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Young Women in Today’s Taiwan: Relation of Identity Status and Redemptive Narration to Psychological Well-Being

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Abstract

The task of identity development is a process of balancing multiple values (Grotevant and Cooper 1998). For young women living in a society where values are in transition, such as Taiwan, this task may be particularly challenging. Forging their identity as an adult woman may have implications for their well-being. Adopting a mixed-method approach, the current study investigated two aspects of undergraduate Taiwanese women’s identity development: identity status and narrative identity. The study assessed achieved and diffused identity status as well as redemption and contamination, two aspects of narrative identity, as independent predictors of women’s psychological well-being. Eighty-five undergraduate women in Northern Taiwan (M age = 19.92, SD = 1.58) completed the Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status. To assess aspects of narrative identity, they also provided a Self-Defining Memory narrative of a turning point in their lives. Specific interpretation sequences (i.e., redemption versus contamination) were reliably content-coded from the narratives. A Psychological Well-Being scale was also administered. As expected, results of hierarchical regressions show that having an achieved identity status (as found in US samples) predicts higher psychological well-being. Notably, however, showing redemption (i.e., as compared to contamination) in one’s narrative also uniquely predicted higher psychological well-being. Sociocultural factors and psychological processes that are associated with Taiwanese women’s identity development are discussed.

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Compliance with Ethical Standards

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The study involves human participants and consent was obtained.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei City, Taiwan

    Hsiao-Wen Liao & Ching-Ling Cheng

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Hsiao-Wen Liao & Susan Bluck

Authors
  1. Hsiao-Wen Liao
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  2. Susan Bluck
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  3. Ching-Ling Cheng
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hsiao-Wen Liao.

Appendices

Appendix A

Psychological Well-being

Traditional Chinese version

  1. 1.

    我對能拓展自己視野的活動不感興趣。(R)

  2. 2.

    一路走來,我對自己的發展結果感到滿意。

  3. 3.

    我不害怕表達出與大多數人不同的意見。

  4. 4.

    隨著年齡增長,我越來越瞭解我自己。

  5. 5.

    對我而言,維持親密的人際關係是充滿困難與挫折的。(R)

  6. 6.

    我總是過一天算一天,沒有認真地思考過未來。(R)

  7. 7.

    大致上,我肯定自己且充滿自信。

  8. 8.

    其他人的作為通常不會影響我的決定。

  9. 9.

    我經常因為缺少親近的朋友分享心事而感到孤單。(R)

  10. 10.

    我覺得多數人的生活都過得比我還充實。(R)

  11. 11.

    我會擔心別人對我的看法。(R)

  12. 12.

    我能夠處理自己生活中的諸多責任。

  13. 13.

    我喜歡自己大部份的個性。

  14. 14.

    我會採取有效的行動去改變自己不滿意的生活狀況。

  15. 15.

    我並未隨著年紀增長而有所長進。(R)

  16. 16.

    很少人願意在我需要的時候聽我說話。(R)

  17. 17.

    我不知道什麼是我人生要追求的目標。(R)

  18. 18.

    我對自己生活中很多方面的成就感到失望。(R)

  19. 19.

    隨著年紀增長,我得到許多人生領悟,這讓我成為更堅強也更有能力的人。

  20. 20.

    我樂於計畫未來並且努力實現它。

  21. 21.

    大致上,我對自己的為人與目前所過的生活感到自豪。

  22. 22.

    我對自己的意見有信心,即使我的意見與一般的共識不一樣。

  23. 23.

    隨著時間增長,我覺得自己也成熟不少。

  24. 24.

    我是一個積極實現自己計畫的人。

  25. 25.

    對我來說,在具爭議性的問題上表達自己的意見是困難的。(R)

  26. 26.

    我能在忙碌生活中安排好所有事情,並從中獲得滿足感。

  27. 27.

    我很少有過溫暖且互相信任的人際關係。(R)

  28. 28.

    我是一個有生活目標的人。

  29. 29.

    我在計畫日常活動時會感到挫折,因為我從未按照預定進度完成工作。(R)

  30. 30.

    對我而言,生活是一個持續學習、改變與成長的歷程。

  31. 31.

    我常覺得我不擅長於友誼關係。(R)

  32. 32.

    我很難安排讓自己滿意的生活。(R)

  33. 33.

    我覺得很難敞開心胸和他人交談。(R)

  34. 34.

    我會根據我所認為重要的標準來評價我自己,而不是其他人所認定的價值。

  35. 35.

    一直以來,我都能夠建立自己喜愛的居家風格和生活型態。

  36. 36.

    總括而言,我不確定我的生活有很多意義。(R)

English version

  1. 1.

    I am not interested in activities that will expand my horizons. (R)

  2. 2.

    When I look at the story of my life, I am pleased with how things have turned out.

  3. 3.

    I am not afraid to voice my opinions, even when they are in opposition to the opinions of most people.

  4. 4.

    In general, I feel that I continue to learn more about myself as time goes by.

  5. 5.

    Maintaining close relationships has been difficult and frustrating for me. (R)

  6. 6.

    I live life 1 day at a time and don’t really think about the future. (R)

  7. 7.

    In general, I feel confident and positive about myself.

  8. 8.

    My decisions are not usually influenced by what everyone else is doing.

  9. 9.

    I often feel lonely because I have few close friends with whom to share my concerns. (R)

  10. 10.

    I feel like many of the people I know have gotten more out of life than I have. (R)

  11. 11.

    I tend to worry about what other people think of me. (R)

  12. 12.

    I am quite good at managing the many responsibilities of my daily life.

  13. 13.

    I like most aspects of my personality.

  14. 14.

    If I were unhappy with my living situation, I would take effective steps to change it.

  15. 15.

    When I think about it, I haven’t really improved much as a person over the years. (R)

  16. 16.

    I don’t have many people who want to listen when I need to talk. (R)

  17. 17.

    I don’t have a good sense of what it is I’m trying to accomplish in life. (R)

  18. 18.

    In many ways, I feel disappointed about my achievements in life. (R)

  19. 19.

    With time, I have gained a lot of insight about life that has made me a stronger, more capable person.

  20. 20.

    I enjoy making plans for the future and working to make them a reality.

  21. 21.

    For the most part, I am proud of who I am and the life I lead.

  22. 22.

    I have confidence in my opinions, even if they are contrary to the general consensus.

  23. 23.

    I have the sense that I have developed a lot as a person over time.

  24. 24.

    I am an active person in carrying out the plans I set for myself.

  25. 25.

    It’s difficult for me to voice my own opinions on controversial matters. (R)

  26. 26.

    My daily life is busy, but I derive a sense of satisfaction from keeping up with everything.

  27. 27.

    I have not experienced many warm and trusting relationships with others. (R)

  28. 28.

    Some people wander aimlessly through life, but I am not one of them.

  29. 29.

    I get frustrated when trying to plan my daily activities because I never accomplish the things I set out to do. (R)

  30. 30.

    For me, life has been a continuous process of learning, changing, and growth.

  31. 31.

    I often feel like I’m on the outside looking in when it comes to friendships. (R)

  32. 32.

    I have difficulty arranging my life in a way that is satisfying to me. (R)

  33. 33.

    I find it difficult to really open up when I talk with others. (R)

  34. 34.

    I judge myself by what I think is important, not by the values of what others think is important

  35. 35.

    I have been able to build a home and a lifestyle for myself that is much to my liking.

  36. 36.

    In the final analysis, I’m not so sure that my life adds up to much. (R)

Reversed-score items (R): 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 25, 27, 29, 31, 32, 33, 36

Appendix B

Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status

Traditional Chinese version

  1. 1.

    我還沒有想過我真正想要從事的職業 (或最想唸的科系) 是什麼,我只是做著現有的工作直到有更好的出現。

  2. 2.

    我不覺得需要尋找我自己的宗教信仰,而且也沒有吸引我的宗教。

  3. 3.

    我並沒有留意過哪一種生活方式能夠特別吸引我。

  4. 4.

    我偶爾會受邀參加一些休閒活動,但很少自己主動去嘗試一些休閒活動。

  5. 5.

    我還沒有真正想過要有怎樣的約會形式,而我也不太在意有沒有約會。

  6. 6.

    政治多變難料,但我認為瞭解自己的政治立場是很重要的,所以我已經針對這個問題思考過了。

  7. 7.

    我不會多想宗教議題,而且這個議題也不會讓我感到困擾。

  8. 8.

    關於友誼,我有自己的一套看法。我總是根據自己的價值觀與個性來選擇知心朋友。

  9. 9.

    根據過去的經驗,我已經確定我希望的約會關係。

  10. 10.

    我從未認真思考過政治議題,也對它不感興趣。

  11. 11.

    每個人都有自己獨特的宗教信仰。而我曾反覆思索 「信仰」 這件事,並且已經確定關於自己信仰的相關問題。

  12. 12.

    我從來沒有認真思考過男性和女性在婚姻中的角色為何,而且這個問題似乎不影響我。

  13. 13.

    深思熟慮後,我已確定理想的生活方式,也相信沒有人可以輕易改變我的觀點。

  14. 14.

    我已經選擇好自己想要持續參與的一種或多種休閒活動,而我也滿意這樣的選擇。

  15. 15.

    我不太會想跟約會有關的事,當有約會的時候,我就是去赴約。

  16. 16.

    我對於尋找一份適合我的工作不感興趣,我似乎只是做著我所能獲得的工作。

  17. 17.

    我沒有什麼知心好友,而目前我也沒有嘗試去尋找。

  18. 18.

    有時候我會參加一些休閒活動,但是我不覺得需要找出一項特定的休閒活動。

  19. 19.

    花了許多心力,如今我已經知道在工作中我要的是什麼。

  20. 20.

    我曾經花不少時間思考婚姻中男性與女性的性別角色,而我現在已經確定了適合自己的方式。

  21. 21.

    我已經徹底的想過自己的政治理念,並且夠分辨自己同意或不同意父母的哪些看法。

  22. 22.

    我認真的想過關於信仰的許多問題,因此現在我已經瞭解自己的信仰了。

  23. 23.

    我曾經有過很多不同的友誼型態,現在我已經很明確的知道哪一種朋友適合我。

  24. 24.

    經過嘗試不同的休閒活動之後,我已找出可以樂在其中或與朋友同樂的活動了。

  25. 25.

    雖然花很多時間做決定,但是現在我已經確定將來的職業方向了。

  26. 26.

    夫妻間有很多不同的方式去分配家庭責任,經過反覆思考,我已經知道我想要的方式是哪一種了。

  27. 27.

    一般而言,我想我對生活還算滿意,而我不認為自己有按照著任何特定的看法或觀點在過生活。

  28. 28.

    我沒有什麼知心朋友,只喜歡跟一群人混在一起。

  29. 29.

    我曾和不同類型的人交往過,如今我已經清楚的知道自己想和哪種人約會,以及我所期望的約會方式。

  30. 30.

    我從未真正關心和參與政治,因而沒有特定、明確的政治立場。

  31. 31.

    關於 「男性和女性角色」 的看法似乎太多了,所以我不會深入的思考這些問題。

  32. 32.

    經過一番自我檢視之後,我已經對自己的生活方式有很明確的看法。

English version

  1. 1.

    I haven’t chosen the occupation I really want to get into, and I’m just working at what is available until something better comes along.

  2. 2.

    When it comes to religion I just haven’t found anything that appeals and I don’t really feel the need to look.

  3. 3.

    There’s no single “life style” which appeals to me more than another.

  4. 4.

    I sometimes join in recreational activities when asked, but I rarely try anything on my own.

  5. 5.

    I haven’t really thought about a “dating style.” I’m not too concerned whether I date or not.

  6. 6.

    Politics is something that I can never be too sure about because things change so fast. But I do think it’s important to know what I can politically stand for and believe in.

  7. 7.

    I don’t give religion much thought and it doesn’t bother me one way or the other.

  8. 8.

    There are many reasons for friendship, but I choose my close friends on the basis of certain values and similarities that I’ve personally decided on.

  9. 9.

    Based on past experiences, I’ve chosen the type of dating relationship I want now.

  10. 10.

    I haven’t really considered politics. It just doesn’t excite me much.

  11. 11.

    A person’s faith is unique to each individual. I’ve considered and reconsidered it myself and know what I can believe.

  12. 12.

    I’ve never really seriously considered men’s and women’s roles in marriage. It just doesn’t seem to concern me.

  13. 13.

    After considerable thought I’ve developed my own individual viewpoint of what is for me an ideal “life style” and don’t believe anyone will be likely to change my perspective.

  14. 14.

    I’ve chosen one or more recreational activities to engage in regularly from lots of things and I’m satisfied with those choices.

  15. 15.

    I don’t think about dating much. I just kind of take it as it comes.

  16. 16.

    I’m not really interested in finding the right job, any job will do. I just seem to flow with what is available.

  17. 17.

    I don’t have any real close friends, and I don’t think I’m looking for one right now.

  18. 18.

    Sometimes I join in leisure activities, but I really don’t see a need to look for a particular activity to do regularly.

  19. 19.

    It took me a while to figure it out, but now I really know what I want for a career.

  20. 20.

    I’ve spent some time thinking about men’s and women’s roles in marriage and I’ve decided what will work best for me.

  21. 21.

    I’ve thought my political beliefs through and realize I can agree with some and not other aspects of what my parents believe.

  22. 22.

    I’ve gone through a period of serious questions about faith and can now say I understand what I believe in as an individual.

  23. 23.

    I’ve had many different friendships and now I have a clear idea of what I look for in a friend.

  24. 24.

    After trying a lot of different recreational activities I’ve found one or more I really enjoy doing by myself or with friends.

  25. 25.

    It took me a long time to decide but now I know for sure what direction to move in for a career.

  26. 26.

    There are many ways that married couples can divide up family responsibilities. I’ve thought about lots of ways, and now I know exactly how I want it to happen for me.

  27. 27.

    I guess I just kind of enjoy life in general, and I don’t see myself living by any particular viewpoint to life.

  28. 28.

    I don’t have any close friends. I just like to hang around with the crowd.

  29. 29.

    I’ve dated different types of people and know exactly what my own “unwritten rules” for dating are and who I will date.

  30. 30.

    I really have never been involved in politics enough to have made a firm stand one way or the other.

  31. 31.

    Opinions on men’s and women’s roles seem so varied that I don’t think much about it.

  32. 32.

    After a lot of self-examination I have established a very definite view on what my own life style will be.

Achieved identity status items: 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 32

Diffused identity status items: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 27, 28, 30, 31

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Liao, HW., Bluck, S. & Cheng, CL. Young Women in Today’s Taiwan: Relation of Identity Status and Redemptive Narration to Psychological Well-Being. Sex Roles 73, 258–272 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-015-0504-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-015-0504-y

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