Maturity is coherent: Structural and content-specific coherence in adolescent moral identity

Abstract

Identity narrative may involve considerable variations in structural and content-specific coherence. These variations are potentially relevant to the development of moral commitment in adolescence. The present study analyzed coherence in moral identity narratives for a matched comparison sample of urban adolescents. Thirty nominated adolescent moral exemplars and 30 everyday comparators were given interview prompts designed to tap identity narrative. Structural and content-specific coherence dimensions were assessed with a palette of computational techniques known as coh-metrix. Consistent with study hypotheses, exemplar adolescent moral identity narratives generally evinced greater structural and content-specific coherence than everyday comparators, particularly on causality and agentic intentionality dimensions. Findings suggest that moral identity coherence is a kind of expertise fixed in developmental processes and associated with real-world action.

Keywords:

• adolescence
• coherence
• coh-metrix
• exemplar
• moral identity
• narrative

Acknowledgement

We are grateful for anonymous reviewer comments strengthening the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by grants from Thrive Foundation for Youth [grant number 2002-JN-FX-K002]; John Templeton Foundation10.13039/100000925 [grant number NA] to the second author.

Notes on contributors

Lynn C. Reimer

Lynn C. Reimer, School of Education, University of California, Irvine; Kevin S. Reimer, School of Education, University of California, Irvine. This research was supported by grants from Thrive Foundation and John Templeton Foundation to the second author. We are grateful for anonymous reviewer comments strengthening the manuscript.