Table 1.

Domains of exploration.

Domain of exploration	Description
Physical appearance	Beginning to draw attention to appearance, seeking own style; the extent to which the physical self becomes a persistent presence (Brinthaupt and Lipka, 2002).
Free time	Activities that the early adolescent engages in or would like to engage in during free time to find his or her interests and passions as well as to discover strengths, as expressed in their own actions (Erikson, 1968).
Family	Reflections on the family of origin, the prevailing relations and the relevance or similarity to family members; comparing one's own family with peers' families (McKinney and Renk, 2011).
Work	Considerations regarding what the early adolescent wants to do in adult life, including ideas about what profession would be the most suitable for him or her (Marcia, 1966).
Boyfriend-girlfriend relationships	Drawing attention to the opposite sex, interest in romantic relationships, thinking about which partner would be best suited to him or her and what type of relationship one would like to create (Furman and Shaffer, 1999).
Perception of own place in the life cycle	The early adolescent's impression that he or she is no longer a child and feelings of discomfort in situations in which others (especially parents) treat him/her as a child. A sense of “growing out” of childhood, entering a new phase, and “fully living in these ‘new clothes”’ (Brinthaupt and Lipka, 2002).
Self-reflection	Thinking about him/herself and asking questions about who he or she is. The desire to discover new things about him/herself and attempts to become further acquainted with him/herself (Brinthaupt and Lipka, 2002).
Future	Consideration of the various directions that one could take in life. Pondering how he or she would like to live, which life goals are important and what type of lifestyle would be appropriate for him or her in the future (Luyckx et al., 2006, 2008).
Future family	Imagining and thinking about the family that one will create in the future, the relationships between the members of the family and the manner in which he/she would like the family to function (Furman and Shaffer, 1999).
Outlook on life	Considering different value systems, searching for information and reflections to justify and intensify his/her beliefs, doubts regarding one's beliefs (Erikson, 1950; Boyes and Chandler, 1992).
Attitude toward rules	Pondering whether all rules, orders and prohibitions are necessary and make sense and considering what would happen if the early adolescent had not acquiesced to such rules (Magnusson et al., 1985; Krettenauer et al., 2013).