Identity six years after: A follow-up study

Abstract

Thirty male subjects, given identity status interviews 6–7 years previously, were reinterviewed for identity status, as well as intimacy status, life style, and participation in the 1969–1970 campus demonstrations. High identity status appeared more vulnerable to change than did low. The Moratorium status showed a 100% change rate. The establishment of intimate relationships was related both to previous identity status (when that status remained stable) and to current identity status. In life style, Identity Achievement and Moratorium subjects were “open”; Foreclosure subjects were “closed”; and Identity Diffusion subjects tended to be “diffuse”. Subjects currently high in identity tended to feel more positively about and participated more in the 1969–1970 demonstrations than did lower identity status subjects. A new status, Foreclosure/Diffusion, is described. The theoretical anomaly of Identity Achievement and Moratorium subjects moving into the Foreclosure status has led to the suggestion of a process, as opposed to typological, approach to identity. Brief sketches of individuals as they currently appear in the identity statuses conclude the study.