An Examination of Negative Identity of Adolescents Using the Twenty Statements Test: Quantitative and Qualitative Analyses

Abstract

This study examined the validity of a procedure to identify adolescents choosing a negative identity, by using the Twenty Statements Test (TST). In Study 1, 222 (Survey 1) and 204 (Survey 2) Japanese university students completed questionnaires. Consistent with our hypotheses, students in the negative identity group scored lower on identity achievement, trust, and environmental exploration, and higher on guilt and career indecision, than did their peers in the other groups. There was no significant difference in self-exploration among the groups. In Study 2, 22 university students took part in interviews. Students in the negative identity group stated their negative self-definitions more clearly than did individuals in the other groups. Moreover, they had experienced identity crisis, guilt, and crisis of trust. Overall, these results reveal that the procedure used in this study was effective for identification of adolescents who choose a negative identity.