Daydreaming Styles and Identity Exploration in Adolescents of Guwahati: A Correlation Study

Abstract

This aim of the present research was to investigate the relationship between daydreaming styles and identity exploration of adolescents. An attempt was also made to understand and gain insight about the daydreaming styles (positive-constructive, guilt and fear of failure and poor attentional control) and identity exploration in adolescents with respect to various domains (physical appearance, free time, family, work, boyfriend-girlfriend relationships, own opinion formation, perception of own place in the life cycle, self-reflection, future, future family, outlook on life, and attitude toward rules). The current study was conducted on a purposive sample of adolescents taken from Maria’s Public School, Guwahati (N=90). The sample comprised of boys (N=45) and girls (N=45). In order to measure daydreaming styles and identity exploration, Short Imaginal Processes Inventory and Early Identity Exploration Scale were used respectively. Correlation analysis through SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) portrayed that a positive correlation was found between ‘poor attentional control daydreaming’ and ‘future’ aspect of identity exploration and a negative correlation was found between ‘guilt and fear of failure daydreaming’ and ‘perception of own place in the life cycle’. Data analysis revealed that ‘guilt and fear of failure daydreaming’ style was the highest among the other styles of daydreaming which participants agreed to have engaged in and ‘work’ domain of identity exploration was found to be the highest dimension where a majority of the sample agreed to have explored.