Possible selves
The various identities an adolescent might imagine for him- or herself
Future orientation
The extent to which an individual is able and inclined to think about the potential consequences of decisions and choices
Self-conceptions
The collection of traits and attributes that individuals use to describe or characterize themselves
Self-esteem
The degree to which individuals feel positively or negatively about themselves
Sense of identity
The extent to which individuals feel secure about who they are and who they are becoming
False-self behavior
Behavior that intentionally presents a false impression to others
Self-consciousness
The degree to which an individual is preoccupied with his or her self-image
Self-image stability
The degree to which an individual’s self-image changes from day to day
Identity vs. Identity diffusion
According to Erikson, the normative crisis characteristic of the fifth stage of psychosocial development, predominant during adolescence
Psychosocial moratorium
A period during which individuals are free from excessive obligations and responsibilities and can therefore experiment with different roles and personalities
Identity diffusion
The incoherent, disjointed, incomplete sense of self characteristic of not having resolved the crisis of identity
Identity foreclosure
The premature establishment of a sense of identity, before sufficient role experimentation has occurred
Negative identity
The selection of an identity that is obviously undesirable in the eyes of significant others and the broader community
Identity status
The point in the identity development process that characterizes an adolescent at a given time
Agency
The sense that one has an impact on the world
Ethnic identity
The aspect of individuals’ sense of identity concerning ancestry or racial group membership
Ethnic socialization
The process through which individuals develop an understanding of their ethnic or racial background, also known as racial socialization
Immigrant paradox
The fact that on many measures of psychological functioning and mental health, adolescents who have immigrated more recently to the US score higher on measures of adjustment than adolescents from the same ethnic group whose family has lived in the US for several generations
Multidimensional model of racial identity
A perspective on ethnic identity that emphasizes three different phenomena: Racial centrality (how important race is in defining individual’s identity), private regard (how individuals feel about being a member of their race), and public regard (how individuals think others feel about their race)
Multiethnic
Having two or parents of different ethnic or racial backgrounds
Gender identity
One’s sense of oneself as male, female, or transgender
Sexual orientation
Whether one is sexually attracted to individuals of the same sex, other sex, or both
Gender-role behavior
The extent to which an individual behaves in traditionally “masculine” or “feminine” ways
Transgender
Having a gender identity that differs from the sex one was assigned at birth
