Diversity in Reported Motivations for Substance Use as a Function of Ego-Identity Development

Adolescent drug use motivations were examined from the perspective of Marcia's (1966) operationalization of Erikson's psychosocial theory of human development. A random sample of 1,691 was drawn from a data base consisting of 12,988 Arizona students in grades seven through twelve. Findings revealed that reported motivations were significantly different across all four ego-identity stages (achievement, moratorium, foreclosure, and diffusion). Generally, respondents classified as either achieved or moratorium were much more likely to cite curiosity and recreation as motivations for substance use than their peers who were classified as foreclosed or diffused (who cited peers and boredom). Diffused respondents were likely to cite fear of parents finding out, and fear of arrest as reasons for not trying alcohol, whereas the achieved and moratorium youths were simply not interested or expressed health concerns. Religion emerged as an important discriminator between the identity statuses as well. Foreclosed respondents were one and one-half times more likely than the achieved, four times more likely than the moratorium, and five times more likely than diffused respondents to cite religion as a motivation for abstinence. These findings indicate that adolescents use psychoactive substances for reasons which vary according to identity status (psychosocial maturity), and point to the need for tailoring prevention efforts to developmental differences.