Identity Development

Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy, and Deaf Identity

A person’s sense of self develops in childhood and strengthens, consolidates, and differentiates during adolescence. Research on self-concept development has tended to focus unduly on the importance of self-esteem for identity formation rather than on self-efficacy. Research in schools evaluating self-esteem has raised serious questions about the relationship among self-esteem, academic achievement, and ego identity development. Self-efficacy has been found to be empirically associated with higher learning outcomes, academic aspirations, and accomplishments; consideration and pursuit of a wider array of career options; and greater persistence in pursuing chosen career paths and more involvement in civic and prosocial activities. The value of self-efficacy has also been demonstrated in individualistic and collectivist societies. Recent research provides evidence that children’s positive self-esteem must be based on realistic self-appraisals and feedback with respect to their competencies (i.e., self-efficacy). For example, students whose self-esteem is not based on real competencies may experience anxiety or depression when those competencies are put to a test. In contrast, students whose academic self-esteem is based on grounded self-efficacy—they are actually good in that area—will likely have positive experiences with a skill, so exercising the skill becomes inherently rewarding. Self-efficacy therefore provides a solid foundation for identity formation. This research evidence relates specifically to deaf children and the feedback that they receive from professionals, teachers, and parents. Many deaf children are unrealistically reinforced for their spoken English abilities while their other competencies, for which [Page 478]they may have far greater skill (for example, sign language literacy performance) may be ignored. Rather than being fed false feedback to increase self-esteem related to areas of lesser skill (such a spoken language), Deaf children need to know frankly what they are competent at and to be encouraged to foster those competencies for a strong sense of self-efficacy, accomplishment, and grounded ego identity. Peter Hauser and others have cited research studies that demonstrate positive impacts of educational settings that highlight and build upon the visual competencies of deaf students.

Parenting Styles and Deaf Identity

Research shows that parenting appears to play a large role in identity formation, and parenting styles that encourage proactivity in general also stimulate more successful identity development. Children who are encouraged to think for themselves and who are provided more psychological autonomy to explore their potential and social opportunities, but who abide by parental guidance, tend to show the best identity development outcomes.

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