Psych 133A week 5 lectureIdentity Fornation and Self Concept

Identity Fornation and Self Concept 

The development of a coherence senes of self is critical  development task of development period 

The form of identity is very individual and skills

Maybe more related to responsibility of society 

All teens go through some of type of identity

Erik Erikson’s Epigenetic Principle of Development is a foundational concept in his theory of psychosocial development. The quote you’ve shared:

“Anything that grows has a ground plan, and that out of this ground plan the parts arise, each part having its time of special ascendancy, until all parts have risen to form a functional whole,”

beautifully captures this idea.

What It Means:

• Ground Plan: Like in biology, Erikson believed that human development follows a biologically predetermined blueprint—a natural sequence.

• Stages: Each of the eight stages in his psychosocial theory represents a crisis or developmental task that becomes central at a particular point in life (a "time of special ascendancy").

• Sequential Order: These stages build on one another. For example, trust must be developed in infancy before autonomy can fully emerge in toddlerhood.

• Functional Whole: Successfully navigating each stage leads to a well-integrated, healthy personality—a functional whole

Erik Erikson – Key Background and Theoretical Contributions

• Trained in Freudian Psychoanalytic Traditions:

  • Originally followed Freud's theory, which emphasized psychosexual development and the influence of the id (instinctual drives).

  • However, Erikson moved away from Freud’s focus on sexual drives and placed more emphasis on social and cultural influences, especially in adolescence.

go Psychologist:

Erikson became part of the ego psychology school.

He placed strong emphasis on the ego—the rational, conscious part of the mind that deals with reality—rather than the impulsive "id".

He believed the ego could develop independently and had a positive, growth-oriented role in shaping identity.

Focus on Normative (Typical) Development:

• Unlike Freud, who often focused on abnormal or pathological development, Erikson emphasized healthy psychological development across the entire lifespan.

• His theory outlines eight normative stages, each with a specific psychosocial challenge or "crisis" to resolve.

Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development

• Each stage is characterized by psychosocial conflict that has two opposing outcomes 

Example of the Stages:

• Trust vs. Mistrust (infancy)

• Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt (toddlerhood)

• Initiative vs. Guilt (preschool)

• Industry vs. Inferiority (school age)

• Identity vs. Role Confusion (adolescence)

• Intimacy vs. Isolation (young adulthood)

• Generativity vs. Stagnation (middle adulthood)

• Integrity vs. Despair (late adulthood)

1. Trust vs. Mistrust

Age: Birth to 1 year
Key Question: Can I trust the world?

• Infants depend on caregivers for basic needs. If care is consistent and loving, trust develops.
  
  

• Failure leads to fear and suspicion.
  
  

3. Initiative vs. Guilt

Age: 3–6 years
Key Question: Is it okay for me to do things, move, and act?

• Children begin to assert control through play and social interaction.
  
  

Encouragement leads to initiative; discouragement or punishment can lead to guilt.

4. Industry vs. Inferiority

Age: 6–12 years
Key Question: Can I make it in the world of people and things?

• School and social settings help children develop competence and skills.
  
  

Success builds industry; repeated failure or criticism fosters inferiority.

5. Identity vs. Role Confusion

Age: 12–18 years
Key Question: Who am I and where am I going?

• Adolescents explore personal identity, values, and beliefs.
  
  

• A clear sense of self leads to identity; confusion or lack of direction results in role confusion.
  
  

6. Intimacy vs. Isolation

Age: 18–40 years
Key Question: Can I love and be loved?

• Young adults seek deep, meaningful relationships.
  
  

Success leads to strong bonds; failure may result in loneliness and isolation.

7. Generativity vs. Stagnation

Age: 40–65 years
Key Question: Can I make my life count?

• Adults strive to contribute to society (through work, family, community).
  
  

Productivity fosters generativity; feeling unproductive may lead to stagnation.

8. Ego Integrity vs. Despair

Age: 65+ years
Key Question: Is it okay to have been me?

• In late adulthood, people reflect on their lives.
  
  

• Satisfaction leads to a sense of integrity; regret or bitterness may cause despair.

• IDEA = at each stage, there is tension /crises balance you are trying to resovel at each stage of deveopment 

• KEY = how you resolve each stage is going to influence the later stages 

• EX: how you resolve trust or mistrust influence how you resolve identity vs confusion 

• During infancy trying o resolve mistrust or trust, then affect later stages (attahment theory) 

• ALL things critical for identity

yes

James Marcia’s Identity Status Theory,

which builds on Erikson’s stage of Identity vs. Role Confusion (adolescence). Marcia expanded it by breaking identity formation into four statuses

Key Dimensions:

1. Exploration

1. – The extent to which a person is actively questioning and exploring different identities (e.g., beliefs, career paths, values).

2. Commitment – The degree to which a person has made firm decisions about those identities.

Key Dimensions:

1. Exploration

The extent to which a person is actively questioning and exploring different identities (e.g., beliefs, career paths, values).

Commitment –

The degree to which a person has made firm decisions about those identities.

TOOK eriskons idea and created 4 identity statuses, they fall in a classic 2x2 box 

• Idea - TO what extent have you committed to an identity and explored an identity

• ? 

• Explore and commit - you have identity achievement 

• Explore and no committed - identity moratorium , 

• NO explore and committed -identity foreclosure 

• NO explire and committed - identity diffusion, 

Identity Achievement

Status	Exploration	Commitment	Description

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

The person has explored options and made strong, informed commitments.

moratorium

✅ Yes

❌ No

The person is actively exploring but hasn’t made a commitment yet.

foreclosure

❌ No

✅ Yes

The person has committed without exploration, often adopting others’ expectations.

Identity Diffusion

❌ No

❌ No

The person has not explored or committed; often feels directionless or indifferent.

Examples:

• “I tried different careers and decided to become a nurse because it aligns with my values.”

• Achievement:

“I’m considering different majors and researching a lot, but I haven’t chosen one yet.”

Moratorium:

I’m going to be a lawyer because that’s what my family expects—no questions asked.”

Foreclosure

• “I don’t really know what I want to do, and I’m not really thinking about it.”

• Diffusion:

Achievement

• healthiest, most balanced

Moratorium

• anxious, but openly searching

Foreclosure

• most rigid, least autonomous, accepting society and not exploring you 

YOU agreee with family and its sastiftying to you and you have intrgreted it, thats notmal but not sastifdacted and not integrated , not good 

Diffusion

• most problems, not well integrated socially

• no real sense of self

→ you need to enghing with the social world 

Where are you in the identity process? 

These identity statuses are ongoing for the lifespan and maybe you have achievement but you might be out of it and you are now in carrer identity, you are exploring, and create anxiety noral

yes

Self-Concept & Social Identity

• greater differentiation in self-concept→ 

As people mature (especially during adolescence), their self-concept becomes more:

Complex – They begin to see themselves in more nuanced ways.

Multifaceted – They may recognize that they behave differently in different contexts (e.g., at school vs. at home).

Contradictory – Teens might notice inconsistencies in how they feel or act, which is part of exploring who they are.

EX: ask kids, are you good athletes, 

If we think we are good at something , we are good at iother tings 

But as we grow, we are good at some things and bad at others 

Soemomes we feel like one person with friends and another person with family 

So we have different self condept ove time over different situations/envieotnts 

Increased Importance of Social Identities

• Adolescents become more aware of how they fit into social categories:

• • Gender

  • Ethnicity

  • Religion

  • Nationality

  • Sexual orientation

• These identities contribute to their overall sense of self.

. Social Identities Are Often Assigned

• Individuals don’t always choose these identities freely:

  • Society may label or expect behaviors based on appearance, background, or community.

  • These labels can impact how individuals see themselves and are treated.

Receipt of Positive & Negative Treatment

• Based on social identity, individuals may experience:

  • Positive treatment: privilege, support, sense of belonging.

  • Negative treatment: discrimination, prejudice, exclusion.

• This affects self-esteem, confidence, and identity development.

Self-Concept & Social Identity

→ think about ourselves and other people and how others think about us 

→synaoitc pruning - back to forward, more and moe pruning , pareitnal areaand cortex and relevant for sical content 

Increased maturation nd these matuations and soica networks 

Self-Concept & Social Identity

Medial prefrontal cortex

Merging self and other

• Direct and reflected self

• Mentalizing

• Reciprocal relations

Ventral striatum

Social-affective self

• Vicarious gains

• Delay of gratification

• Social self

Temporal parietal Junction

Thinking about others

• Reflected self

• Perspective taking

 these regions are starting to connect with each other 

• Reflective self region → how other people see you and see increases connection ebtween the TBJ Temporal parietal Junction and the Medial prefrontal cortex

•  And Ventral striatum

• THEY all seem to feed into the medial prefrontal cortex 

 these regions are starting to connect with each other 

• Reflective self region → how other people see you and see increases connection ebtween the TBJ Temporal parietal Junction and the Medial prefrontal cortex

•  And Ventral striatum

• THEY all seem to feed into the medial prefrontal cortex 

• All of these indenity processes, all observed in these brain regions 

• Erikson of differentiation, importance of exploration and figuring out who you are and how its (we) fitted to larger society show up in these 3 regions 

Yes

Combien persepricev self with reflective self with yoru own sense of self to create broader sense of self and how you get alogng with others and skills and other people see you , learning and motivation. 

Combien persepricev self with reflective self with yoru own sense of self to create broader sense of self and how you get alogng with others and skills and other people see you , learning and motivation.