Abstract:
This study had three purposes: To examine Marcia’s ego identity paradigm in a
sample of Lebanese youth in late adolescence, to investigate gender differences, and
to examine the relationship between individuals’ ego identity statuses and their
academic achievement. The study was implemented at a private university located
in Beirut, using a sample of 262 students selected randomly from the Freshman,
Sophomore, Junior, and Senior classes. The students ranged in age between 18 and
21 years. The Ego Identity Process Questionnaire (EIPQ) was used to measure the
participants’ level of exploration and commitment across eight domains
(Occupation, Religion, Politics, Values, Family, Friendships, Dating, and Sex Roles)
to classify them into one of the four Ego Identity Statuses: Identity Achievement,
Identity Moratorium, Identity Foreclosure, and Identity Diffusion. The students’
cumulative grade point average (GPA) served as the achievement data. The results
showed that the majority of participants were in the Foreclosure Identity Status
(29.41%) followed by the Moratorium Identity Status (29.02%). Moreover, no
significant gender differences were found. The results also indicated no significant
differences between participants with regard to GPA across the four identity
statuses. In future research, factors such as socio- economic class, family disruption,
war, and political instability that might affect individuals’ identity statuses could be
further investigated in larger samples for solid conclusions.
