From “Stay Apart” to “Stand Together”: Cultural Pathways of Israeli Adolescents’ Identity Formation Across Consecutive Crises

This qualitative phenomenological study examines how Israeli adolescents from Ultra-Orthodox, modern-religious, and secular communities reconstruct their identities across two consecutive national crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and the Iron Swords War. Based on 40 in-depth interviews with adolescents and their parents, the study explores how culturally grounded meaning systems shape developmental responses to prolonged instability. Two central dynamics emerged: disruptions to developmental continuity that generated both vulnerability and reflective growth, and culturally differentiated identity pathways. Ultra-Orthodox adolescents emphasized spiritual collectivism, modern-religious adolescents emphasized civic engagement and moral responsibility, and secular adolescents emphasized emotional regulation and continuity in the face of uncertainty. Participants described the two crises as a continuous developmental sequence, drawing on earlier experiences when making sense of subsequent events. The findings advance a culturally grounded perspective on identity reconstruction as a temporally cumulative process and highlight the importance of culturally responsive support for adolescents facing sustained societal instability.