Adolescent identity and school type.

The study examined the Eriksonian notion of exploration of identity alternatives and commitment to goals and beliefs during adolescence, focusing on whether this was associated with school type. A sample of 127 girls from one private and one state school, drawn from comparable social-class backgrounds, were interviewed in depth. Each subject was classified according to Marcia's (1966) four categories of identity achievement, moratorium, foreclosure and diffusion in the domains of politics and occupation. Significant differences between the private- and state-educated samples are reported for both identity exploration and commitment in the two domains. Possible explanations for these differences are given, and recommendations for future work are made.