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Cross-Cultural Investigation of the Link Between Identity Processing Styles and the Actual Work of Identity in the Career Domain

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Abstract

The current study investigated and compared the associations between identity processing styles and the actual work of identity formation in the career domain in two national contexts, the US and Turkey. Identity styles represent individuals’ orientations to identity work, and were measured by the Identity Processing Styles Q-Sort (IPSQ). The actual work of identity indicates engagement in exploration and commitment activities at multiple levels; and was measured by an adapted version of the Dimensions of Identity Development Scale (DIDS). In the current study, the actual work of identity was examined in the career domain only. The effects of gender and work status while in school on identity formation process in two national contexts also were examined. Results of the current study showed that the associations between identity processing styles and the actual work of identity are consistent across the two contexts, except that there is a stronger relation between informational style and identity work in Turkey; the impact of gender and work status on the actual work of identity also differed across contexts. The similarities and differences across the American and Turkish samples are discussed within the framework of broader contextual differences.

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Acknowledgments

This research study was supported in part from a dissertation award given to the first author from the Auburn University Women’s Philanthropy Board.

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Correspondence to Suna Eryigit.

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Eryigit, S., Kerpelman, J.L. Cross-Cultural Investigation of the Link Between Identity Processing Styles and the Actual Work of Identity in the Career Domain. Child Youth Care Forum 40, 43–64 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-010-9117-3

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