Identity formation, youth, and development : a simplified approach / James E. Côté and Charles G. Levine.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The concept of identity is one of the most important ideas the social sciences have investigated in recent years, yet no introductory textbooks are available to those who want to gain a sense of this burgeoning field. The first of its kind, this text provides an introduction to the scientific study of identity formation, with a focus on youth development. The analyses of the problems and prospects faced by contemporary young people in forming identities are placed in the context of societies that themselves are in transition, further complicating identity formation and the interrelated processes of self development and moral-ethical reasoning.

In order to sort through what is now a vast literature on the various aspects of human identity, this book introduces the Simplified Identity Formation Theory. This theory cuts through much of the academic jargon that limits the accessibility of this promising field, and builds an understanding of human identity from first principles.

This book is optimized for students and instructors, featuring several useful pedagogical tools and a robust series of online resources:

Primer format: the text synthesizes the vast and disparate literature that has characterized the field of Identity Studies, with a focus on identity formation during the transition to adulthood; theory and research is discussed in plain, non-technical language, using the author's new Simplified Identity Formation Theory.

In-text pedagogy : to enhance student engagement, box insert and in-text examples from current events, popular culture, and social media are incorporated throughout the text; key terms are in bold in each chapter and combined in a glossary at the end of the text.

Online resources for instructors : A robust set of resources that, when combined with the text, provides a complete blueprint for designing an identity course; resources include PowerPoint Presentations, test bank, sample syllabi, and instructor manuals for both face-to-face and online courses that include weekly written assignment questions and discussion-forum questions along with essay topic ideas and grading rubrics.

Online resources for students : a student manual, flashcards, practice quizzes, and exercises with video links.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. xi)
• Part I Philosophical and Conceptual Roots of the Identity Question (p. 1)
• 1 From Angeless Questions to Current Theories (p. 3)
• Angeless Questions (p. 4)
• The Self and Its Development (p. 10)
• Identity and Its Formation (p. 13)
• Differential Dimensions of Identity and Self-Development (p. 15)
• Conclusion: A Hindu Folktale (p. 18)
• 2 Culture and History: How Current Experiences Differ From the Past (p. 20)
• Socio-Histovical Variations in Identity Formation (p. 24)
• Social Identities (p. 25)
• Personal Identities (p. 27)
• Ego Identity (p. 29)
• Individualized Societies and Identity Problems (p. 31)
• Developmental Problems (p. 32)
• Characterological Patterns (p. 33)
• Trauma/Stress-Based Pathologies (p. 33)
• Conclusion: Identity Formation and Its Discontents (p. 35)
• 3 A Social Psychology of Identities and Their Formation (p. 36)
• The Triadic Model of Identity Formation (p. 41)
• Identity Processes: Forming and Maintaining Self Definitions (p. 46)
• Conclusion: Cars, Engines, and Traffic Congestion (p. 53)
• Part II Late Modernity: Contextual Adaptations to Individualization Processes (p. 55)
• 4 Moral Reasoning: A Relational Basis of Individualized Identities (p. 57)
• The Cognitive-Development Approach (p. 59)
• The Developmental Bases of Moral Reasoning (p. 62)
• Empathy and Perspective-Taking Capacities (p. 63)
• Stages of Moral Reasoning (p. 64)
• The Developmental Contextualism of Moral Reasoning (p. 65)
• Synthesizing the Self/Identity and Moral Reasoning Literatures (p. 68)
• The Eriksonian Approach: The Developmental Basis of Ethical Identities (p. 70)
• Conclusion: Ethical Identities (p. 74)
• 5 Proactivity: Agency in Identity Formation (p. 75)
• Objections to the Concept of Structure (p. 76)
• The Importance of Locating Agency in Structure (p. 77)
• Objections to the Concept of Agency (p. 78)
• Political Objections (p. 79)
• Feminist Objections (p. 85)
• Objections Based on Cross-Cultural Research (p. 87)
• Conclusion: Agentic Identities (p. 91)
• 6 Identity Capital: Strategic Adaptions to Late-Modern Societies (p. 93)
• Origins of the Identity Capital Model (p. 94)
• Fundamental Assumptions of the Identity Capital Model (p. 96)
• Identity Capital Resources (p. 99)
• The Late-Modern Identity Capital Workplace Portfolio (p. 105)
• Conclusion: The Ripple Effects of Strategic Identities (p. 108)
• Part III The Transition to Adulthood: Developmental Contextualism Applied to Late Modernity (p. 111)
• 7 Current Scientific Approaches to Self-Development and Identity Formation (p. 113)
• Some Typical Identity Formation Strategies in Late Modernity (p. 117)
• Developmental Trajectories (p. 121)
• Self and Identity (p. 121)
• The Development of Self-Concepts in Childhood and Adolescence (p. 122)
• The Transformation of Self-Concepts Into Identities in Adolescence and Early Adulthood (p. 123)
• The Synthesis of Identities in Adolescence and Early Adulthood (p. 125)
• Conclusion: The Developmental Benefits of Proactivity (p. 127)
• 8 Contexts of Identity Formation in Late-Modern Societies (p. 128)
• Societal Influences Regarding Who People Are and How They Feel About Themselves (p. 129)
• Ethnicity (p. 129)
• Gender (p. 132)
• Culture (p. 133)
• Social Class (p. 135)
• Special-Needs Youth (p. 137)
• How Family and Friends Influence Who People Are and How They Feel About It (p. 139)
• Family Settings (p. 139)
• Peer Influences (p. 141)
• How Identity Formation Is Influenced by Educational Experiences (p. 142)
• Identity Capital and Mass Higher Education (p. 145)
• Conclusions: Proactivity and Context (p. 150)
• 9 Identity Formation and the Potentials of Human Development (p. 151)
• Factors Affecting Development (p. 151)
• Self-Development (p. 151)
• Identity Formation (p. 152)
• Moral Reasoning Development (p. 154)
• Intervention and Counseling Applications (p. 154)
• Identity Capital Therapies (p. 160)
• Moving Forward (p. 161)
• A Methodological Model: Applied Developmental Science (p. 161)
• Promising Theoretical Directions (p. 163)
• Conclusion: Improving Outcomes for All (p. 166)
• Glossary of SIFT Terminology (p. 169)
• Endnotes (p. 175)
• Index (p. 197)

Author notes provided by Syndetics