Self and Identity Development during Adolescence across Cultures

The purpose is to show the dynamic of change and stability in the development of identity and self during adolescence. We present some basic differences between the development of self-perceptions and the development of identity according to Erikson's psychosocial formulation. The change and stability dynamics of identity development is subjected to critique from the perspective of the status paradigm as well as more recent theoretical models. The key role of the cultural context's inevitable influence on the development of identity and self-perceptions through the production of relevant cultural variations is also analyzed.