Academic Status as Related to the Development of Identity

The development of identity was studied as it changes over the freshman year in college and as it differs among high school students of various educational levels. The Erwin Identity Scale was readministered to 129 entering college freshman during either their first or second semester and administered to a sample of 169 high school students. MANOVA designs were calculated with followup analyses using ANOVA and Scheffé tests. The complexity of identity over the college freshman year was illustrated by gains in Confidence and losses on Conceptions About Body and Appearance. College freshman scored higher than high school seniors, who scored higher than other high school students. Men, overall, exhibited a higher degree of identity than women.