In Search of Mechanisms of Change in Identity Development: Integrating the Constructivist and Discovery Perspectives on Identity

Abstract

This article represents an attempt to specify the mechanisms of identity development by integrating the self-construction and self-discovery viewpoints on identity with social-psychological elements of Erik Erikson's theory of identity development. Individualization theory, derived from the sociological literature, is utilized as the template for this integration. Self-construction is conceptualized as the path, and self-discovery as the optimal destination, of the identity development process. Four levels of identity coherence are derived from this integration of the constructivist-discovery issue with Eriksonian theory. Preliminary data are presented to support this continuum. Implications for identity theory and intervention are discussed.