Individuality and relatedness of the self: an autophotographic study.

Using R. C. Ziller's (1990) method of autophotography, the authors studied the duality of relatedness and individuality. A total of 226 young adults used photos (and words) to portray "who they are". Photo essays were scored for objective codes (e.g., people touching) and subjectively rated for individuality (richness of self-depiction). As predicted, persons who emphasized their personal rather than social identity depicted greater individuality; relatedness was associated with social and collective identity. Other results replicated earlier gender differences in relatedness and associations of individuality and relatedness with the 5-factor model. In the 2nd wave of the sample, individuality was associated with higher ego development, maturity, and self-directed values; low individuality was associated with restrictive conformity and security values. The authors suggest that the combination of individuality and relatedness is optimal for human development.