The Identity Crisis Erikson, Marcia, and More

Erikson Establishment of identity is key to development Building identity is task unique to adolescence Identity Crisis: period of inner conflict during which adolescents worry intensely about who they are

Identity Crisis Cognitive changes - can now contemplate the future and think abstractly Torn between being unique and fitting in Physiological changes - sexual awakenings, physical maturation

Who Am I? Resolve this crisis continually through –Job selection –Personal values –Sexual identity ………………According to Erikson

James Marcia Supports Erikson Four attempts to achieve identity identity moratorium identity foreclosure identity confused/diffused identity achieved

Identity- According to Marcia Identity Moratorium –Adolescents are seriously considering the issues but have not made a commitment Identity Foreclosure –Adolescents have made a commitment but not of their own choice Identity Confused –Adolescents who are not even considering options Identity Achieved –Adolescents who considered options and made commitment

What’s all this about Crisis? Peterson –Crisis is not normal –Crisis happens 20% and typically caused by external forces Bandura –Development is one of continual progress/process –Social Learning Approach - we learn from interactions with others Mead –Stressed importance of social environment –Development is a process rather than chunks marked by discontinuity

To Be or Not To Be in Crisis G Stanley Hall (1904) –President of APA and Clark (invited Freud and Jung to lecture) –Based theory on Darwin –Transition from beast to human – Period of Storm and Stress –“Marginal being”, confused, troubled, highly frustrated A Freud (1958) –Adolescence is in interruption of growth –Adolescence is abnormal if it goes smoothly –Adolescence is equal to a psychiatric disorder M Rutter (1976) –Yes, there is some stress, but not comparable to a psychiatric disorder

David Elkind 1984 All Grown Up and No Place to Go. Described some problems adolescents develop as a result of new found cognitive skills combined with immaturity. Finding fault with authority Argumentative Indecisiveness Apparent hypocrisy Self-consciousness Invulnerability

To Be or Not To Be in Crisis R Havinghurst (1974) Each adolescent must master/face 9 challenges 1. accept physical make-up and acquire sex role 2. develop appropriate same sex relations 3. emotional independence 4. assurance of economic independence 5. decide upon, prepare for, enter a vocation 6. develop cognitive skills and concepts necessary for social competence 7. understand and be socially responsible 8. prepare for marriage and family 9. acquire values that are in sync with world picture