Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 34, No. 3, June 2005, pp. 185–198 (
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2005)
DOI: 10.1007/s10964-005-4300-9
The Role of Epistemic Cognition in Adolescent
Identity Formation: Further Evidence
Tobias Krettenauer
1
Received November 6, 2003; revised April 5, 2004; accepted April 13, 2004
Following Boyes and Chandler (1992), it is investigated how adolescents’ epistemic understanding
relates to the process of identity formation. In a cross-sectional as well as longitudinal study, identity
status scores of diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium and identity achievement as assessed by the Ex-
tended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status were analyzed as a function of adolescents’ epistemic
stance, while simultaneously taking into account individual differences in identity processing styles.
The cross-sectional sample was composed of 200 German adolescents from Grades 7, 9, 11, and
13 (mean age: 16.2 years, SD = 2.41). The longitudinal study consisted of 134 participants (mean
age at retest: 16.5 years, SD = 1.7) and covered a time interval of 18 months. Findings confirmed
the view that the development of epistemic cognition contributes to adolescent identity formation.
Specifically, the development of a multiplistic epistemic stance predicted higher moratorium scores,
whereas the more advanced evaluativist epistemic position contributed to identity achievement over
time. These effects were not due to individual differences in identity processing style.
KEY WORDS: development of epistemological understanding; identity statuses; identity styles.
INTRODUCTION
According to a Piagetian perspective, adolescence is
characterized by a fundamental developmental shift in the
way young persons understand the relation between real-
ity and possibility; whereas children up to the age of 10
or 12 years consider possibilities as a mere extension of
reality, adolescents with the advent of formal operations,
begin to conceive reality as the realization of a particular
possibility (Moshman, 1999; Piaget and Inhelder, 1977).
This transformation gives rise to a new intellectual pos-
ture. Formal operational thinkers spontaneously and sys-
tematically generate possibilities and understand reality in
light of these possibilities. As a consequence, factual ar-
rangements cannot be legitimated simply by pointing out
how things are, but need to be evaluated in view of how
things might be. This intellectual posture characterizes
adolescents’ thinking in many areas. It is present not only
in their attempts to understand nature, self and society, but
1
Institute for Psychology, Humboldt University at Berlin, Germany. To
whom correspondence should be addressed at Humboldt University at
Berlin, Institute for Psychology, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin;
e-mail: tobias.krettenauer@rz.hu-berlin.de.
also in their efforts to achieve a sense of personal iden-
tity. As evidenced by a considerable body of research on
identity formation, adolescents often go through a period
of actively questioning and exploring various possibili-
ties before committing themselves to particular goals and
ideals (Berzonsky and Adams, 1999; Bosma and Kunnen,
2001; Marcia et al., 1993). Such a period of exploring op-
tions and opinions that have not been considered before,
often referred to as moratorium
2
appears to be essential
2
Originally coined by Erikson (1959), the term moratorium was later
adopted by Marcia to refer to a particular status category within the
famous identity status paradigm (for an overview of this approach
see Marcia et al., 1993). Although the identity status paradigm has
been criticized repeatedly from both theoretical and empirical grounds
(Blasi, 1988; C
ˆ
ot
´
e and Levine, 1988; Meuus et al., 1999; van Hoof,
1999), it still can be considered the leading account of research on ado-
lescents’ and young adults identity development. In this framework, the
process of identity formation is conceptualized along two dimensions:
the extent to which individuals have explored identity issues and seri-
ously considered alternative possibilities in matters such as vocation,
religion, and political ideology (identity exploration) and the extent
to which individuals are committed with regard to such issues (com-
mitment). The combination of the two dimensions yields four identity
statuses (identity diffusion, identity foreclosure, moratorium, and iden-
tity achievement). Note that these identity statuses are not stages of
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2005 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.