Marcia's Identity Formation Statuses

Theory 1 – Identity Diffusion is “A state in which the individual has few, if any commitments, to anyone or to a set of beliefs – they emphasis personal gratification.”

Starting with Kohlberg’s Moral Development, Allison fits into the Post-Conventional Morality stage. Allison is an outcast who is very shy and doesn’t have any friends, the complete opposite of Claire. Allison tends to follow the beat of her drum and does whatever she wants and what she believes is right. She chooses not to smoke, act like she is a compulsive liar, and she explains at one point in the film that she would never treat others badly. Allison sticks with her own principles and the only reason she is in detention is that she had nothing better to do. In Erikson’s Social Development, Alison fits into the Identity vs. Role Confusion stage. In this stage, people are figuring out who they are and have some independence, while Alison has already been given too much independence due to her neglectful parents. At some points, she seems as though she knows her role at school and is finding her identity, but she is really confused since she hadn’t been given the right care and attention by her parents. She said that her parents think she is invisible suggesting she is not getting any encouragement or help from them. In Marcia’s Identity Status, Alison fits into the Diffusion stage because as her clothes and bag show she is extremely disorganized and doesn’t have anything figured out. She is also withdrawn as soon as she entered the library she sat all the way in the back. Allison doesn’t know where she will end up and

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.

An impending identity crisis is another contributing factor in Holden 's breakdown. According to Plotnik, "Identity refers to how we describe ourselves and includes our values, goals, traits, interests and motivations" (394). Erik Erikson theorized about identity by way of "eight developmental periods during which an individual 's primary goal is to satisfy desires associated with social needs" (Plotnik 393). These stages span from infancy to old age. During adolescence, Erikson views people in the psychosocial stage of identity vs. role confusion.

Identity moratorium is the status of individuals whose commitments are either absent or are only vaguely defined, but who are actively exploring alternatives. It involved actively trying out different possibilities with no commitment.

The biggest change of the identity of Canada was definitely in 1984. Bryan Adams, Marc Garneau and Linda Thom are names most Canadian people would and should know due to these Canadian role models contributions to altering the identity of their country forever, all in 1984. Bryan Adams was an amazing singer/songwriter who took stage and definitely changed Canadian identity for the future in 1984. Bryan Adams sold over one million album copies in Canada alone and over eight millions copies worldwide. This artist was the first to do something no other had done before and that was to become a successful Canadian international superstar.

Next, Colin serves as an example of identity foreclosure and the impact early maturation can have on individuals. According to Marcia’s theory of development, identity foreclosure occurs when an individual lives a life that was chosen for them, specifically by a parent or guardian, instead of making their own decisions. In Colin’s case, this can be seen by the fact that his father forced him to start playing basketball because he himself played basketball when he was younger. Instead of going against his father’s wishes, Colin simply accepted the fate that was laid out for him, never giving any consideration to other possibilities for his life. Additionally, Colin also the impact early maturation can have on adolescent males. According to research, early-maturing males tend to be more outgoing, confident, involved in sports, and well-liked. As an

Identity Moratorium “the status in which the adolescent is currently in a crisis, exploring various commitments and is ready to make choices, but has not made a commitment to these choices yet” (Feldman, 2017)(p.297). I take from this that this type adolescent is one who has planned there life out and has identified different goals he/she want to do and is making steps towards there goals into they choose one as there main goal. I would compare this adolescent to myself about two years ago. I was looking for my identity and really didn't know what I want to do in life. I will go in details later on into the paper.

Her mother has always sheltered and catered to her needs and wants. Erickson’s Psychosocial 5th stage is basically a prime example of what Julie exhibits. A person that exhibits this kind of behavior is going through an exploration. Adolescents like Julie are trying show an investment in forming an identity for herself. Julie’s identity moratorium is what allows her to realize that she is in a crisis, however hasn’t made any commitments and shows no enthusiasm to the approach.

Psychosocial Development From The Health Promotion Strategies Through the Lifespan, describes the developmental stage for adolescents. In this age group adolescents are trying to distinguish between identity formations versus identity diffusion. My patient does appear to be at this stage, but she is on the opposite side of the spectrum, where she is presents actions that describe the identity diffusion. Identity diffusion is where the “adolescent fails to achieve a sense of identity.” Due to my patients traumatic past she is very self-conscious about her image, has low self-esteem, and a negative self-concept. Additionally, since she has had repeated stressors in her life such as physical, psychological abuse, death of a significant other, alcohol and drug abuse. Thus, she is less apt to form a stable identity. My patient is still trying to seek out who she is, but needs a stable role model in her life who she can look up to and guide her. (Murry, Zentner, Yakimo, pg.460-461, 2009)

Another stage of Erikson’s theory that is similar to stages of Kohlberg’s theory is identity versus identity confusion where the adolescent learns the essence of what makes them who they are from bringing together everything they have learnt and what kind of person they will be. Kohlberg’s stages that are similar is the conventional stage of good boy/ nice girl morality where the school-aged child follows rules to be accepted by those around them, and the postconventional stage of social contract orientation where the adolescent will follow society customs for the benefit of others. These three stages are closely associated as someone’s identity is usually shaped by the customs of society. People will do what is expected of them to be accepted which in turn contributes to their identity. The last similarity between the two theories is Erikson’s stage of generativity versus stagnation where the middle-aged adult broadens their concern from themselves to the community and world, and Kohlberg’s postconventional stage of universal ethical principles where the adult’s actions are determined by their own ethical principles and standards of behaviour. These two stages complement each other as a person cannot have concerns for the community and world if they do not have a sense of their own beliefs and values as a foundation. A person needs to know what they value to then go on and have concerns that

According to Erikson, the development of the lifespan is a lifelong process from birth to death and includes the formation of identity (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010). I will cover in the paper six life events that influence my identity development from childhood to middle adulthood. Each life event will be explained based on the significance of the event as well as the impact the event had on my development. Also, theories will be discussed as they relate to my development.

A study involving 232 young adults studying Developmental Psychology at RMIT was carried out in order to examine the correlation between the four identity statuses, in both the domains of ‘ideological’, ‘interpersonal’ and ‘wellbeing’ in 8 subdomains. Each participant completed a confidential, 78 item online survey. The core results that respondents provided categorised majority of young people within the ideological diffusion status, with the least number placed within interpersonal foreclosure. Alongside this finding, wellbeing was positively correlated with identity achievement and negatively correlated with Identity foreclosure, with no separation of ideological and interpersonal domains. Interpersonal moratorium and diffusion were also both negatively correlated with most of 8 subdomains of wellbeing. This research needs to consider the samples gender inequality, using only correlational data and whether using one-time data collection would impact the results.

For Erikson (1950) adolescence is a period during which individuals seek to avoid dangers of role diffusion and identity confusion by establishing a sense of personal identity. Individuals have to find answers for two major questions “who am I?” and “what is my place in society?” Identity is a “conscious sense of individual uniqueness” and an “unconscious striving for a continuity of experience” (Erikson, 1968, p. 208).

James Marcia, an Eriksonian researcher believed that in to maintain the status “identity achievement” an individual must undergo crisis and make a commitment. Crisis is defined as “the period of identity development during which the individual is exploring alternatives.”(Santrock 386) The commitment is made when different approaches, ideologies, and vocations are explored on their own in response to the crisis. Key Changes in identity primarily occur in emerging adulthood. “Once formed, an identity furnishes individuals with a historical sense of who they have been, a meaningful sense of who they are now, and a sense of who they might become in the future.”(James Marcia)