Classic and Novel Exploration Styles in Religious Identity Formation

To examine Erik Erikson’s identity exploration styles as developed by James Marcia into the identity
status model and expanded by Koen Luyckx et al. (2006), the present longitudinal study traced
exploration styles in the ongoing process of religious identity formation in an underinvestigated
sociocultural context: Israeli Modern-Orthodox students in posthigh school religious mechina gap-year
programs. Modern-Orthodoxy contains inherent tensions between traditional religious observance and
secular modernity. Using qualitative methodology, we conducted 158 interviews over 1.5 years with 20
male adolescents (age 18–20 years) and 3 rabbis heading 3 mechina programs. Content analysis
distinguished four styles of religious identity exploration, two previously documented styles (in-depth,
in-breadth) and two novel substyles (experiential, directed). In experiential exploration, students “try
out” different behavioral religious experiences; if those are unsatisfying and students will not abandon
their current commitment, moratorium may lead to foreclosure (see the case of Tom). In directed
exploration, students’ identity seeking is directed by educators toward one well-recognized alternative;
students who reject that doctrine may regress to foreclosure (see the case of Erez). These findings add
nuance to identity theory, highlighting the central link between identity and sociocultural context and
emphasizing a dynamic model of identity formation in this understudied population.