Document Type : Original Article
Researchers
1 Doctoral Candidate in Counselling, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Faculty member
3 Faculty Member
4 Department of Counselling, Faculty of Psychology and Education Allameh Tabataba'i University
Ministerial Ethics Committee
Adolescence is a sensitive and pivotal stage in the human lifespan, during which the formation of personal identity and the determination of future life trajectories gain particular significance. Exploration and commitment are considered two core components of the identity formation process and play a crucial role in developing a coherent and stable identity. Within this process, the family, as the primary social institution, holds a fundamental role in providing the necessary conditions for adolescents to experience exploration, make choices, and commit to personal values, goals, and beliefs. The aim of the present study is to design and develop a comprehensive protocol that offers practical strategies to promote identity exploration and commitment in adolescents, and to examine whether this protocol can exert positive effects on the quality of the parent–child relationship. This study adopts a mixed-methods design (qualitative and quantitative) and will be conducted in two phases. In the first phase, a qualitative approach will be employed. Data will be collected through documentary and library-based reviews, as well as in-depth semi-structured interviews with adolescents who have achieved a successful identity status. The collected data will be analyzed using qualitative content analysis based on grounded theory, leading to the development of a successful identity model grounded in family-provided opportunities for adolescent exploration and commitment. The second phase involves a quantitative approach. Following the design and validation of an educational program derived from the successful identity model, the effectiveness of the developed training package will be evaluated using a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a follow-up phase, including an experimental group and a control group. The intervention will be delivered to mothers of adolescents, and its impact on the quality of the parent–child relationship will be assessed.