ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the developmental process of identity development for junior high students living in urban poverty. In particular, the study wished to uncover whether identity development would serve as a buffer between the context of urban poverty and psychological and behavioral outcomes. A population of 102 eighth-graders living in urban Chicago completed an anonymous questionnaire. When examining whether identity development would serve as a mediating or protective factor for junior high students living in urban poverty, it was found that in four out of six outcomes, identity development was a buffer for economic hardship. Implications for theory and methodology are discussed in four areas: the nature of adolescence, the nature of identity development, importance of context, and measurement issues. The development of a firm set of loyalties and commitments (identity development) has shown to be an important mediating factor for adolescents living in urban poverty.
