Identity Agents: Parents as Active and Reflective Participants in Their Children's Identity Formation

TLDR

Identity agents are individuals who actively engage with children and youth to shape their identity while reflecting on broader social influences, contrasting with mainstream research that views adolescents as the sole reflective agents. The paper introduces and theoretically analyzes the concept of identity agents to support a comprehensive contextual theory of identity formation. The authors illustrate the concept through a qualitative case of religious parents who actively encourage, co‑participate in, and reflectively deliberate their children’s identity formation.

Abstract

The paper introduces the concept of identity agents . This concept refers to those individuals who actively interact with children and youth with the intention of participating in their identity formation, and who reflectively mediate larger social influences on identity formation. This contrasts with the focus of mainstream research in the identity field that tends to portray adolescents as the sole reflective agents involved in mature identity development. The paper presents a theoretical analysis presenting the importance of the concept for the formulation of a comprehensive contextual theory of identity formation. The particulars of this concept are illustrated through the presentation of a qualitative report of religious parents actively encouraging their children's processes of identification, co‐participating in their children's identity's formation, and reflectively deliberating their parental roles and goals in regards to this process.