The construction of personal identity. A comparative study between Italian and Congolese adolescents
Ferdinand Kalengayi Wa Kalombo
The desire to understand «who one is», and to answer with certainty the question «Where am I going?», represents a lifelong challenge, but in adolescence it acquires a particular relevance (Erikson, 1968). The aim of this study was to compare two groups of adolescents, one from Italy and one from Congo, on the processes involved in the construction of personal identity. The research is based on the trifactorial model proposed by Crocetti and colleagues. The first group of hypotheses concerns the processes of identity construction. The group from Italy obtained high scores in the process of interpersonal commitment, a greater presence of foreclosure and diffusion. The Congo group had high scores in the processes of in-depth exploration and reconsideration of commitment (school and interpersonal) and a greater presence of the moratorium state. The second group of hypotheses concerns identity states. The Italian group of adolescents had higher scores than the Congolese group about the presence of the state of closure and diffusion. The Congolese group of adolescents had higher scores than the Italian group regarding the presence of the state of research moratorium. The identity acquisition and moratorium states did not differ significantly between the two groups.
Keywords
Adolescence, identity, comparative study, Italian adolescents, Congolese adolescents.