Parental Socialization and Female Identity

One area of research that continues to attract attention is parental socialization
patterns associated with crisis resolution. The findings to date reveal
distinctive parental patterns associated with each status. Positive but somewhat
ambivalent relationships between parents and the adolescent/young
adult are reported for achievement status. Moratorium-status adolescents/
young adults also seem to have ambivalent relationships with their parents,
but they are less conforming. Males in this status tend to experience difficulty
in separating from their mothers. Foreclosures view their parents as
highly accepting and encouraging. Parental pressure for conformity to family
values is very evident. Diffusion-status adolescents report much parental
rejection and detachment from parents, especially from the father. In general,
the data from family studies show that the same-sex parent is an important
figure in identity resolution.

An interest in female identity has arisen because different criteria have
been used to identify identity status based on the Marcia paradigm. Attitudes
toward premarital sexual relations are a major content area in status determination.
The research in general shows that achievement and foreclosure
statuses are very similar in females, as are the moratorium and diffusion statuses.
This pattern is not found for males. It has been argued by some that
the focal concerns of females, in addition to concerns with occupation and
ideology, involve interpersonal relationships more than do the concerns of
males. Therefore, in forming a self-structure, females may examine the outside
world for self-evaluation and acceptance in addition to the internal examination
of self which typically occurs in males. The effect of an external
focus on identity resolution in females is unknown, but this type of focus is
likely to prolong the identity crisis. Further, it is still necessary to determine
the areas in which choices and commitments are made for females.