Alan S Waterman
Biographic Data
| ID | 643014 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alan S Waterman |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alan S |
| FAMILY NAME | Waterman |
| SIGNATURE | WATERMAN A S |
| AFFILIATIONS | College of New Jersey |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7487-2459 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 55 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 480 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 55 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1965 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 12 |
Identity Contributions to a Life Well-Lived: A Study of the Relationship of Eudaimonic Well-Being to Intrinsic Motivation for Identity-Related Activities
Within Eudaimonic Identity Theory, a central question pertains to what criteria can be used to determine which, among the potential identity-related goals, values, beliefs, and roles a person might choose, represent the “better” choices that one can enact. Eudaimonic Identity Theory proposes that one such criterion is the extent to which identity-related activities are intrinsically motivated. In the present study, a sample of 607 adults complete…
“Now what do I do?“: Toward a conceptual understanding of the effects of traumatic events on identity functioning
INTRODUCTION: Traumas refer to relatively discrete, negatively valanced, events causing physical, economic, spiritual, and/or psychological harm with life-altering impacts. These impacts include widely varied effects on the identity functioning of adolescents/emerging adults. METHODS: The array of possible impacts of traumatic events was considered with particular attention devoted to the identification of variables that may be predictive of part…
What Does It Mean to Engage in Identity Exploration and to Hold Identity Commitments? A Methodological Critique of Multidimensional Measures for the Study of Identity Processes
In this article, the processes of identity exploration and commitment are considered in terms of theoretical conceptualizations and the operational definitions used in research. The perspectives of Erikson, Marcia, Luyckx, and Meeus are reviewed with respect to the multiple dimensions of these processes. Attention is focused on four exploration dimensions: (a) exploration in breadth, (b) exploration in depth, (c) reconsideration of commitment, an…
Eudaimonia and Its Distinction from Hedonia: Developing a Classification and Terminology for Understanding Conceptual and Operational Definitions
Meaning in Life in Emerging Adulthood: A Person‐Oriented Approach
The present study investigated naturally occurring profiles based on two dimensions of meaning in life: Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning. Cluster analysis was used to examine meaning‐in‐life profiles, and subsequent analyses identified different patterns in psychosocial functioning for each profile. A sample of 8,492 American emerging adults (72.5% women) from 30 colleges and universities completed measures on meaning in life, and posit…
Eudaimonia: Contrasting two conceptions of happiness: Hedonia and eudaimonia
Good Choices, Poor Choices: Relationship Between the Quality of Identity Commitments and Psychosocial Functioning
Research indicates making identity commitments on the part of emerging adults is associated with a wide range of psychosocial benefits. Data from a large research collaborative were used to evaluate hypotheses drawn from eudaimonic identity theory that the benefits of commitment are attributable to the quality of the commitments held. Findings from a study with 9,650 students attending 30 colleges and universities replicated previous research ind…
Eudaimonic Identity Theory: Identity as Self-Discovery
The Association of Well-Being with Health Risk Behaviors in College-Attending Young Adults
The present study investigated the associations of well-being with engagement in illicit drug use, sexual risk taking, and impaired driving in a sample of 9,515 students from 30 U.S. colleges and universities. Participants completed measures of subjective well-being, psychological well-being, and eudaimonic well-being, and indicated how many times in the past 30 days that they had engaged in several illicit drug use, sexual risk, and impaired dri…
Examining the Light and Dark Sides of Emerging Adults’ Identity: A Study of Identity Status Differences in Positive and Negative Psychosocial Functioning
The Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-Being: Psychometric properties, demographic comparisons, and evidence of validity
The Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-Being (QEWB) was developed to measure well-being in a manner consistent with how it is conceptualized in eudaimonist philosophy. Aspects of eudaimonic well-being assessed by the QEWB include self-discovery, perceived development of one's best potentials, a sense of purpose and meaning in life, intense involvement in activities, investment of significant effort, and enjoyment of activities as personally expres…
Psychological Individualism: Gender Differences or Gender Neutrality
The primary purpose of this article was to examine research findings pertaining to whether the genders express psychological individualism comparably. Gender comparisons of scores on four constructs deemed to reflect psychological individualism (personal identity, self-actualization, internal locus of control, and principled moral reasoning) provide no basis for concluding gender differences exist. The relationships of these variables to measures…
Terrorism: An Identity Theory Perspective
The present article outlines the role of personal, social, and cultural identity in religiously and ethnically motivated terrorism. It is proposed that terrorism represents the confluence of a cultural identity strongly based in collectivism and in fundamentalist adherence to religious or cultural principles, a social identity based in sharp contrasts between one's own group and groups perceived as threats, and a foreclosed and authoritarian sens…
The Implications of Two Conceptions of Happiness (Hedonic Enjoyment and Eudaimonia) for the Understanding of Intrinsic Motivation
Reconsidering happiness: A eudaimonist's perspective
Kashdan, Biswas-Diener, and King (2008) provide a wide-ranging critique of eudaimonic theory and research. In this paper, I question whether the timing of their analysis is appropriate given that work on eudaimonic constructs has begun only recently. In an effort to increase the clarity regarding points at issue, both conceptual and operational definitions of hedonia and eudaimonia as two conceptions of happiness are analyzed along with definitio…
Introduction to the Special Issue: Innovative Approaches to the Study of Identity
With the appearance of the current issue, I am beginning my fourth year of screening submissions, conducting the peer review process, and editing accepted manuscripts for Identity: An International
Introduction to the Special Issue: Psychosocial Identity and Well-Being
It is well established in the literature that successful progress in the task of identity formation is associated with a wide variety of aspects of personality, values, attitudes, and behaviors ind
Doing Well: The Relationship of Identity Status to Three Conceptions of Well-Being
A study involving 217 college undergraduates was conducted to evaluate the relationship between measures of ego identity status and three conceptions of well-being: subjective, psychological, and eudaimonic. The various measures of well-being were found to be positively correlated, mostly in the low to moderate range. As predicted, scores on the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status for the identity achievement status were positively …
Changing interests: A longitudinal study of intrinsic motivation for personally salient activities
Finding Someone to Be: Studies on the Role of Intrinsic Motivation in Identity Formation
In resolving an identity crisis, how can better identity choices be distinguished from less promising alternatives? Waterman (1990) proposed that intrinsic motivation, in the form of "feelings of personal expressiveness," serves as a third defining dimension of identity, along with the dimensions of exploration and commitment. Foundations for this perspective can be traced in philosophy to the work of the eudaimonists (e.g., Aristotle, 1985) and …
Ego Identity Status, Identity Style, and Personal Expressiveness: An Empirical Investigation of Three Convergent Constructs
This study represents an investigation of relationships among three sets of identity constructs, including the ego identity statuses, the identity styles, and personal expressiveness. The Ego Identity Process Questionnaire was used to assess identity status as conceptualized by J. E. Marcia. The Identity Style Inventory was used to assess identity style as conceptualized by M. D. Berzonsky. The Personally Expressive Activities Questionnaire was u…
Identity, the Identity Statuses, and Identity Status Development: A Contemporary Statement
Issues of Identity Formation Revisited: United States and The Netherlands
Ego Identity: A Handbook for Psychosocial Research
Two conceptions of happiness: Contrasts of personal expressiveness (eudaimonia) and hedonic enjoyment
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Two conceptions of happiness: Contrasts of personal expressiveness (eudaimonia) and hedonic enjoyment
All in-text\treferences\tunderlined\tin\tblue\tare\tlinked\tto\tpublications\ton\tResearchGate, letting you\taccess\tand\tread\tthem\timmediately
Examining the Light and Dark Sides of Emerging Adults’ Identity: A Study of Identity Status Differences in Positive and Negative Psychosocial Functioning
Identity Formation: Discovery or Creation
The contrasting metaphors of discovery and creation are proposed here as alternative ways of understanding the nature of the task of identity formation. These two metaphors are related to the philosophies of eudaimonisn and existentialism, respectively. The processes of discovery and creation are shown to have distinctive theoretical implications regarding (a) the sources of identity elements, (b) the methods used in the evaluation of competing i…
Longitudinal study of changes in ego identity status from the freshman to the senior year at college
Ego identity status interviews were conducted with 53 male college seniors who hadparticipated in a previous study of identity development during the freshman year.As hypothesized, significant increases in the frequency of students in the identityachiever status were observed for both occupational and ideological identity. Also,as predicted, the achiever status was found to be the most stable status from the endof the freshman year to the senior …
A longitudinal study of changes in ego identity status during the freshman year at college
Erikson described adolescence as the period of the life cycle when an individual's ego identity is most likely to undergo significant change. A longitudinal study involving 92 male college freshmen was conducted to assess the pattern of changes in ego identity status during the freshman year. Possible antecedent conditions associated with changes in status were also investigated. A positive developmental shift was observed for changes in identity…
Terrorism: An Identity Theory Perspective
The present article outlines the role of personal, social, and cultural identity in religiously and ethnically motivated terrorism. It is proposed that terrorism represents the confluence of a cultural identity strongly based in collectivism and in fundamentalist adherence to religious or cultural principles, a social identity based in sharp contrasts between one's own group and groups perceived as threats, and a foreclosed and authoritarian sens…
Finding Someone to Be: Studies on the Role of Intrinsic Motivation in Identity Formation
In resolving an identity crisis, how can better identity choices be distinguished from less promising alternatives? Waterman (1990) proposed that intrinsic motivation, in the form of "feelings of personal expressiveness," serves as a third defining dimension of identity, along with the dimensions of exploration and commitment. Foundations for this perspective can be traced in philosophy to the work of the eudaimonists (e.g., Aristotle, 1985) and …
Varieties of Identity Diffusions and Foreclosures: An Exploration of Subcategories of the Identity Statuses
According to Eriksoniani theory, the healthy formnulation of an identity requires a moratorium. Several decades of research reveal, however, that a majority of individuals from adolescence through aduilthood have addressed identity concerns through commitment without exploration of alternatives (foreclosure), or have simply lacked engagementt in identity activiy (diffusiont). In this article, subcategories of these two unsophisticated identity st…
Ego Identity Status, Identity Style, and Personal Expressiveness: An Empirical Investigation of Three Convergent Constructs
This study represents an investigation of relationships among three sets of identity constructs, including the ego identity statuses, the identity styles, and personal expressiveness. The Ego Identity Process Questionnaire was used to assess identity status as conceptualized by J. E. Marcia. The Identity Style Inventory was used to assess identity style as conceptualized by M. D. Berzonsky. The Personally Expressive Activities Questionnaire was u…
Identity in Early Adolescence: A Developmental Perspective
Ego identity status definitions with examples are elaborated upon with particular reference to early adolescents. Patterns of potential identity status change for this age group are discussed within the context of Waterman's developmental model. From the findings of seven separate studies employing the Ego Identity Status Interview with samples ranging from the 6th grade to college entrance, it appears that a substantial majority of early and mid…
Psychosocial development during the adult years: Age and cohort comparisons
Erikson's theory of psychosocial development throughout the life cycle has been called into question by previous research in which substantial evidence of ontogenetic change during the adult years has not been found. A partial sequential design was used to study personality development over a 10-year period. Data on the Inventory of Psychosocial Development were collected from a sample of college students in 1966 and again in 1976, when this same…
A longitudinal study of ego identity development at a liberal arts college
Relationship between freshman ego identity status and subsequent academic behavior: A test of the predictive validity of Marcia's categorization system for identity status
so (x 2 = 13.69, df = 3, p < .01). Thus, the proportion of nonpersisters in each status except identity diffusion provides evidence for the predictive validity of Marcia's categorization system. It is of interest to note that of the nine moratoriums who transferred out of engineering, none entered the management program while all of the four foreclosures who left engineering entered management (p = .001 by a Fisher's exact test). In order to dete…
Ego identity status and decision styles
On the uses of psychological theory and research in the process of ethical inquiry
All in-text\treferences\tunderlined\tin\tblue\tare\tlinked\tto\tpublications\ton\tResearchGate, letting you\taccess\tand\tread\tthem\timmediately
Ego identity status and expressive writing among high school and college students
Fathers and sons: A study of ego identity across two generations
Psychosocial development in adulthood: A 22-year sequential study
Data supporting the notion of adult personality stability are challenged by the present findings, in which developmental change was demonstrated using the Eriksonian-stage-based Inventory of Psychosocial Development (IPD; Constantinople, 1969). A sequential design over the ages 20-42 was used on 2 cohorts of college students and alumni originally tested in 1966 and 1976-1977 (ns in 1988 = 99 and 83, respectively), and a 3rd cohort of college stud…
Identity Formation, Metaphors, and Values: A Rejoiner to Berzonsky
Berzonsky (1986), in elaborating on the discovery and creation (construction) metaphors for identity formation, has not accurately represented my views on two key points: (1) the implications of the discovery metaphor regarding personal responsibility and accountability, and (2) the possibility of conducting scientific research involving metaphors for psychological processes. Our contrasting perspectives on these issues are discussed
An Eriksonian measure of personality development in college students: A reexamination of Constantinople's data and a partial replication
Constantinople's finding that males showed a clearer pattern of increasing psychosocial maturity during the college years than did females was challenged in a reexamination of the original data and a partial replication. It appears that Constantinople's findings regarding sex differences were attributable to the operation of cohort effects. The data in the original study indicated that scores for males and females varied by college class cohort i…
The role of expressive writing in ego identity formation
Two studies were conducted to assess the relationship between expressive writing and ego identity development in college students. In both studies, poetry writers were more likely than students not writing poetry to be in the identity achievement status. Poetry writers were less frequently found in the foreclosure status (Study 1) and identity diffusion status (Study 2). No differences in identity development were found between students keeping p…
Performance expectancy as a determinant of actual performance: Dissonance reduction or differential recall
GKRAIL, A. A., & DUNNING, H. W. Attempts to modify the sexual of socially isolated guinea pigs. Proceedings of the American Society of Zoology, Anatomical Record, 1958, 131, 556. KELLER, D. L., & UMBREIT, W. W. Permanent alteration of in mice by chemical and psychological means. Science, 1956, 124, 723. LEVY, D. On the problem of movement restraint: Tics, stereotyped movements, hyperactivity. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 1944, 14, 644671.…
Changing interests: A longitudinal study of intrinsic motivation for personally salient activities
Performance expectancy as a determinant of actual performance: Dissonance reduction or differential recall
GKRAIL, A. A., & DUNNING, H. W. Attempts to modify the sexual of socially isolated guinea pigs. Proceedings of the American Society of Zoology, Anatomical Record, 1958, 131, 556. KELLER, D. L., & UMBREIT, W. W. Permanent alteration of in mice by chemical and psychological means. Science, 1956, 124, 723. LEVY, D. On the problem of movement restraint: Tics, stereotyped movements, hyperactivity. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 1944, 14, 644671.…
A longitudinal study of changes in ego identity status during the freshman year at college
Erikson described adolescence as the period of the life cycle when an individual's ego identity is most likely to undergo significant change. A longitudinal study involving 92 male college freshmen was conducted to assess the pattern of changes in ego identity status during the freshman year. Possible antecedent conditions associated with changes in status were also investigated. A positive developmental shift was observed for changes in identity…
Relationship between freshman ego identity status and subsequent academic behavior: A test of the predictive validity of Marcia's categorization system for identity status
so (x 2 = 13.69, df = 3, p < .01). Thus, the proportion of nonpersisters in each status except identity diffusion provides evidence for the predictive validity of Marcia's categorization system. It is of interest to note that of the nine moratoriums who transferred out of engineering, none entered the management program while all of the four foreclosures who left engineering entered management (p = .001 by a Fisher's exact test). In order to dete…
The civil liberties of the participants in psychological research
The civil liberties of the participants in psychological research
Ego identity status and decision styles
Longitudinal study of changes in ego identity status from the freshman to the senior year at college
Ego identity status interviews were conducted with 53 male college seniors who hadparticipated in a previous study of identity development during the freshman year.As hypothesized, significant increases in the frequency of students in the identityachiever status were observed for both occupational and ideological identity. Also,as predicted, the achiever status was found to be the most stable status from the endof the freshman year to the senior …
Fathers and sons: A study of ego identity across two generations
A longitudinal study of ego identity development at a liberal arts college
The role of expressive writing in ego identity formation
Two studies were conducted to assess the relationship between expressive writing and ego identity development in college students. In both studies, poetry writers were more likely than students not writing poetry to be in the identity achievement status. Poetry writers were less frequently found in the foreclosure status (Study 1) and identity diffusion status (Study 2). No differences in identity development were found between students keeping p…
Individualizing Education through Contract Learning
Ego identity status and expressive writing among high school and college students
Psychosocial development during the adult years: Age and cohort comparisons
Erikson's theory of psychosocial development throughout the life cycle has been called into question by previous research in which substantial evidence of ontogenetic change during the adult years has not been found. A partial sequential design was used to study personality development over a 10-year period. Data on the Inventory of Psychosocial Development were collected from a sample of college students in 1966 and again in 1976, when this same…
Individualism and interdependence
Individualism and interdependence
Androgyny and psychosocial development among college students and adults
The present study examined the relation of androgyny to psychosocial development in the context of Erikson's life-span theory of personality. Samples of male and female college students and adults completed the Bem Sex Role Inventory and the Inventory of Psychosocial Development. The highest scores on psychosocial development were obtained by individuals with an androgynous orientation, followed by those with masculine, feminine, or undifferentia…
Identity development from adolescence to adulthood: An extension of theory and a review of research
Identity development from adolescence to adulthood: An extension of theory and a review of research
Those aspects of Erikson's theory of psychosocial development concerning the formation of a sense of personal identity are examined in light of research evidence. When the Stage 5 component is considered as a bipolar dimension, the expectation is that the transition from adolescence to adulthood involves a progressive strengthening in the sense of identity. When the identity construct is expanded to include the processes by which an identity is f…
An Eriksonian measure of personality development in college students: A reexamination of Constantinople's data and a partial replication
Constantinople's finding that males showed a clearer pattern of increasing psychosocial maturity during the college years than did females was challenged in a reexamination of the original data and a partial replication. It appears that Constantinople's findings regarding sex differences were attributable to the operation of cohort effects. The data in the original study indicated that scores for males and females varied by college class cohort i…
On the possible contributions of psychology to knowing what is moral
On the possible contributions of psychology to knowing what is moral
Identity in Early Adolescence: A Developmental Perspective
Ego identity status definitions with examples are elaborated upon with particular reference to early adolescents. Patterns of potential identity status change for this age group are discussed within the context of Waterman's developmental model. From the findings of seven separate studies employing the Ego Identity Status Interview with samples ranging from the 6th grade to college entrance, it appears that a substantial majority of early and mid…
Identity Formation: Discovery or Creation
The contrasting metaphors of discovery and creation are proposed here as alternative ways of understanding the nature of the task of identity formation. These two metaphors are related to the philosophies of eudaimonisn and existentialism, respectively. The processes of discovery and creation are shown to have distinctive theoretical implications regarding (a) the sources of identity elements, (b) the methods used in the evaluation of competing i…
Identity in the context of adolescent psychology
Despite the general acceptance of the importance of the identity construct for the understanding of adolescent development, its potential explanatory power has remained underutilized due to its treatment as a global descriptive quality
Identity Formation, Metaphors, and Values: A Rejoiner to Berzonsky
Berzonsky (1986), in elaborating on the discovery and creation (construction) metaphors for identity formation, has not accurately represented my views on two key points: (1) the implications of the discovery metaphor regarding personal responsibility and accountability, and (2) the possibility of conducting scientific research involving metaphors for psychological processes. Our contrasting perspectives on these issues are discussed
Psychology (54 works) · Social Psychology (49 works) · Identity, Memory, and Therapy (32 works) · Developmental psychology (30 works) · Self-concept (22 works) · Social Psychology (20 works) · Epistemology (19 works) · Identity (music (17 works) · Identity formation (16 works) · Family Support in Illness (15 works)