Erikson's Concept Of Identity Essay

It outlines the struggle an individual faces in finding stability between developing a sense of forming a unique identity while still being accepted and “fitting in” with society. Erikson believed that when teenagers adequately navigated their way through this crisis, they would transpire into having a clear understanding of their individual identity and easily share this new ‘self’ with others. However, if an individual is unable to navigate their way through this crisis period, they may be uncertain of who they are which can result in a lack of understanding, leading to disconnection from society and the people around them. If youth become stuck at this stage they will be unable to become emotionally mature adults, according to Erikson’s theory. This period of an individual’s life allows them to investigate possibilities which will lead them to discovering their own identity based upon the result of their explorations.

Erik Erikson is identified as a private, complicated man who lacked a formal academic training and came to America as an immigrant in the 1930s. His ideas of the identity development became influential to different theorist such as Lawrence Kohlberg, Carol Gilligan and Bruno Bettelheim who often reference from his work Erikson rarely referenced his work to others with the exclusion of Freud, and he often did not support his theories with empirical evidence, even though his work has become well known (Friedman, 1999).

The concept of identity is highly paradoxical at best. The notion of having a “true” identity is ultimately impossible. Each of us will take on slightly different identities to acceptably fit given situations. Although he focuses on identifying with another person or object, Burt Olivier is a notable scholar that has written extensively on identity.

Therefore, all these factors are crucial in the process of identity development which occurs as the individual answers questions such as “Who am I? Where am I headed? and What is the meaning of my life? (Newman & Newman, 2012, p.389).” The psychosocial crisis faced during these years is achieving individual identity versus identity confusion. Thus, the individual most pull together the many components of the self into a unified image that can push the person in the direction of positive and significant feats (Newman & Newman, 2012, p.412.) Moreover, a sense of identity provides a deep sense of ideological commitment and allows the individual to know his or her place in the world (Sokol, 2009, p.142). In contrast, identity confusion stems from the individual’s inability to make commitments to any single view of him/herself. He/she may be unable to integrate the several roles they play and may lack confidence in their ability to make meaningful decisions (Newman & Newman, 2012,

Erik Erikson’s specialty is in the field of ego psychology. As an ego psychologist, his theory on ego identity is renown as the best-known theory of psychosocial development. Erikson’s theory defines ego identity as “the conscious sense of self that we develop through social interaction which is inclusive of all beliefs, ideals, and values that help shape and guide a person’s behavior” (Cherry, n.d., p. 1).

From the moment we are born till the moment we die, and everything in between, are the moments that determine who we are and who we were as individuals – these stages of life, along with a hint of biological factors, are what mold our personalities and characteristics. Forming an identity is crucial, since it's what distinguishes us from other people. In the article "Identity", Erik Erikson, one of the first psychologists to develop a theory which extends from birth to death and determines how our identities are formed, claims that to develop an identity and experience self-awareness, one must have "challenges, and crisis that must be mastered in order for a healthy personality to form" (Vensel 576). Furthermore, Erickson refers to a 'crisis'

When people from spanish-speaking countries come to America they try to be like everyone else. Language is one of the most important things you can have in life and no one should be able to take this away, however sometimes people lose values of what they want and have in life. Your identity is what makes you unique and what makes everyone different, and there is nothing wrong with being attuned with your roots, you should not give up on your ancestors that easily. In “And Then I Went To School”by Joe Suina, “Daughter of Invention” by Julia Alvarez, and “Aria” by Richard Rodriguez, language and power complicates how people see themselves and the world by making them question their identity and history.

Many students have an identity, interest, or talent that defines them and there is no denying that every student has one of those three things that define them as the person who they are. What really matters is the moment that that gave them that identity, interest or talent. The moment that defined them as the person who they are or want to become in their lifetime. For me, that moment was when I fell off a building.

The identity of one’s self, as well as the curriculum they were exposed to in school can highly have an effect on the student as they choose to advance their education. Which is why I will be talking about how one’s identity is impacted by the curriculum circumstances one is brought upon. Specifically, both Jean Anyon, and James Paul Gee speak of different factors that can have an impact on the student. Gee mentions identity kit, and enculturation, while Anyon mentions the different curriculum knowledge taught upon different social classes.

What is identity? When someone speaks of identity one might think of your action, habits, character, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or gender. However, when I think of identity, I think of where you come from and the things you learn that shape you into the person that you are today. I think identity is a collection of memories and interactions that we share with the people we encounter in our lifetime. I also believe your identity is something you develop about yourself that evolves over the course of your life. My family plays a big part in the person I am today. My great-grandmother was the woman who practically raised me. "She is without a doubt one of the most influential people in my life;" she taught me many life lessons at

This essay is to discuss where a person’s identity is derived from and how they portray those identities. A person’s identity cannot be defined simply by a single aspect of their lives such as religious beliefs but by a mixture of aspects and interactions that the person has. There are two theories that delve into the construction of a person’s identity; Social Identity theory and Identity theory.

    Have you ever thought about your identity, what represents you? What defines you as a person? There are many factors on what shapes identity, such as appearance, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc., but there are two factors that speak to me most when it comes to understanding identity, gender and race. After reading articles talking over the importance of identity and seeing the powerful impact it brings to this world, it immediately made me think of what defines myself, and I quickly thought of the relationship between gender and race. Identity correlates our lives every single day, your name gives you so much meaning as a person. I believe

Erik Erikson believed that personality developed in a sequence of stages. His concept chronicles the significance of social experience throughout a lifetime. Erikson wanted to know how social interaction and relationships were connected to the function in the development and advancement of human beings. Ego identity is one of the essential components of Erikson's theory. Ego identity is the conscious awareness of identity that we develop through social interaction. Our ego identity is constantly changing as we have new experiences. As we progress in each stage of development, we deal with new situations that can either expand or impede our

In general we differentiate between two “kinds” of identity. On the one hand there is the so called social identity, which stresses self-interpretation as a member of a certain social group and on the other hand there is the personal identity, which puts it´s emphasis on individuality and distinctiveness. This distinction is widely known as “patchwork-identity”. Both identities are only a subgroup of many different subjectively interpreted identities that everyone of us has innate.

In entering adolescence, people heavily contemplate their ego identity. In the early 1900s, theorist Erik Erikson believed in eight stages of ego development from birth to death. For the purpose of this paper I have