Lichtgedanken 05

Rubrik 43 05 | LICHT GEDANKEN lationship Experiences in Adolescent Trajectories«—project, which is funded by the German Research Foundation, they interviewed 741 school children aged between 14 and 17 years; 457 of them had completed a year abroad. Self-image is definitely questioned during the stay abroad »Generally speaking, identity develop- ment follows a fairly straight trajectory on the road to becoming an adult«, says Prof. Dr Franz J. Neyer, who carried out the study, together with his colleagues Dr Henriette Greischel and Prof. Dr Pe- ter Noack. »Despite this, we have been able to show that this process can fluctu- ate.« This has now been proven for the first time in longitudinal research: the Jena-based psychologists surveyed the pupils prior to spending a year abroad, as well as during and after their return. As such, the transition periods could also be tracked. As a result, the researchers discovered that young people questioned their self- image as a result of their new perspec- tives, and thus went through an »iden- tity crisis«. »The school children didn’t necessarily feel great during this period, but they got through it. And the experi- ences that they gained from this process later proved to be positive and import- ant«, says Neyer. The psychologists focused on two para- meters in particular in their evaluation of identity development: the relations- hip to the home country and the notion of friendship held by the respondents. The international students identified very strongly with their home country shortly after moving abroad. After their return, however, these values were sig- nificantly weakened. »By expanding their own horizons, the school children posed questions that those who stayed at home simply didn’t consider; for example, where they ac- tually come from, whether they would like to live in Germany or if they could imagine living in a different country«, explains the expert from Jena. There is a similar pattern in relation to social environment. Ties to friends and parents were stronger at the begin- ning of the stay abroad, but they were brought into question more after the return. Thoughts arise like: Does this circle of friends suit me? Howmuch do I identify with my friends?—as such, the youngsters undergo an intense process of reflection, which can prove valuable in later years. The scientists were not able to determine such effects in the comparison group. Those going abroad are usually already open-minded and extroverted It is important to stress that young peo- ple develop well even without spending a year abroad. Not everyone is well-sui- ted to these exceptional situations. Most of the pupils who complete a year abro- ad are already open-minded and extro- verted. »But our research suggests that funding in this sector should be increa- sed, so that periods of studying abroad are not dependent on the educational background and income of the child- ren’s parents«, says Neyer. Image left: Discovering the world is well worth the effort. And not just in terms of language skills; it is also beneficial for personality development. Image right: Psychologist Prof. Dr Franz J. Neyer is in favour of funding stays abroad. Contact Prof. Dr Franz J. Neyer Institute of Psychology Humboldtstraße 11, D-07743 Jena, Germany Phone: +49 36 41 9-45 161 Email: franz.neyer@uni-jena.de www.psychologie.uni-jena.de Original publication: Oh, the Places You’ll Go! How International Mobility Challenges Identity Development in Adolescence, Developmental Psychology (2018), DOI: 10.1037/dev0000595