The purpose of the present study was to review identity status-based theory and research with adolescents and emerging adults, with some coverage of related approaches such as narrative identity and identity style. This theoretical framework asks a fundamental question that is not when active consideration of identity issues begins, but rather when this first iteration of self-examination is resolved. A number of models have been introduced to describe and help explain the process of identity development from late adolescence through emerging adulthood. The results suggest the possibility that a coherent and well-organized sense of identity may facilitate illness-related coping and may protect against distress associated with chronic diseases. As a result the identity status model has withstood a number of criticisms and has given rise to contemporary conceptualizations that have cast identity as a dynamic, iterative process. The identity status model has remained useful for much longer than he had expected, and it has inspired a number of other models that have furthered the understanding of what identity is and how it functions.
