A comparative study of identity style in deaf and normal adolescents

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical period of human life, during which many individuals are having problems, including uncertainty in decision-making about important life issues. In particular, there are a number of adolescents with difficulties and disabilities such as hearing impairment; this group of young people also has problems of their own. Many studies have been done on normal adolescents’ identity style but less has been carried out on deaf adolescents. This study aimed to compare deaf and normal adolescents’ identity styles. The present study is a causal-comparative research in which 120 adolescents (60 normal and 60 deaf) were assessed. Identity Style Inventory Revised for a Sixth-Grade Reading Level (ISI-6G) was used. The results showed that the two groups of adolescents were only different in informative identity style and no difference was observed in other identity styles. It can therefore be concluded that normal and deaf adolescents only differ in informative identity style, and there is no difference in normative and diffuse identity styles. Accordingly, it was concluded that today because of the importance given to deaf adolescents and the educational and recreational opportunities provided for them, they are less prone to stress and problems than in the past.