Event Title
How Loud Does Your Identity Speak? Exploring Extraversion, Social Support, and Social Identity Synthesis in College Students
Location
Parker-Reed, SSWAC
Start Date
30-4-2015 2:00 PM
End Date
30-4-2015 3:55 PM
Project Type
Poster
Description
Our study is interested in the relationship between social identity, emotional support, and personality. Previous research has shown that identity synthesis (the coalescing of disparate traits, impulses, and attitudes into a unified whole) plays a role in maintaining and improving mental health, especially in college students (Azmitia, Syed, & Radmacher, 2013). Identity theorists have emphasized the importance of social relationships in building a cohesive identity; in other words, successful identity synthesis relies in part on the emotional support received from others (Schacter & Marshall, 2010). The present study, then, is concerned with the social aspect of one's identity and the mechanisms underlying the successful integration of this social identity. We turn to the personality trait Extraversion, characterized by being sociable, talkative, and assertive, as one of these possible mechanisms: if an individual has a more extraverted personality, they may engage with a greater number of social support systems and in turn have a better chance of receiving emotional support. Because emotional support has been tied to successful identity synthesis, we ask: do extraverts synthesize their identity more successfully than introverts? Do types of extraversion relate differently to identity synthesis, and does gender play a role in this difference? The present study is largely interested in the individual's identity stability and cohesion, and aims to explore the role that personality and social support have on social identity synthesis.
Faculty Sponsor
Tarja Raag
Sponsoring Department
Colby College. Psychology Dept.
CLAS Field of Study
Social Sciences
Event Website
http://www.colby.edu/clas
ID
1320
How Loud Does Your Identity Speak? Exploring Extraversion, Social Support, and Social Identity Synthesis in College Students
Parker-Reed, SSWAC
Our study is interested in the relationship between social identity, emotional support, and personality. Previous research has shown that identity synthesis (the coalescing of disparate traits, impulses, and attitudes into a unified whole) plays a role in maintaining and improving mental health, especially in college students (Azmitia, Syed, & Radmacher, 2013). Identity theorists have emphasized the importance of social relationships in building a cohesive identity; in other words, successful identity synthesis relies in part on the emotional support received from others (Schacter & Marshall, 2010). The present study, then, is concerned with the social aspect of one's identity and the mechanisms underlying the successful integration of this social identity. We turn to the personality trait Extraversion, characterized by being sociable, talkative, and assertive, as one of these possible mechanisms: if an individual has a more extraverted personality, they may engage with a greater number of social support systems and in turn have a better chance of receiving emotional support. Because emotional support has been tied to successful identity synthesis, we ask: do extraverts synthesize their identity more successfully than introverts? Do types of extraversion relate differently to identity synthesis, and does gender play a role in this difference? The present study is largely interested in the individual's identity stability and cohesion, and aims to explore the role that personality and social support have on social identity synthesis.
https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2015/program/52