| Despite the majority of aggression and youth violence occurring in adolescence, very little is known about how the developmental tasks of adolescence are related to this behavior. In particular, identity (which is the major developmental milestone of adolescence) and how it is related to aggression has seldom been studied. The present study examined the relation between identity and aggression among 465 low-income ethnic minority youth. In particular, the study was interested in investigating both the process of identity (identity exploration, identity commitment, and psychosocial task resolution) and the content of one's identity (personal identity, social identity, and ethnic identity) and how it related to aggression over time. Results suggested that the process of identity was not related to aggression. However, the content of one's identity had a reciprocal relation with aggression over time. In particular, an aggressive personal identity at Time 1 predicted aggression at Time 2. Also, aggression at Time 1 predicted an aggressive personal and social identity at Time 2. Further, there were gender differences in these relations but no ethnic differences. Females exhibited reciprocal relations between identity content variables and aggression and males did not. The stage of identity development the adolescent was in also moderated these relations. Those adolescents who were committed to an identity exhibited the same relational patterns, as did those who were not committed to an identity. Implications for prevention and intervention programs are discussed. |
