Identity Development During Adolescence in Individuals with Pectus Excavatum

For my graduate thesis, I present an annotated bibliography that evaluates and summarizes a list of resources available for use in future research. The resources focus on how pectus excavatum, a congenital birth anomaly affecting the thoracic wall, may impact identity formation and subsequent behavior during a period characterized by significant physical and psychological development, from the ages 12 to 18, known as adolescence. I examine resources that specifically look at congenital birth anomalies, pectus excavatum, developmental psychology, psychoanalysis, and identity crises. The following provides background and an annotated bibliography to establish whether there is a causal relationship between individuals born with congenital birth anomalies, specifically pectus excavatum (PE), and the impact it has to identity development during adolescence. This work is important to me because I was born with pectus excavatum, and I believe a causal relationship does exist. While I claim the causal relationship does exist, I should note this is conjecture and anecdotally based on 7 years of interacting with patients in both a clinical and personal setting. The conversations are reflective of discussions that have taken place about having been born with pectus excavatum and how the condition has impacted our lives.