Alcohol Use among Danish Adolescents: A Self- and Social Identity Perspective

Cross-national studies have shown that the alcohol consumption of young Danes, and especially their rate of engagement in binge drinking and experience with drunkenness, is one of the highest in Europe (see Chapters 3 and 4 in this volume). The purpose of the study presented in this chapter was to gain a better understanding of the high consumption of Danish adolescents by examining the role of identity. An identity approach to behaviour suggests that people tend to engage in behaviours that agree with their self-concept (Stryker and Burke, 2000). Doing so is believed to assist in the formation of a coherent and persistent sense of self (Swann et al., 1992). Adolescents, being in a transition phase from childhood into adulthood, are more in need of a stable self-image than any other age group (Erikson, 1968; Tarrant et al., 2001), and may therefore be especially motivated to enact central aspects of their self-concept in their behaviour. Hence, an identity perspective may be particularly well suited for the study of adolescent drinking. Before we set out the specific research objectives for the present study, we will first discuss in brief previous research on identity and adolescent alcohol use.