1. Political Identity in Adolescents A study based on the theories of Erik Erikson and James Marcia

2. Objectives Review Erik Erikson’s eight stages of Identity Formation Discuss James Marcia’s 4 Identity Statuses Present my research project

3. Erik H. Erikson 1902 - Erik Salomonsen, 1909 - Erik Homburger, adult - Erik H. Erikson Mother - Karla Abrahamsen / Father - ? Teacher Ana Freud - underwent psychoanalysis Trained in psychoanalysis at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute Concentrated in the psychology of identity Child psychologist College professor at Ucal, Yale, Harvard Chilhood and Society

4. Erikson’s Theory of Development Life unfolds in a series of 8 conflicts Each stage isolates the most general issue faced by individuals in the social world Deals more with emotional development than cognitive development Development of one’s identity depends on how one resolves each conflict After successfully resolving a crisis, a ‘virtue’ is developed Social pressures and biological maturation drive us from stage to stage

5. Erikson’s 8 stages Trust vs. Mistrust (Infancy) ………………….…………... HOPE Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (Toddlers) …………………WILL Initiative vs. Guilt (Preschool)……………………….…PURPOSE Industry vs. Inferiority (Kinder to adolescence)………..COMPETENCE Identity vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence)…….…………FIDELITY Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young adulthood)……………………LOVE Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle Age)…………………….CARE Integrity vs. Despair (Old Age )…………………………WISDOM

6. Will everyone develop the virtue, or core ego strength, that Erikson describes at the end of each stage? As we resolve each conflict, we need to have more positive than negative results. If we do, we will acquire the virtue that results from a favorable balance of positive at each stage.This allows us to move forward in the healthiest way. Successful resolution at earlier stages increases the chances for successful resolution of later ones

7. James E. Marcia Canadian developmental psychologist Professor at Simon Fraser University Expanded on Erikson’s Theory of Development Focused on Identity vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence) and Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young Adulthood) Identity depends on the extent to which one has explored and committed to an identity in a variety of life domains such as religion, intimate relationships, gender roles, politics and occupation.

8. What did Marcia do? Began research in 1964 Initially interviewed 20 male college students and focused on occupation and ideology What did Marcia find? Identity in adolescence cannot be achieved unless there is both a crisis* and a commitment. Formulated 4 Identity Statuses 2 kinds of committed and 2 kinds of uncommitted

9. Marcia’s 4 Identity Statuses Identity Diffusion Foreclosure Moratorium Identity Achievement

10. Identity Diffusion Unsure and uncaring about their current beliefs and their future Lack a coherent set of beliefs Families are somewhat distant Living for the moment “I like to go with the flow”

11. Foreclosures Has never seriously consider other ideas Has conferred identities Their future is the fulfillment of expectations Supports authoritarian views Come from close, loving, child-centered families Encouraged to conform to family values Great behavior and happy family life “My views have not really changed since childhood.”

12. Moratorium Always weighing the advantages and disadvantages In transition. Moving from either no identity or a conferred identity to a constructed identity Experimenting Like trapeze performers - holding on to the bar of the past while swinging toward the future. “I’m still looking at both sides and trying to decide.”

13. Identity Achieved Have a set of definite values and beliefs Independent and smart Confident even in unfamiliar situations Families support differentiation Successfully resolved their conflicts “I know who I am and what I want from life.”

14. Marcia’s Conclusions Few people are “just” one Identity or the other……many are a mix with one dominating. No status is a “once and for all” identity……though some changes are less likely than others Achieving Moratorium or Identity Achieved depends on whether or not you have experienced a “crisis” People who have made a strong commitment to an identity tend to be happier and healthier than those who have not.

15. My Research Project Explore and determine the Identity Status, according to Marcia, of adolescents in the realm of politics Find out who or what influences adolescents in their political identity  Interviewed 10 adolescents  five boys and five girls aged 13-14  Students at Christ the King Catholic School and Holy Family Name  Used Marcia’s Identity Status Interview Form for political identity and some of my own What did I do?

16. My Hypothesis Students who have achieved some political identity will have experienced a crisis Those students who have not experienced a crisis will be Foreclosure or Identity Diffused

17. Kinds of Questions Do you have any political preference? Do your parents have a political preference? Are there any political or social issues that you feel pretty strongly about? Have you ever taken any political actions, like joining groups, participating in election campaigns, writing letters to government…..? How do you feel while you are engaged in activities related to your political beliefs? How often does your family talk about politics?

18. Scoring Criteria

19. Results

20. Other Results 4 students had experienced a “crisis” - 3 were Identity Achieved and 1 was Moratorium 2 crises were directly related to their peers All Diffusers reported that their families rarely if ever talked about politics The likelihood of an adolescent having a crisis in the realm of politics increases if: 1) their family discusses politics at least once a week and 2) their viewpoints are accepted even if different and 3) their peers are interested in politics. The 3 most important social issues for adolescents are the war in Iraq, the environment/recycling, and abortion

21. Conclusions Adolescents will only achieve identity if they have experienced a crisis Adolescents who had not experienced a crisis were all Diffused or Foreclosure

22. Limitations of my research Small number of interviewees Limited amount of time Homogenous sampling Unfair scoring rubric Inexperienced interviewer * Possible skewed results* if this research study had not been in an election year

23. What were the crises? - Julia “When I was in the 5th grade and the election was going on when the students were talking about the election, the other students didn’t really understand their own opinion. They were mixing it up. One student said that George Bush was for gay marriage and John Kerry wasn’t. That annoyed me and I wanted to make sure I had it right. I saw Fahrenheit 911 and that opened me up to other opinions besides just the Dallas opinion. After that, I started talking to more people about their opinions and that opened me up to a new world.”

24. “I had a classmate who was talking all this trash about candidates and how he knew everything and it made me mad that I didn’t know anything. He kept leaving newspaper articles on my desk about George Bush and Rudy Giuliani. So I looked into it and found out what opinions people had and why it was important and what side I like better. I watched all the debates on TV and I decided that I like Barack Obama.” - Grace “When the terrorist attack on 911 came. I was puzzled to see what was going on and I was scared that someone could do that in the US. That’s when I thought our President should have more security and I started watching the news - in 3rd grade. Then my science teacher chose me to go to Washington DC for a National Junior Leaders conference to explore the government and talk to people.” - Don

25. Recap Erik Erikson - Life unfolds in a series of 8 stages of conflicts. Our Identity depends on the outcome of those conflicts and whether we have more positive than negative experiences. Marcia - Identity cannot be achieved unless there is a crisis and a commitment in a variety of domains. There are 4 Identity Statuses: Identity DiffusedForeclosure Moratorium Identity Achieved