Measurement invariance of self-continuity strategies: Comparisons of early adolescents from Brazil, Canada and Colombia

Jonathan Bruce Santo, Josafa da Cunha, Lina María Saldarriaga, Holly E. Recchia, Alexa Martin-Storey, Luz Stella-Lopez, Gina Carmago, William M. Bukowski

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Data from 655 early adolescents from three contexts (Curitiba, Brazil; Montreal, Canada and Barranquilla, Colombia) were used to test for measurement invariance in the constructs of essentialism and narrativism. These two different strategies have been proposed to explain the perceptions of stability of self-continuity over time. Essentialism predicates self-continuity on some fundamental, unchanging aspect of the self. In contrast, narrativism is an understanding of self-continuity as a result of one's cumulative experiences and decisions. Previous research using interview methods have found that these two strategies are mutually exclusive expressions of self-continuity. The current study sought to test this conceptualization using a questionnaire that assessed the underlying structural relation between essentialism and narrativism. The analyses supported a two factor model with measurement invariance across samples allowing for a comparison of mean differences across language and cultural barriers. As a whole, these findings highlight the need to examine developmental changes in warranting strategies for self-continuity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)518-525
Number of pages8
JournalEuropean Journal of Developmental Psychology
Volume10
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2013

Keywords

  • Cross-cultural study
  • Essentialism
  • Multi-group comparison
  • Narrativism
  • Self-continuity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology

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