In this study the relationship between aspects of family functioning and the achievement of identity in adolescence is investigated. Three family interaction variables, namely, adolescent autonomy, parental attitudes towards adolescent autonomy, and percentage of speaking time of each family member are derived from observation of 27 families (parents and adolescent child) in a problem solving task and related to the adolescent identity status. Identity status is separately scored for six content areas. Psychometric analyses show that the scores of the six areas can be combined into one overall status. In general the findings indicate that identity status is related to the family interaction variables. In the discussion attention is paid to the usefulness of psychometric procedures in scoring the identity status interview.
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