The study tested relationships between patterns of parent-youth-interaction and two aspects of identity formation; the extent to which an adolescent explored alternatives and the degree to which he or she had made commitments. Interviews assessing aspects of the identity process were conducted with 99 Danish students, age 17 and 18. Independent raters assigned each subject to one of Marcia's categories based on the extent of his exploration and commitment. A selected sub-sample (N=21) participated with their parents in triad consensus tasks. Molecular analysis and impressionistic ratings of these triad situations revealed distinctive styles of interaction for families of youth in each of the identity categories. (Author)