respect to the own person. The latter aspect also can be denoted as the conative component that comprises mental processes or behaviors directed toward action.
