ABSTRACT

Adolescents go through a critical process of identity formation. This time in their life can be confusing and having a mentor to provide support and guidance has proven to be helpful and may increase self-esteem, self-efficacy, problem-solving and coping skills in youth. In this qualitative narrative study, at-promise youth from historically oppressed communities (ages 12 to 15) who participated in a 12-week therapeutic youth mentoring program, were interviewed utilizing a creative method called photo-elicitation. Photo-elicitation and semi-structured questions facilitated the narrative interview process allowing the youth to share experiences surrounding identity formation through photographs. Significant findings are presented in narrative form utilizing participant quotes to capture the emotion, language, and perspective of the participants’ perceptions of self and identity. Implications for mental health professionals working with adolescents during a time of self-exploration and identity formation, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

摘要

青少年经历身份形成的关键过程。他们人生中的这个时期可能会感到困惑，事实证明，有一位导师提供支持和指导是有帮助的，并且可能会提高青少年的自尊、自我效能、解决问题和应对技能。在这项定性叙事研究中，来自历史上受压迫社区的有前途的年轻人（12 至 15 岁）参加了为期 12 周的治疗性青年指导计划，并利用一种称为照片诱导的创造性方法对他们进行了采访。照片启发和半结构化问题促进了叙事访谈过程，使年轻人能够通过照片分享有关身份形成的经验。重要的发现以叙述的形式呈现，利用参与者的引言来捕捉情感、语言、以及参与者对自我和身份的看法。讨论了在自我探索和身份形成期间与青少年一起工作的心理健康专业人员的影响，以及对未来研究的建议。