Identity

Erikson

• Identity

  • Consistent definition to one’s self as a unique individual, in terms of roles, attitudes, beliefs, and aspirations

  • Identity vs Role Confusion

    • Erikson’s term for the 5th stage of development in which the person tries to figure out “Who am I?”

  • Identity achievement

    • Erikson’s term for the attainment of identity, or the point at which a person understands who they are as a unique individual, in accord with past experiences and future plans

4 Areas of Adolescent Identity Formation

• Religious Identity

  • Most adolescents accept broad outlines of parental and cultural religious identity

  • Specific religious beliefs may be questioned

• Political Identity

  • Most adolescents follow parental political traditions

  • Apolitical identity may emerge with weakening parental party identity

  • Fanatical political or religious movement participation is rare

  • Most adolescents identify with their ethnicity

• Vocational Identity

  • Takes years to establish

  • Early vocational identity is no longer relevant

  • Part-time work during high school is often related to negative outcomes

• Sexual identity

  • Erikson’s gender intensification no longer fits adolescent development

  • Now called gender identity which begins with the person’s biological sex and leads to a gender role

Relationships with Elders

• Conflicts with parents

  • Parent-adolescent conflict typically peaks in early adolescence and is more of a sign of attachment than of distance

• Bickering

  • Bickering involves petty, peevish arguing, usually repeated and ongoing

• Uninvolved parenting

  • Although teens may act as if they no longer need their parents, neglect can be very destructive

Sex Education

• Many parents wait too long and avoid the specifics of sex

• Warm, open communication is effective

• Adolescent sexual behavior is strongly influenced by peers, especially when parents are subtle

• Peer education specifics depends on the group