ABSTRACT
Over fourteen million children and adolescents in the United States, about 22" of all American children and adolescents, live in poverty. As the number of individuals living in urban poverty increased, concern about people in these environments, particularly youth, also increased. Thompson argues that poverty alone does not cause adverse developmental outcomes. He cites poor nutrition, lack of access to medical care, unsafe living conditions, exposure to drugs, and high crime rates as some of the problems associated with urban poverty. Despite the importance of identity, its development in urban adolescents has not been studied sensitively. Understanding how identity development, as expressed in the multiple role domains of family, friends, academics, work, religion, and ethnicity, is related to overall adolescent adjustment, not only will increase understanding of the identity process itself, but will also assist in identifying characteristics of urban adolescents who are capable of thriving in a challenging environment.
