James Marcia's revised-Identity Status Interview

(Late adolescent form)

Revised March 1995

by

Randal Tonks*

[Additional background concerns: integration, mutuality (engagement), rituals and praxis]

General Opening

How old are you?

What year are you in?

How long have you been out of high school? (if not college)

What have you been doing since you left high-school? (if not college

Where are you from? Where did you grow up?

Where do you live now? Do you live with your parents, on your own, with someone else?

How do you feel about living where you do?

Are both of your parents alive?

(if not) At age were you when your __________ died?

Have your parents ever been separated of divorced?

(if yes) How old were you when this occurred?

What happened for you then? Lived with whom? How was it for you?

Do you have any step-parents?

Who are the most important parental figures for you? (Use these persons for the next questions calling for  "father" and "mother".)

What does your father do?

Did he go to college? Where?

What does your mother do?

Did she go to college? Where?

Do you have any brothers or sisters? Tell me about them.

Occupation (college)

How did you decide to come to ____________ ?

Had you considered any other schools?

What are you majoring in?

How did you come to decide on ___________ (either major area of study, the future application of the area, or both, if appropriate)?

What other things have you considered besides _________?

When did that occur?

Tell me about how that was for you.

Most parents have plans for their children, things they'd like to see them do or go into. Did yours have any plans like that for you?

How do your parents feel about what you're going into now? About your future plans?

How willing do you think you'd be to change this if something better came along?

(If P responds: "what do you mean by 'better'?) Well, what might be better in your terms?

[activity, engagement]

Occupation (working)

How long have you been working at ___________?

How did you come to be doing this?

What is __________ like for you?

Do you plan to stay there? What benefits do you see?

What drawbacks?

What future do you see for your self as a _____________ (or with) ___________?

(If P plans to stay at current work place, or if she/he has plans to do something else, choose the most dominant plans and ask:)

What seems attractive to you about ___________?

What other things have you considered besides __________?

When did that occur? How serious were you?

Tell me about how that time was for you.

How do you feel about your current position with respect to ____________?

Most parents have plans for their children, things they'd like them to go into or do. Did your parents have any plans like that for you?

[expectations of future possibilities]

How willing would you'd be to change doing or going into __________ (dominant plans) if something better came along?

(If P responds: "what do you mean by 'better'?) Well, what might be better in your terms?

[activities, rituals]

Religion

Do you have any particular religious affiliation or preference?

How about your parents, do they have any religious preference?

What religion were each of your parents raised in?

How important is religion to your parents?

(If important) Can you give any examples?

Tell me about your religious beliefs as they stand now. (If P cannot articulate these, then ask more specific questions; e.g.:) How do you feel about personal vs. organized religion? Do you think that there's a God? What is the basis for your standards in resolving moral issues?

Was there ever a time when you came to question or doubt your religious beliefs?  (If so)  Tell me about that time; what was it like for you?  What types of things did you question?  What started you thinking about these questions?

How serious were these questions for you?

How did you resolve your questions?

Are there still undecided areas for you? (If so) How important are they?

What do you think will happen in terms of your beliefs?

Did you used to be active in religious activities, e.g., youth groups, attending services, observing holidays? Were you in (catechism classes, confirmed, Bar Mitzvah)?

How about now, are you active in any of these?

Do you get involved in discussions about religious issues?

(If so) Tell me about them.

How willing or likely will change be for you in your religious beliefs in the future? 

How do you think you'll raise your children about religious issues?

Politics

Do you have any particular political preferences? (If P asks: "what do you mean by political preferences?" respond:) Either party preference or general political position. For example, liberal or conservative.

How about your parents, what is each of their political preferences? How important is politics in your home?

(If important) Can you give me some examples?

Tell me about your political views as they stand now.

Are there any social issues about which you feel strongly? Tell me about them. (If P cannot respond at any length to either one of the above questions, then pose specific issues such as: abortion, ecological issues, political-military intervention in other countries, or what ever social issues are fairly widely acknowledged to be of current importance.)

How did you come to develop your beliefs?

What do you feel have been the most important influences on your political-social ideas?

Have you ever taken any kind of political action, like joining any groups, participating in demonstrations, electoral campaigns, writing letters to the government of newspapers?

            For example, student issues such as: "freeze the fees", environmental issues, peace masrches, economics and taxation?

Do you think that your beliefs might change much in the future? (If so) How do you think they might change?

How would you like to see your children raised with respect to political issues? Why?

Gender Role Attitudes

Now, I'd like to change the topic area a bit. I'd like to talk to you about your ideas of men's and women's roles in society today.

What characteristics do you associate with femininity? With masculinity?

Do you think that there are psychological differences between men and women? (If so) Tell me what you think about them?  What are they?  Where do they come from?

Do you think that men and women behave differently?

(If so) How do you account for these differences?

How do you think things should be in terms of what women are supposed to be like, and what men are supposed to be like?

How do your beliefs apply to you in your own life? Do they make a difference in what you do? (If so) Can you give some examples?

[Action, praxis and ritual]

Have you always thought pretty much the way you do now, or have your ideas changed substantially from when you were younger? (If changed) Tell me how that came about.

What are your parents' beliefs in this area?

Do you discuss these things with them?

What do they think about your ideas?

How would you raise your own children around the issue of sex roles?

Are there any areas of concern remaining for you?

(If so) How do you think they'll be resolved?

Can you see your ideas changing much in the future, or are they pretty stable?

Sexuality

Now, I'd like you to tell me some of your beliefs concerning your own sexual behaviour. (Frame questions according to sexual preference.)

What are your attitudes concerning sexual intercourse? When do you think it's all right to be sexually intimate with another person? When not?

How did you develop these ideas?

Have your thoughts changed much since you were younger?

(If so) Tell me how they changed and what led to that change?

Do these beliefs make much difference to you in terms of what you actually do in relationships?

How about your parents? What do they think about sexual relationships?

Do you discuss your views with them?

What do they think about your beliefs?

How about your children, how would you raise them with respect to the issue of sexuality?

How likely do you think you are to change your views in future?

Ethnicity*

Self Identification

How would you describe your self in terms of belonging to an ethnic or cultural group?  (i.e, as in the earlier parts of this study)

What is the ethnic background (ie., Nationality) of your parents?

What do your parents consider themselves to be ___________?  (i.e., ethnic, ethnic-Canadian, Canadian)?

[subjective sense]

What does it mean to you?

Rituals

At home do your parents carry on the practice of traditions from your ethnic background (such as languages, holidays, reading newspapers, magazines, folk music or dance, festivals, sports, ...)? 

What sorts of "rights of passage" do or have your parents seen as important?  Have they recognized one or some of these with significant gifts to you?  What about responsibilities for the family or family traditions?

Do you carry on traditions or practices (such as languages, reading newspapers, magazines, folk music or dance, festivals, sports, ...) from your ethnic group?     [objective activities]

(i.e., learning: African or Celtic dancing, T'ai Chi or Cricket, Playing the sitar or Chinese bamboo flute)

Have you thought much about who you are in terms of belonging to an ethnic group? [Questioning]

Have you ever thought about taking up the practices of (or "joining") some other "ethnic" group?  (Or have you engaged in activities which are part of another "ethnic tradition"?

If so how often? Under what circumstances?

 [reasons and process of searching for subjective sense of belonging]

What would make you change?

Passing on of traditional practices

Would you want to marry someone from your ethnic group?  Why or Why not?  [intimacy considerations]

How would you raise your children with respect to ethnicity? Would you encourage them to learn languages, dance, sports, music or other traditions?  [generative foresights?]

In general how would you describe your relationship to your ethnic group, in other words, what can you tell me about your sense of belonging to your ethnic group?

Is there someone or a few people in particular with whom you feel a greater sense of belonging to your ethnic group?  If so can you tell more about what being ____________(ethnicity) means when you are with this person (these persons)?  [mutuality]

Do you think that your ideas about being _______ ethnic will change in the future?  Will your feeling or sense of being __________ change in the future?

Lastly:  Of all of these areas can you rate them in terms of importance (from most important to least important to how you define or think of yourself) in your life? 

THAT'S IT, . . .    Do you have any questions you would like to ask me?

* Revisions include the addition of a section on ethnicity and culture with an emphasis on understanding mutuality and the integration of the various domains of identity

* It also should be noted that an attempt at investigating the integration between domains can be quietly explored through this domain; using it as a way to discuss the issues of separation and integration of the roles, values, and practices of all domains.