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Erikson 's Theory Of Development

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Adolescence, too, can be divided into sub-stages: Early Teen Years (from twelve to fourteen); Middle Teen Years (fifteen to eighteen); and, Late Teen Years (nineteen to twenty) (pink). Erikson’s Developmental Theory labels this time as the fifth stage: Identity vs. Role Confusion. Up until this stage, all the prior stages involved events enacting their influence on the individual, this, the fifth stage, involves the opposite-the influence the individual can enact. The primary task of adolescence is to establish one’s identity, that is, to answer the question “Who am I?”. This quest for identity is achieved by experimentation; failure to experiment can result in role confusion according to Erikson (gold). This may mark a withdrawal from …show more content…

As stated, this is a time of experimentation for the teen. They will try on various roles as they seek answers to where they fit in. These experiments may involve looks, dress, friends, occupations, ethnic heritage, and their own sexuality (red). They have a newfound curiosity and interest in sex. Teens are preoccupied with their attractiveness to others during this time. For some teen girls, this can lead to eating disorders, and the more prone to this are young women who have more body fat, are depressed, or who have dysfunction in their family relationships (red). They can be outgoing, provocative, or they can be shy and modest.
Cognition takes a major leap during adolescence. Their thinking abilities advance into more complex thought processes, compared to the years prior. They can think analytically, hypothetically, philosophically, and abstractly, they can reapply lessons learned to fictional future scenarios. Their interests expand, they become interested in societal issues, causes, moral issues, their own values, ideals, and ethics, they begin to question things more thoroughly, they plan for the future, they begin to concern themselves more with others’ feeling, and they begin to grapple with self-concept (red). Their social circle widens as they seek affiliation, and independence from the family. Amid changing peer groups, friendships and dating, friends will replace the family in importance, for a time. This is a rough time for parents as well, who

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