Navigating Self-Discovery: The Interplay of Social Media and Adolescent Identity Formation
Navigating Self-Discovery: The Interplay of Social Media and Adolescent Identity Formation
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Issue Date
2025-08-31
Authors
Wiebe, Adriana
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Abstract
This capstone uses a comprehensive review of the literature to examine the psychological impacts that social media has on the interplay of adolescent development in regards to their identity formation. The rationale for writing this capstone was to better identify how the insights from the literature could contribute to the understanding of impacts made on adolescent development for clients and their families. Having an understanding of the development of adolescents is imperative to understanding basic mental health support while offering effective treatment for those seeking support for their mental health. This research project’s methodology was a critical analysis of current and past literature that addresses adolescent development and the evolution of social media’s interplay with adolescents. This capstone notes how families with unstructured, limitless, and unsupervised use of social media content has led to increased psychological symptoms including anxiety and depression, body dysphoria, anger, suicidality, and self-harm. Interventions which include skill development, open lines of communication and acceptance were discussed as helpful commonalities appearing in the quantitative research. Additionally, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are presented as a theoretical model for application in the clinical setting. The recommendations for future research included interdisciplinary research which would address the environmental, psychological, and social nature of the impacts leading to psychological concerns. Further research conducted within the Canadian context was recommended, with an emphasis on heterogenous samples, and finally, a recommendation was made for research to apply different theoretical models to determine their effectiveness in treating youth with psychological concerns that are related to the context of “phone hygiene.” This final recommendation was made emphasizing the need to adapt theoretical models to integrate awareness in how families are adapting to the presence of technology in the home and healthy structure for use of phones with adolescents. The capstone concludes with a personal reflection highlighting areas of growth in both clinical and research perspectives and the impact on future professional practice.
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Keywords
social media , mental health , adolescence
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States , openAccess