Abstract
The present chapter reviews what is known about adolescent and emerging adult identity—including both personal and cultural dimensions of identity. We review major approaches to personal identity, including Marcia's (1966) identity status model and other models that have been developed based on identity status. We also highlight the role of agency and self‐direction in the development of identity, and how the role of agency differs between Western and non‐Western cultural contexts. We also describe the embeddedness of identity within personality and within the self‐narratives that individuals create to make sense of their lives. In terms of cultural identity, we discuss acculturation and other cultural processes as manifestations of identity, and we highlight the need for integrative work between personal and cultural dimensions of identity, given the rapidly increasing ethnic diversity in the United States and other Western nations. Finally, several fruitful areas for future research are reviewed.