Identity six years after: A follow-up study

Thirty male subjects, given identity status interviews 6–7 years previously, were reinterviewed for identity status, as well as intimacy status, life style, and participation in the 1969–1970 campus demonstrations. High identity status appeared more vulnerable to change than did low. The Moratorium status showed a 100% change rate. The establishment of intimate relationships was related both to previous identity status (when that status remained stable) and to current identity status. In life style, Identity Achievement and Moratorium subjects were open; Foreclosure subjects were closed; and Identity Diffusion subjects tended to be diffuse. Subjects currently high in identity tended to feel more positively about and participated more in the 1969–1970 demonstrations than did lower identity status subjects. A new status, Foreclosure/Diffusion, is described. The theoretical anomaly of Identity Achievement and Moratorium subjects moving into the Foreclosure status has led to the suggestion of a process, as opposed to typological, approach to identity. Brief sketches of individuals as they currently appear in the identity statuses conclude the study.This research was supported by a President's Research Fund Grant from Simon Fraser University.Portions of this article were presented at the 1975 EPA Convention in New York City.Received his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in 1964. Presently Professor of Psychology, Simon Fraser University. Research interests are in construct validation of ego psychoanalytic theory.