Exploring The Relationship Between Perceived Social Support and Self-Identity Among Higher Secondary School Students

This study examines the relationship between perceived social support and self-identity among highersecondary school students, within the age group of 15 to 18 years. Using the Modified Marcia IdentityQuestionnaire (MMIQ) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), data werecollected face-to-face from a sample of 250 higher secondary school students using standardizedmeasures, to assess how perceived social support influences self-identity. The results indicate a weak butstatistically significant positive correlation (r = .155, p = .014), suggesting that students with higherperceived social support tend to have a slightly stronger sense of self-identity. However, the findingsimply that social support is not the sole determinant of self-identity, as other psychological, social, andenvironmental factors contribute to identity development. The study highlights the importance of fosteringsupportive social environments, particularly through family, peers, and mentors, to enhance adolescentidentity formation.