Identity Development, Control Theory, and Self-Regulation

The Kerpelman, Pittman, and La,nke (1997) control model provides an excellent illustration of the potential contribution that research on social-cognitive processes can make to the literature on identity development. Their microprocess analysis offers a novel perspective within which research on identity formation can be conceptualized and conducted. I argue that a credible explanation of the development of autonomous self-regulated behavior needs to consider differences in the process by which identity standards are internalized and evaluated, and individual differences in how those standards are conserved and/or revised. Research on cognitive dissonance, identity style, and self-determined action is used to support this individual differences analysis.