(chap 6) SEARCH FOR IDENTITY IN ADOLESCENCE

Psychosocial Development in Adolescence

Identity

• A coherent conception of the self,

• consisting of goals, values and beliefs to which the person is firmly committed.

Theory of self

• When adolescents' cognitive development allows them to construct a "theory of self".

• It is part of the healthy and vital process.

what if Identity crisis in adolescence

• The identity crisis is rarely entirely resolved in adolescence; problems arise again and again during adulthood.

Self-esteem

what i feel

self-concept

what i think

Erik Erikson

Theory of Psychosocial Development

James Marcia

Identity status

Erikson Identity

develops through 8 stages of life

Identity vs confusion

Life stage → Puberty to early adulthood

• Type of experience → Adolescents tend to define their sense of self (Who am I?) or experience confusion about their roles.

Virtue developed: fidelity.

• Unique adult with a coherent sense of self and a valued societal role.

• Loyality sense of a self and valued role.

Unique adult with a coherent sense of self and a

valued societal role.

Virtue developed: fidelity.

Eriskon emphasised three fundamental problems to be solved

• Choice of occupation.

• Adoption of values.

• Development of a satisfying sexual identity.

Choice of occupation.

Adolescence must decide important decisions in their life about their future occupation.

Adoption of values.

• Adolescence goes through process of experimentation of perceptions in order to find their own value.

• This will determine how they will behave in certain situations.

Development of a satisfying sexual identity.

• Adolescents must explore identities, and experience their own perspective of life

• this is important in order to let the identity to be mature

Psychosocial moratorium

Pause provided by adolescents, 'time out' for experimentation = period of protection needed to build a stable sense of self > allows to look for causes to engage with.

• it is the time where adolescents explore without obligating them self into any identity.

Identity vs confusion - Non-resolution of the crisis

Behaviours with serious negative consequences

• (e.g. criminal behaviour).

Identity vs confusion - Satisfactory-resolution of the crisis

Fidelity:

• Loyalty, faith or sense of belonging to a loved one or friends.

• Identification with a set of values, an ideology, religion, political movement, or ethnic group.

Fidelity

• Loyalty, faith or sense of belonging to a loved one or friends.

• Identification with a set of values, an ideology, religion, political movement, or ethnic group.

Identity or role confusion as the main danger

• May delay the attainment of psychological maturity.

• Some degree of confusion is standard → chaotic adolescent nature.

• Exclusivism & intolerance of difference as defences against identity confusion.

James Marcia identity status

• He proposed four identity statuses that depend on the combination of two dimensions:

  • whether or not they have undergone an identity crisis

  • whether or not they have adopted vocational, ideological or personal commitments

Two dimensions

• Whether or not they have undergone an identity crisis

• Whether or not they have adopted vocational, ideological or personal commitments

Identity levels or status

Identity achievement

Commitment yes

Crisis yes

Foreclosure

Commitment yes

Crisis no

Moratorium

Commitment no

Crisis yes

Identity diffusion

Commitment no

Crisis no

Exploration - crisis

• Behaviour aimed at obtaining information about oneself or one's environment in order to make a decision of some importance

  • (internal behaviour, such as thinking about a subject, or external behaviour, such as changing one's clothes or appearance)

Commitment

• Adherence to a set of goals, values and beliefs and their consolidation as likely guides for future action: a sense of loyalty.

  • Identity is expressed in our commitments objectively what is seen from the outside, which are the activities or areas in which he/she is involved, and subjectively what is most important to him/her.

Marcia: Identity, crisis and commitment.

Research-based on 30-minute semi-structured interviews on identity

status.

• Identity-seeking theories

• Distinction of 4 identity states →

■ identity achievement,

■ exclusion,

■ moratorium,

■ identity diffusion.

Key elements of Marcia´s theory

Presence or absence of crisis and commitment

Crisis/exploration

period of conscious exploration.

Commitment

Personal investment in an occupation or belief system, in the choice made.

• decision or choice

crisis leads to compromise

Identity achievement 

commitment without crisis

Foreclosure

crisis without compromise

Moratorium

without compromise or crisis

Identity diffusion

Identity-seeking theories.

They are not stages but changing states of identity depending on the particular moment.

CASE Olivia has considered her interests and talents and plans to become an engineer. She narrowed her college choices to 3 schools that offer good programmes in that field.

Identity achievement → crisis leads to compromise.

- It relates to:

✔ Greater maturity.

✔ Better performance in establishing social relations.

✔ High self-esteem and self-confidence.

✔ Democratic parents.

CASE Isabella knows exactly what she will do with her life. Her mother, a union leader in a plastics factory, arranged for her to enter the factory's apprenticeship programme. Isabella has never considered doing anything else.

 Foreclosure → commitment without crisis.

- It relates to:

✔ Very close family ties.

✔ Tendency to follow a "powerful leader".

✔ Low levels of anxiety.

✔ High self-esteem and emotional well-being.

✔ Authoritarian parents.

CASE Josh can't decide about his future - should he attend community college or join the army? He can't decide what to do now or what he wants to do in the future.

Moratorium → crisis without compromise.

- It relates to:

✔ Seeking and resisting intimacy.

✔ High levels of anxiety.

CASE Jayden still has no idea what he wants to do, but that doesn't worry him. He thinks he can get some work and decide his future when he is ready.

Identity diffusion → without compromise or crisis.

- It relates to:

✔ Loneliness and unhappiness.

✔ Increased levels of anxiety and depression.

✔ Lower self-esteem.

✔ Permissive parents.

Almost half of adolescents

Exclusion or diffusion

From late adolescence onwards

more people are in moratorium or attainment.

Influencing factors affecting the search of identity

Ethnic and intercultural factors

Cultural socialisation

• Refers to parental practices that teach children about their racial or ethnic heritage, promote cultural customs and traditions, and foster pride in one's culture.

• Young people who have experienced cultural socialisation tend to have stronger and more positive ethnic identities.

Marcia's model applied

to ethnic identity

Case

Juanita has done little or no exploration of her ethnicity and needs to understand the issues involved clearly.

Identity diffusion → No commitment, no crisis.

Case:

Caleb has done little or no exploration of his ethnicity, but he feels about it. These feelings can be positive or negative, depending on the attitudes he assimilates at home.

Foreclosure → commitment without crisis.

Case

Emiko has begun to explore her ethnicity but needs clarification about what it means to her.

Moratorium → crisis without commitment.

Case

Diego has explored his identity and understands and accepts his ethnicity.

Identity achievement → Crisis and commitment.