Compare and despair or compare and explore? Instagram social comparisons of ability and opinion predict adolescent identity development

Whilst there is an emerging literature concerning social comparisons on social networking sites (SNSs), very little is known about the extent to which such behaviours inform adolescent identity. Drawing upon the three-factor model of identity development (Crocetti, Rubini & Meeus, 2008), this study seeks to determine the relationship between Instagram comparisons of ability and opinion and three identity processes: commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment. 177 British adolescents responded to a paper survey (Mage = 15.45; Female, 54.8%) between December 2018 and February 2019. Instagram social comparisons of ability were positively associated with commitment and in-depth exploration, whilst their relationship with reconsideration of commitment was moderated by gender. In contrast, Instagram social comparisons of opinion were positively related with in-depth exploration and reconsideration of commitment. Findings suggest that although both forms of social comparison behaviour may evoke adolescents to explore their identity, Instagram social comparisons of ability may have less maladaptive identity implications for adolescent males.

Compare and despair or compare and explore? Instagram social comparisons of ability and opinion predict adolescent identity development

Whilst there is an emerging literature concerning social comparisons on social networking sites (SNSs), very little is known about the extent to which such behaviours inform adolescent identity. Drawing upon the three-factor model of identity development (Crocetti, Rubini & Meeus, 2008), this study seeks to determine the relationship between Instagram comparisons of ability and opinion and three identity processes: commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment. 177 British adolescents responded to a paper survey (Mage = 15.45; Female, 54.8%) between December 2018 and February 2019. Instagram social comparisons of ability were positively associated with commitment and in-depth exploration, whilst their relationship with reconsideration of commitment was moderated by gender. In contrast, Instagram social comparisons of opinion were positively related with in-depth exploration and reconsideration of commitment. Findings suggest that although both forms of social comparison behaviour may evoke adolescents to explore their identity, Instagram social comparisons of ability may have less maladaptive identity implications for adolescent males.

How good it would be to turn back time: Adult attachment and perfectionism in mothers and their relationships with the processes of parental identity formation

In the present study the relationships between dimensions of parental identity (commitment, in-depth exploration, reconsideration of commitment), romantic adult attachment (anxiety and avoidance in a relationship) and perfectionism (self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed) were analyzed. 206 mothers aged 22 to 40 participated in the study (M = 33.33, SD = 3.68). The results revealed that both adult attachment and perfectionism correlate with parental identity. In particular, attachment-related anxiety and other-oriented perfectionism can be treated as independent, specific predictors of an increased crisis of parental identity, manifested in low identification with the role of the parent and in regret of becoming one. The article discusses theoretical and practical implications of the research and suggestions for further studies.

The Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS)

The Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS; Crocetti, Rubini, & Meeus, 2008 ) is a recently developed measure of identity that has been shown to be a reliable tool for assessing identity processes in adolescents. This study examines psychometric properties of the U-MICS in a large adolescent sample from seven European countries focused on the interplay of commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment. Participants were 1,007 adolescents from Bulgaria (n = 146), the Czech Republic (n = 142), Italy (n = 144), Kosovo (n = 150), Romania (n = 142), Slovenia (n = 156), and the Netherlands (n = 127). We tested the U-MICS measurement invariance, reliability estimates in each language version, and compared latent identity means across groups. Results showed that the U-MICS has good internal consistency as well as configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance across groups in the sampled countries.

The Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS)

The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Dutch and Italian versions of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) in large community samples of adolescents from Italy (N = 1,975) and The Netherlands (N = 1,521). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the three-factor model, consisting of commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment, provided a better fit to the data than alternative one- and two-factor models. The three-factor model fit equivalently across sex and across age groups (early and middle adolescents). Furthermore, we demonstrated cross-national equivalence of the factor structure of the U-MICS. Additionally, results indicated that the latent means for commitment were higher in the Dutch sample, while latent means for both in-depth exploration and reconsideration of commitment were substantially higher in the Italian sample. The three identity processes were found to be meaningfully related to measures of self-concept, psychosocial problems, and parent-adolescent relations in both countries. These findings suggest that the U-MICS is a reliable tool for assessing identity processes in Italian and Dutch adolescents.