Adolescent Identity and the Transition to Young Adulthood: Integrating Theories, Methods, and Evidence

Managing one’s identity across time and through major life changes is a key process in the life course. Yet, prominent theories of identity have not been adequately tested across age groups and through life transitions. Using longitudinal data from the National Study of Youth and Religion (N = 3,290), the basic hypotheses of identity theory are confirmed in explaining adolescents’ religious identity: strong ties to religious parents increase religious salience, which in turn leads to greater participation in religious activities two years later. The connections between these mechanisms, however, are modified based on adolescents’ age and whether they move out of the parent’s home after leaving high school. Specifically, the religious identity relevant behavior of older youth and adolescents who establish an independent household is influenced more by religious salience than by ties to religious parents or peers. In contrast, for younger adolescents and adolescents who continue to live with a parent after leaving high school, previous ties to religious parents and peers are the most influential predictors of future religious identity behavior. These results speak to the value of integrating the life course perspective with theories of identity. INTRODUCTION One of the central challenges a person faces when moving through life is the management of his/her identity. Although sociological perspectives on identity have led to