Using an innovative framework, a psychology of identity is explored by incorporating an analysis of the cultural, historical, and political context of youths from different regions of Puerto Rico. Interviews with 56 Puerto Rican youths who were either studying to work at something they felt strongly about, working at something they loved, or trying to find work after dropping out of school provide portraits of young people in personal transition. The book is conceptualized as a triptych, with the first "panel" being a description of the author's background and its relationship to the narratives of the youths interviewed. The second panel, the center piece, reviews Erik Erikson's ideas on identity, work, and love during youth. Martin Luther King's concept of "opera manum dei," the hands that do the work of God, is amplified in the discussion of work and love. The interviews presented in the second panel are further explored in the third panel's discussions of work, love, and identity. (Contains 1 table, 8 figures, and 86 references.) (SLD)