The Search For Self Identity

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.

James Marcia identity theory was the first psychosocial identity to focus on young adults and was built on the previous work of identity development by Erik Erikson (Evans, 2011). Marcia work enhances the

Holden Caulfield is a very, very troubled young boy in a grown up filled world. In J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher In The Rye, 16 year old Holden Caulfield is stuck in a rut. He has been expelled from numerous schools, including his current one, Pencey Prep. Holden has been a troubled kid since the death of his older brother, Allie. Allie has played a big role in Holden’s life, and was completely traumatized by his death. Along with those family struggles relating to Allie’s death, Holden has a hard time accepting his adulthood. He wrestles with mental illness and growing up with all of those “phonies”. Even more so, he struggles with the idea of the person he is going to grow into. The environment of The

Holden is a sixteen year old boy on the verge of becoming a man. But his refusal to become an adult and face responsibility of his new role. Holden frequently fails out of school because of his lack of effort. The responsibilities of school parallel the responsibilities of adulthood. Both require

According to him there are four stages namely identity diffusion, identity foreclosure, identity moratorium and identity achievement. And each identity status signifies a certain configuration of the adolescent’s development with regard to identity exploration and commitment to the values, beliefs, and goals that contribute to identity. The first identity status, identity diffusion, describes youth who have neither explored nor committed to any particular identity. Thus, this identity status represents a low level of exploration and a low level of commitment. The second identity status is the identity foreclosure status.

● Weiten, W., Dunn, D., & Hammer, E. Y. (2017). Psychology applied to modern life: adjustment in the 21st

Erik Erikson believed that identity development is a life-long task through which individuals understand themselves and their roles in society. Erikson’s ideas sparked a demand for more research on the topic. In an effort to expand this topic, James Marcia focused on two of Erikson’s factors that are essential to identity development. These factors are Exploration and Commitment. Exploration is a process through which adolescents make decisions regarding their future roles in society, and find roles that satisfy their goals.

Developing stable identity is a major developmental task for adolescents (Erikson, 1968). Erikson (1950, 1968) described identity as the interaction of two dynamics, i.e. achievement of identity and identity confusion. Based on Erikson’s concept (1950, 1968), Marcia (1966) developed identity status model. Identity status model is established based on two dimensions of identity formation, i.e. exploration and commitment; which is used to classify identity status that consisted of diffusion foreclosure, moratorium, and achievement (Kroger & Marcia, 2011; Marcia, 1993). The one who has reached commitment through exploration process are in achievement status. If adolescent still try to achieve their commitment and are still in exploration process,

All throughout our lives, we wrestle with the question of who am I and what do I want in life? However, it is usually during the adolescent years that this issue really comes to a head and we begin a more earnest search into finding ourselves and deciding the direction we want to take with our lives. One of the theorists who studied this idea of identity formation was James Marcia. Marcia proposed that there were four different stages or statuses in the development of identity which he labeled Identity Diffusion, Identity Foreclosure, Identity Moratorium, and Identity Achievement. In this essay, we will briefly summarize his four different stages and then apply his theory to my own identity development during the adolescent years.

The search for one’s purpose and identity in the world never truly ends. However, the

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)

In this paper I will be focusing on Erikson’s Theory mainly about identity versus role confusion. Finding one’s identity is not always an easy task. Everyone at some point in his or her life has had, as Erikson puts it, an identity crisis. Everyone experiences different struggles that can have either a positive or negative impact on their identity. On my path to identity, I have reached identity achievement, which means I have explored and made commitments. I will also be focusing on two articles highlighting a fifth possible outcome regarding identity and looking at identity statuses as developmental trajectories.

Laura A. King (2008). The Science of Psychology. (International ed.) Published by McGraw-Hill, New York. Page 450.