Investigating Identity Statuses Among Lebanese Youth Relation With Gender and Academic Achievement

This study examined Marcia's identity paradigm among Lebanese adolescents in relation to gender and academic achievement. Participants were 429 students in Grades 7 to 11, aged 12 to 17 years. The Ego Identity Process Questionnaire (EIPQ) was used to classify participants into the four identity statuses: Achievement, Moratorium, Foreclosure, and Diffusion. Results showed that females were mostly in Moratorium (37.4%) whereas males in Foreclosure (35.1%). The difference was statistically significant, chi(2)(3) = 20.40, p = .001. Also, females scored significantly higher on the Exploration subscale, t(425) = -2.68, p = .04, whereas males scored significantly higher on the Commitment subscale, t(426) = 4.19, p = .01. No significant achievement differences were found among students in the four identity statuses, F(3, 419) = .38, p = .13. These results suggest possible shifts in cultural norms with females developing identity through pathways believed to be males' in traditional societies.