THE PREDICTIVE ABILITY OF THINKING STYLES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL IDENTITY STATES AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the predictive ability of thinking styles in psychological identity states among university students, and to identify the prevalent psychological identity states and the level of thinkingJaafar Kamel  Al-Rababaah

styles associated with them. To achieve the study objectives, the research was conducted using a descriptive correlational approach. The study sample consisted of (502) male and female students, who were selected randomly from Hashemite University. The Cognitive Abilities Scale of Epstein et al. (1996) was also used, which was developed by Berzonsky et al. (2021). The researchers developed a scale of psychological identity suitable for the Arab environment, after verifying its psychometric properties. The study results indicated that the predominant psychological identity states among university students were identity achievement. The level of thinking styles (analytical vs. intuitive) among university students was high. The results also indicated that analytical and intuitive thinking can be used to predict psychological identity states. The study recommends employing a high level of thinking styles to support the process of adaptation and learning in university life, and conducting studies that address thinking styles and psychological identity states, in addition to other educational and psychological variables, among university students.