Why I listen to music: Emotion regulation and identity construction through music in mid-adolescence

Abstract

This study explores functions of music listening in relation to emotion regulation and identity development in mid-adolescence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 adolescents (15-16 years old), using a personally selected piece of music as a starting point. Analysis of the interviews focused on descriptions of emotional and identity related functions of their self-chosen music, complexity level of meaning making in participants’ autobiographical narratives that emerged in relation to the music they had chosen, and the relation between functions and meaning making level. The results revealed two types of engagement with music entailing a connection between emotional and identity-related functions. The first type involves a more basic form of interaction which is focused on influencing one’s mood, and related to feelings of identification with the lively rhythm of the upbeat music they had selected. The second encompasses a more complex emotional regulation, as well as a reflection about the self and their personal history, facilitated by the lyrics or the melody. Adolescents with higher levels of narrative meaning making showed this more complex use of music listening. It is suggested that music listening plays an important role in the interplay between emotional regulation and identity development in mid-adolescence.