Which option best describes identification in compliance?

Which option best describes identification in compliance?

• A. The child believes the rule is valuable and follows it voluntarily.
• B. The child follows internalized values.
• C. The child follows due to external rewards.
• D. The child follows to avoid punishment.

Answer: (A)

Identification in compliance means adopting a rule because you identify with the person or group who sets it and genuinely perceive the rule as valuable. The child wants to be like the authority and sees the rule as part of their own standards, so they follow voluntarily even without ongoing pressure. This goes beyond mere fear of punishment or rewards, and it’s not just following internalized values for personal reasons—the motivation is that the authority’s standards feel meaningful and worth living up to, because they identify with them.

Identification in compliance means adopting a rule because you identify with the person or group who sets it and genuinely perceive the rule as valuable. The child wants to be like the authority and sees the rule as part of their own standards, so they follow voluntarily even without ongoing pressure. This goes beyond mere fear of punishment or rewards, and it’s not just following internalized values for personal reasons—the motivation is that the authority’s standards feel meaningful and worth living up to, because they identify with them.