Erickson´s Identity Formation

Erikson theorizes that in such a period, adolescents have certain tasks, one of which is identifying who they are. An individual successfully completes the task by staying true to his or her self, whereas when a person fails that stage, it leads to role confusion; consequently creating a weak sense of self. (Block 2011). The stage also entails a variety of personal challenges and limitations faced as well as a series of needs to be met, including: attention, guidance, independence, stability, and acceptance, among other needs. Meeting an adolescent’s needs is fundamental to their healthy development and personal growth. Nevertheless, adolescence remains as puzzling of a period in time for both the teens experiencing it, as well as for the individuals surrounding them, watching them as they navigate through the trials that adolescence brings them.

According to Erik Erikson, adolescence is marked by the child’s questioning his or her identity during what he refers to as the identity versus identity confusion developmental stage. During this phase, the adolescent becomes mindful of his or her identity and seeks his or her purpose in life, as well as the answer to the eternal question, “who

With respect to Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development, the adolescence is the stage of identity versus role confusion. He also believes that identity as the significant personality achievement of adolescence is an essential step toward becoming a productive happy adult (Feldman, 2006). I remember so vividly my high school experience; especially

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.

One of the theorists to investigate the development of identity would be Erik Erikson. According to Erikson (1968), throughout an individual’s life-span, they experience conflicts. These conflicts arise at certain points in life and need to be successfully resolved for the progression in to the next of Erikson’s eight stages (Sigelman & Rider, 2015). The specific stage relevant to the development of identity formation in adolescence would be the ‘identity versus role confusion’ stage. Identity development involves exploring options and making commitments to obtain a relatively stable self-perception (DeHaan & MacDermid, 1996). In contrast, role confusion occurs when individuals are not able to commit specific life choices (DeHaan & MacDermid,

The primary issues of adolescence according to Erikson is the search for identity. "Adolescents face a crises between identity and role confusion. They must balance the desire to try out many possible selves and the need to select a single self" ( Kail & Cavanaugh. Chapter 9: Moving in to the Adult Social World. In Essentials of Human Development, p. 236). Erikson used the term "crisis" to describe a series of internal conflicts that are linked to developmental stages. When an adolescent achieves their sense of identity, they're prepared to establish intimate relationships, which is the next developmental challenge. This crisis represents the struggle in finding a balance between developing their own individual identity while still being accepted

Adolescence is both a social and cultural construct as well as biological one, it is the developmental period where one transition from being a child to adult and face biological, psychological, and social challenges. This challenging, and important time in between childhood and adulthood has caused a lot of interest in the psychological field and a number of theories have been developed in order to try and explain the different stages of development. One of the most significant models of psychosocial development was created by Erikson (1963) and the stage related to adolescents is known as the “Identity vs. Role-Diffusion”, where the one is in constant pursuit of a coherent sense of self during the teenage years. When the teenager is unable to put together aspects of themselves they experience role-diffusion. Later on Elkind (1967) introduced his theory of adolescent egocentrism, explaining the increase in preoccupation with oneself during the teenage years. Kohlberg (1969) quickly followed up with his theory of moral development, in order to examine how adolescents develop their ability to solve ethical dilemmas. Another challenge teenagers need to face is mental health. The psychological part of striving for independence, while still struggling with identity formation and having poor coping strategies can have serious consequences and lead to mental illnesses, such as depression which is a growing concern among youths. This essay will further examine to what extent

Although teenagers has developed some reasoning skills similar to an adult brain, more sophisticated cognitive skills, such as the ability to plan for the future and to evaluate the consequences of a decision, does not fully develop until late adolescence or young adulthood. Developmental Psychologist Erik Erikson conducted further research and uncovered an eight stage of personality development model; Erickson defined the adolescence stage as, “Identity vs. Identity Confusion.” At this stage of personality development, the youth in the process of testing, experimenting and trying on different identities in search of their true self. Thus, it is imperative that parent play an active role in their child’s life especially in their teens.

During adolescence, we ask ourselves, "Who am I? Who do I want to be?" Answering these questions involves integrating the healthy resolution of all earlier stages. Adolescents must explore, test limits, become autonomous from parents, and commit to an identity, or sense of self. One can only establish an identity after trying out various roles, behaviors, and ideologies. Failure to achieve a sense of identity results in role confusion, an inability to make decisions and choices about vocation, sexual orientation, and one's role in life.

Adolescence is a time for self- discovery. According to Erikson, adolescents seek their own identity, sorting through the traditions and values of their families and cultures. He said that this crisis is resolved with identity achievement, when adolescents have reconsidered the goals and values of their parents and culture, accepting some and discarding others, forging their own identity. Identity achievement; Erickson’s term for the attainment of identity, or the point at which a person understands who he or she is as a unique individual, in accord with past experiences and future

As the adolescent moves closer to maturity, certain dimensions of adequacy become more important. First, there is a sense of individual maturity, which includes self-control, self-esteem, and self-initiative. Next is interpersonal maturity, covering the ability to communicate, trust, and understand and manage relationships with others. Finally, there is social maturity requiring a general openness to the idea that things change and an acceptance or tolerance of differences among people. The psychosocial self means the total configuration of the individual and the personality mechanisms that integrate him or her. A logical sense of personal identity is the broadest expression of successful mastery of these areas. Successful identity formation

During adolescent years, children are going through major differences physically and mentally. One of the most crucial transitions adolescence encounter is the search for identity. In research done by Jacobs, Bleeker, & Constantino (2003) they emphasized the idea that in adolescence, individuals finally become capable of thinking abstractly and are able to apply that thinking to the self, to others, and to features in one 's environment (pg. 40). When children who are in adolescence gain this ability to think deeply, they become more equipped to

During adolescence, individuals explore and establish a sense of their own identity, which involves thinking about what they want in life, what kind of person they want to be, and who they really are (Erikson, 1968). Although identity development is a lifelong process, the concept of their identity is mainly formed and crystalized during adolescence. Individuals often find themselves trying to become independent, but also worrying about the responsibilities that come with the independence; adolescents think about their values, the directions they choose to pursue in life, such as “vocation, interpersonal relationships, community involvement, ethnic-group membership, and expression of one’s sexual orientation, as well

The fifth stage of Erikson’s development framework occurs during adolescence. It is characterized by the developmental crisis of identity vs. role confusion. During these years, it is important for students to establish who they are in our society; they need to define their sexual, political, religious, and vocational identities. If students are not allowed to explore these identities in a quality manner, they may spend years confused about whom they are and where they

During this stage, teenagers feel they need to develop a sense of personal identity. Success in this leads to an ability to stay true to who they are, while failure results in role confusion and weak sense of their role in the world (AllPsych, 2009, ¶ 6).