Chapter 5 - Defining the Self

Question 0

Individuation

Answer 0

Individuation is the process of distinguishing one’s attitudes and beliefs from those of one’s parents.

Question 1

Autonomy

Answer 1

Autonomy is being independent and responsible for one’s actions.

Question 2

Individuality

Answer 2

Individuality is a quality of family interactions thought to be important for individuation, reflecting the ability to express one’s ideas and say how one differs from others.

Question 3

Connectedness

Answer 3

Connectedness is a quality of family interactions thought to be important for individuation, reflecting openness to and respect for others’ opinions.

Question 4

Identity

Answer 4

Identity is the part of one’s personality of which one is aware and is able to see as a meaningful and coherent whole.

Question 5

Possible Selves

Answer 5

Possible selves are life options that adolescents imagine for themselves; some possible selves are positive, or hoped-for, and others are feared, or negative, possibilites.

Question 6

Identity Achievement

Answer 6

Identity achievement is the resolution of the psychosocial crisis of identity through the formulation of personal goals and personally defined religious and political commitments.

Question 7

Identity Foreclosure

Answer 7

Identity foreclosure is the resolution of the psychosocial crisis of identity through the assumption of traditional, conventional, or parentally chosen goals and values without the experience of crisis or conflict over identity issues.

Question 8

Moratorium

Answer 8

Moratorium is the experience of conflict over the issues of identity formation prior to the establishment of firm goals or long-term commitments.

Question 9

Identity Diffusion

Answer 9

Identity diffusion is the resolution of the psychosocial crisis of identity without the experience of crisis or commitment over identity issues.

Question 10

Information Orientation

Answer 10

The information orientation style is a style of information processing characterized by actively searching for and evaluating information.

Question 11

Diffuse/Avoidant Orientation

Answer 11

The diffuse/avoidant style of information processing is one characterized by procrastinating and avoiding decisions.

Question 12

Normative Orientation

Answer 12

The normative style of information processing is one characterized by reliance on social norms and the expectations of relatives and friends.

Question 13

Ethnic Identity

Answer 13

Ethnic identity is an awareness of belonging to an ethnic group that shapes one’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

Question 14

Acculturation

Answer 14

Acculturation is a socialization process by which members of a minority adopt the customs of the dominant group, while maintaining a separate cultural identity.

Question 15

Unexamined Ethnic Identity

Answer 15

The unexamined ethnic identity is an initial stage in ethnic identity formation that involves a lack of awareness of the issues related to one’s ethnicity and a simple internalization of the values of the dominant culture.

Question 16

Ethnic Identity Search

Answer 16

The ethnic identity search is an intermediate stage in ethnic identity formation involving exploration of the meaning of one’s ethnicity.

Question 17

Achieved Ethnic Identity

Answer 17

Achieved ethnic identity is a stage in ethnic identity formation in which one has a clear sense of one’s ethnicity that reflects feelings of belonging and emotional identification.

Question 18

Bicultural Identity

Answer 18

Bicultural identity is the process by which minority adolescents identify themselves with respect to the two cultures to which they belong.

Question 19

Self-Concept

Answer 19

Self-concept is the individual’s awareness of the self as a person; it is a theory about the self that explains personal experience.

Question 20

Self-Esteem

Answer 20

Self-esteem is the individual’s overall positive or negative evaluation of herself or himself.

Question 21

Intimacy

Answer 21

Intimacy is the ability to share oneself with another; it is characterized by self-disclosure and mutuality.

Question 22

Agency

Answer 22

Agency is an aspect of mature functioning characterized by assertiveness, mastery, and distinctiveness; it is the complement of communion.

Question 23

Communion

Answer 23

Communion is an aspect of mature functioning characterized by cooperation and union; it is the complement of agency.