Die bruikbaarheid van Marcia se ego-identiteitstatusmodel in 'n Afrika-konteks

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is no overstatement to say that South African society is in a state of turmoil and transition.Members of the black community experience many changes and challenges most intensely.Such circumstances undoubtedly pose a tremendous challenge to the most mature among us:to deal with it in a constructive way. How much more difficult would it be for young peoplein their formative years to come to grips with these circumstances? The present study wasundertaken with a view to shedding some light on the process of identity development amonga sample of male university students (in their first year) in an African context.Erikson's concept of identity formation was used as a frame of orientation for the study.His concept of identity should be understood against his theory of psychosocialdevelopment, as well as the broad perspective of psychoanalytic ego psychology. JamesMarcia's operationalization of Erikson 's concept of identity formation, the identity statuses,was used in the study. Marcia's identity statuses represent four ways of dealing with theidentity crisis toward the end of the adolescent years. This methodology has stimulated aconsiderable amount of empirical studies over the past 28 years. It was kept in mind thatMarcia's semi-structured interview was developed in a Western cultural setting and appliedin a cross-cultural (African) context.The main aim of this study was to determine whether there will be significant differencesamong Marcia's identity statuses in relation to the variables personality dimensions, anxietylevel, intellectual ability and academic performance. This goal also addresses the questionof the validity of the construct of ego identity status when Marcia's Ego Identity StatusInterview is applied in a non-Western cultural setting. A secondary aim of the study wasto determine whether the concept of ego identity status, as measured by Marcia's lncompleteSentences Blank (EI-ISB), will bear any relationship to the variables personality dimensions,level of anxiety, intelligence and academic performance.Other measuring instruments that were used in the study are the High School PersonalityQuestionnaire (used as a measure of personality traits), the IPAT Anxiety Scale, and theMental Alertness Test of the National lnstitute for Personnel Research's (NIPR) lntermediateBattery. Academic achievement was assessed through the use of the average end of yearmarks across the three best subjects. A sample of 110 male students, in their first year ofstudy at the University of Fort Hare, was used in the investigation. The most important findings can he summarized as follows:The use of the individual content areas (occupation, religion and politics) of Marcia's semi-structuredinterview yielded more significant results in comparison to using the interview asa whole (global identity). The following findings were obtained in relation to the specificcontent areas:Occupational identity: Individuals in the moratorium status (actively grappling withoccupational alternatives) displayed a higher degree of group dependence and a preferenceto he a joiner and a sound follower. In contrast to that, foreclosed adolescents (that havearrived at firm occupational commitments without passing through a decision-making period)measured higher on the dimension of self-sufficiency, they preferred their own decisions.and tended to be more resourceful, less intelligent and concrete thinking. Identity diffusedindividuals (that are uncommitted towards occupational goals) measured higher on emotionalstability and ego strength, they were more calm, and faced reality better. The results inrelation to the foreclosure and identity diffused statuses were in conflict with the resultsobtained in Western studies.Religious identity: Adolescents in the moratorium status (in the midst of a crisis period)displayed the following characteristics: doubting, individualistic, obstructive, reflective,internally restrained, unwilling to act, apprehensive. depressive, troubled and guilt prone,yet also more intelligent and abstract thinking. According to the data, foreclosures(adolescents that are committed to religious values without having passed through a crisisperiod) can he described as placid, confident, serene and untroubled. Adolescents in theidentity diffusion status (confused about their religious identity) were more vigorous, zestful,they go with the group more readily, and they are given to action.Political identity: Adolescents in the higher identity statuses (identity achievement andmoratorium) gave indications of higher levels of conscientiousness. perseverance, they weremore rule-hound and have stronger superego strength. In opposition to this finding, identitydiffused individuals (uncommitted to political ideals) were more expedient, they evade rulesand feel few obligations, and they have displayed weaker superego strength. Adolescentsin the foreclosure status (committed to political ideologies without having made thesedecisions in a personally meaningful way) measured lower on the index of intelligence, theywere more concrete thinking, and they have performed significantly weaker in their academicwork. Global identity: Adolescents in the foreclosure status (committed to identity-related goalswithout having passed through a decision-making period) were less intelligent and indicatedhigher levels of concrete thinking.A significant positive correlation ws established between ego identity, as measured on theEgo Identity Incomplete Sentences Blank (EI-ISB), and academic performance.It would appear from the present study that whereas some of the findings are congruent withfindings obtained in Western settings, others are not. It is a valid question to ask whetherthese conflicting findings do not represent in an African context fundamentally different waysof resolving the identity crisis. More research is needed to answer this question.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University