The Development of self and identity in adolescence: neural evidence and implications for a value-based choice perspective on motivated behavior
Open accessAbstract
Following a key developmental task of childhood-building a foundation of self-knowledge in the form of domain-specific self-concepts-adolescents begin to explore their emerging identities in ways that foster autonomy and connectedness. Neuroimaging studies of self-related processes demonstrate enhanced engagement of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in adolescence, which may facilitate and reflect the development of identity by integrating the value of potential actions and choices. Drawing from neuroeconomic and social cognitive accounts, we propose that motivated behavior during adolescence can be modeled by a general value-based decision-making process centered around value accumulation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. This approach advances models of adolescent neurodevelopment that focus on reward sensitivity and cognitive control by considering more diverse value inputs, including contributions of developing self- and identity-related processes. It also considers adolescent decision making and behavior from adolescents' point of view rather than adults' perspectives on what adolescents should value or how they should behave.
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Reorientation towards peers facilitates development into independent adults, enabling a more complete sense of social self-identity and stronger peer group affiliations.
“This reorientation towards peers facilitates young people's development into independent adults, enabling them to foster a more complete sense of social self-identity, at the same time as building stronger affiliations with their peer group.14”
From The effects of social deprivation on adolescent development and mental health (2020) · cites this paper as [14]
In “The Development of Self and Identity in Adolescence” (page unavailable), the paper says adolescents seek autonomy from parents while developing stronger social-identity commitments and a greater need for peer connection. It does not establish that reorientation toward peers causes independence or stronger peer affiliations; it describes these changes as occurring together. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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- Authors
- Pfeifer, J. H., & Berkman, E. T.
- Affiliations
- University of Oregon (US)
- Corresponding author
- Pfeifer, Jennifer H
- Venue
- Child Development Perspectives
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2018-08-03
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 158-164
- ISSN
- 1750-8592 (ISSN-L)
- 1750-8606
- PMC
- PMC6667174
- OpenAlex
- W2792358033
- Cited by
- 354
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 71 · 2025: 80 · 2024: 51 · 2023: 52 · 2022: 40 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 2
- FWCI
- 8.86
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Child Development Perspectives (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Health (P50 DA035763, DA043015, R01 MH107418, R01 AG048840, CA175241, CA211224)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- adolescent identity development, self-concept, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, value-based decision making, motivated behavior, autonomy, reward sensitivity, cognitive control, self-referential processing, brain development, adolescent decision-making
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