The Relationship between Identity Development and Self-Esteem during the Late Adolescent Years: Sex Differences

The purpose of the two studies reported in this paper was to examine the relationship between identity and self-esteem development during the late adolescent years. Subjects in Study 1 completed the Inventory of Psychosocial Development and a semantic differential measure of four components of self-esteem. Using a backwards stepwise multiple regression procedure the IPD scales that were significant predictors of the self-esteem measures were identified for males and for females. The subjects in the second study completed the same instruments. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine if the scales found to be significant predictors of self-esteem in the first study also predicted self-esteem in the second study. This was generally found to be the case except for the Masculinity/Femininity component of self-esteem for males. The findings were interpreted as demonstrating that resolution of identity issues has important implications for self-esteem, and that identity is differentially related to self-esteem for males and females.