Identity Development and Separation-Individuation in Relationships between Young Adults and Their Parents – A Conceptual Integration DISSERTATION Zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades Dr. rer. nat. im Fach Psychologie eingereicht an der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät II der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin von Dipl.-Psych. Sabrina Köpke Präsident der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin: Prof. Dr. Jan-Hendrik Olbertz Dekan der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät II: Prof. Dr. Elmar Kulke Gutachter: 1. Prof. Dr. Jaap J. A. Denissen, Tilburg University 2. Prof. Dr. Wim Beyers, Universiteit Gent 3. Prof. Dr. Denis Gerstorf, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Tag der Verteidigung: 16. August 2012 Gewidmet Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Werner Deutsch 1947 – 2010 Danke, dass ich dir begegnen durfte. Danksagung Acknowledgments Ich danke meinem Doktorvater Jaap Denissen für ein respektvolles, vertrauensvolles, konstruktives und intensives Betreuungsverhältnis und für seine Offenheit und Flexibilität in Bezug auf die thematische Ausrichtung und meine individuelle Vorgehensweisen bei dieser Arbeit. Ich danke Linus Neumann und Ruben Arslan für das Programmieren des Fragebogens. Ich danke Olga Bünemann für die Item-Übersetzungen. Ich danke meinen Probanden und Probandinnen für ihr Interesse und die in meine Online- Studie investierte Zeit. Ich danke den vielen eifrigen Wissenschaftlern und Wissenschaftlerinnen auf dem Gebiet der psychosozialen Entwicklung von Adoleszenten und jungen Erwachsenen, auf deren inspirierender Forschung diese Arbeit aufbaut. Ich danke meinen Kolleginnen Tanja Gerlach und Roos Hutteman für mentale und emotionale Unterstützung und viele schöne und aufheiternder Zusammenkünfte bei Kaffee und Sekt. Ich danke der gesamten, sehr talentierten PerDev-Arbeitsgruppe für lebhafte, herzliche und impulsgebende formelle und informelle Meetings. Ich danke der Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes für die finanzielle Förderung meines Promotionsprojektes und für viele denkwürdige Erlebnisse und Begegnungen im Rahmen des Förderungsprogramms. Ich danke meinen Eltern Gudrun und Norbert Köpke und meinem Bruder Christian Köpke für bedingungsloses Vertrauen, Liebe und Unterstützung bei der Verwirklichung meiner ganz eigenen Lebensziele. Ich danke meinen wunderbaren, besten Freunden Olga Bünemann, Elisabeth Kleine-Jäger, Ina Biederbeck, Monika Beyer und Aram Kehyayan für stets wertvollen, vielschichtigen, richtungsweisenden und aufbauenden Austausch in der Promotionszeit und weit darüber hinaus. Ich danke Berlin, als einem Ort, an dem ich mich Zuhause fühle und der mir viel Trost, Freude und Kraft gespendet hat, beim Durchleben und Überstehen der Höhen und Tiefen der Promotionszeit. IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT & SEPARATION-INDIVIDUATION IN RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN YOUNG ADULTS & PARENTS CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: Introduction 11 CHAPTER 2: Persistent Shortcomings in the Psychological Literature on 18 Separation Individuation and its Associations with Identity Development Structure and Developmental Course of Separation-Individuation 18 Identity Development and Associations with Parent-Child Relationships 19 Contents of Remaining Chapters 22 CHAPTER 3: Review of Psychological Research on Identity Development 24 Theoretical Conceptualization and Empirical Operationalization of Identity 24 Developmental Change in Identity Components 27 Determinants of Interpersonal Differences in Identity Development 30 Mechanisms of Developmental Change in Identity: Dynamic-Systems 33 Perspective CHAPTER 4: Review of Psychological Research on Separation-Individuation in 35 Parent-Child Relationships in Adolescence and Young Adulthood Theoretical Conceptualization and Empirical Operationalization of Separation- 35 Individuation Developmental Change in Attachment, Separateness, and Autonomy in 38 in Adolescence and Mechanisms of Change Developmental Change in Attachment, Separateness, and Autonomy in Young 42 Adulthood CHAPTER 5: Conceptual Integration of Identity Development and Separation- 46 Individuation in Relationships between Young Adults and Their Parents Children and Parents as Interrelated Identity Systems 46 Aims & Hypotheses 51 Aim 1: Replication and further differentiation of components 51 of separation-individuation and their concurrent associations. Aim 2: Extension of previous measures of identity formation and 53 evaluation. Aim 3: Investigation of embedding of separation-individuation in 54 psychosocial maturity. Aim 4: Investigation of longitudinal associations between identity 56 development and separation-individuation in young adulthood. IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT & SEPARATION-INDIVIDUATION IN RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN YOUNG ADULTS & PARENTS CHAPTER 6: Method 59 Measures 59 Separateness. 59 Mature Connectedness. 60 Agency. 61 Identity formation and evaluation. 61 Socio-demographic data. 63 Main caretaker. 63 Additional measures. 65 Motivational underpinnings of self-reliance and self-efficacy. 65 Big Five. 66 Self-esteem. 67 Need for Cognition. 67 Borderline-like personality features. 67 Social embedding. 67 Perceived parenting in childhood and adolescence. 67 Adult attachment style (Wave 2). 68 Trust (Wave 2). 68 De-idealized representations of parents (Wave 2). 68 Translations. 71 Assessment Procedure and Samples 72 General procedure. 72 Pilot study. 72 Wave 1. 73 Wave 2. 73 Analytical Procedure 74 CHAPTER 7: Results 76 Cross-Sectional Results 76 Factor-based sub-facets of Separateness, Agency, and Mature 76 Connectedness. Post-hoc analyses after Wave 1: Agency as self-determinateness vs. goal- 78 directedness. Test of Hypotheses 1a, b, c; 2a, b; 3 a, b, c, d. 80 IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT & SEPARATION-INDIVIDUATION IN RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN YOUNG ADULTS & PARENTS Concurrent associations between Agency, Separateness, Mature 80 Connectedness, and age. Concurrent associations between EB, CM, ED, IC, Self-coherence, and 81 age. Concurrent associations between identity development and separation- 82 individuation. Embedding of separation-individuation in psychosocial maturity. 86 Adult attachment style (Wave 2 only). 87 Parenting in childhood and adolescence. 88 Summary of cross-sectional results. 90 Longitudinal Results 91 Stabilities and mean-level changes. 91 Longitudinal associations between EB, CM, ED, IC, and self-coherence. 94 Test of Hypotheses 4a - 4g. 94 Concluding remark on longitudinal results. 96 CHAPTER 8: Discussion 98 Discussion of Cross-Sectional Results: Replication and Further Differentiation 98 of Components of Separation-Individuation and Associations with Psychosocial Maturity Discussion of Longitudinal Results: Cross-lagged Associations between Identity 103 Development and Separation-Individuation Possible Explanations for Weak Associations between Separateness and Agency/ 107 Identity Limitations of the Present Study and Possible Recommendations for Future 116 Research Methodological limitations: Dynamic theoretical conceptualization vs. 117 Static empirical operationalization. Sample-related limitations: Gender, level of education, & culture. 122 Concluding Remarks: From Father and Son to Father with Son and Son with 125 Father REFERENCES 130 APPENDIX 150 IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT & SEPARATION-INDIVIDUATION IN RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN YOUNG ADULTS & PARENTS INDEX OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1 Predicted and Obtained Causal Associations between Identity Development and 58 Separation-Individuation Table 2 Descriptive Statistics for the Identity Measures 64 Table 3 Descriptive Statistics for the Additional Measures used in all three Assessments 70 Table 4 Descriptive Statistics for the New Measures in Wave 2 (N = 358) 71 Table 5 Descriptive Statistics and Internal Consistencies for the Factor-based 79 Separation-Individuation Measures Table 6 Significant Correlations between the Separation-Individuation Measures and 83 Correlations with Age Table 7 Significant Correlations between the Identity Measures and Correlations with 84 Age Table 8 Significant Correlations between the Separation-Individuation and the Identity 85 Measure Table 9 Significant Correlations between the Separation-Individuation Measures and the 88 New Measures in Wave 2 Table 10 Significant Correlations between the Separation-Individuation measures and 89 Indicators of Psychosocial Maturity and Perceived Parenting Table 11 Stabilities of and Significant Cross-Lagged Associations between the 93 Separation-Individuation Measures (beta-weights) Table 12 Stabilities of and Significant Cross-Lagged Associations between the Identity 93 Measures (beta-weights) Table 13 Significant Cross-Lagged Associations between the Separation-Individuation 95 Measures and the Identity Measures Figure 1. Interaction effect between EB and Self-efficacy in Wave 1 on CM in Wave 2 96 (p = .07). It's not time to make a change, Just relax, take it easy You're still young, that's your fault, There's so much you have to know Find a girl, settle down, if you want you can marry Look at me, I am old but I'm happy I was once like you are now And I know that it's not easy To be calm when you've found Something going on But take your time, think a lot, think of everything you've got For you will still be here tomorrow but you dreams may not How can I try to explain, 'cause when I do he turns away again It's always been the same, same old story From the moment I could talk, I was ordered to listen Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away I know, I have to go It's not time to make a change, Just sit down, take it slowly You're still young, that's your fault, There's so much you have to go through Find