Identity and Disruptiveness in Boys: Longitudinal Perspectives

After more than 30 years of research on identity, the links between identity and disruptive behaviors are not clear. This study compared the identity formation of boys with stable disruptive behaviors from age 6 to age 15 (n = 16), with the identity formation of boys that were never disruptive during the same period (n = 25). All boys came from low socio-economic status families. At age 9 and 11, identity was assessed with the The Self-Perception Profile for Children (Harter, 1985). At age 15, identity was assessed with the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (Adams, Bennion, & Huh, 1989) and two scales of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (Offer, Ostrov, & Howard, 1981). Differences between disruptive and non-disruptive boys were found only for behavior in childhood and identity in ideological domains at age 15. Explanations for the weakness of the link between identity and disruptiveness are discussed.