Erickson’s concept of identity

Identity versus Role confusion is the fifth stage in Erik Erikson's theory
of psychosocial development. This stage occurs during adolescence between the
ages of approximately 12 and 18. During this stage, adolescents explore their
independence and develop a sense of self. In this stage, the conflict is centred on
developing a personal identity. Successfully completing this stage leads to a
strong sense of self that will remain throughout life. Erickson prefers to use the
term identity “as a self-developed internal and never changing organization of
one’s attitudes, believes and provides a sense of continuity and integration of
self”. Identity development is a complex and a very multi-faceted process of
interrelated development. According to Erickson identity has following
important elements;

1. Individual must perceive themselves as having inner self and continuity

meaning that over time they experience oneself as the same person they have
been.

2. The person in their social milieu must also perceive the same kind of
sameness and continuity in the individual.

The adolescents need to have confidence that what inner unity they
have developed will be recognized by others as well. If the adolescent is
confused, unclear and is emotionally uncontrolled as well as apathetic towards
one then others will not get a clear cut message about his identity. Moreover,
he or she will not be able to complete the developmental tasks of adolescence
period. The key to resolving identity crisis argues Erickson lies in the
adolescent’s interaction with others. Only through responding to the reactions
of people who matter, the adolescent selects and chooses from among the
many elements that conceivably become a part of his or her final identity. The
responses of people around him shape and influence the adolescents
developing sense of identity.

Erickson was of the opinion that the development of ego identity plays a
very significant role in process of psychosocial development of an adolescent’s
personality. It is this time when an adolescent is faced with a new set of social
challenges, social roles and social demands in order to help him or her attain
the various developmental tasks of adolescence period successfully. However
if an adolescent does not integrate all these changes in a positive manner to
form concept of self he or she will develop identity crisis and if ego-identity is
not satisfactorily established during adolescence, there is the danger that role
diffusion will inhibit further healthy ego development. Therefore it is essential
that in all the previous stages a child should be helped to overcome different
crisis, so that the different ego strengths can be integrated to a new self. Thus,
search for an identity involves the establishment of a meaningful self-concept
in which past, present, and future are brought together to form a unified
whole. Erickson was of the view that the process of identity achievement
occurs in four stages;

1. DIFFERENTIATION- adolescents start to separate from the significant

others in their lives and start to develop their own identity through
independence.

2. STAGE OF PRACTICE AND EXPLORATION- whatever new they are

adopting is practiced further and they as well as test these capacities according
to the independent portrayal of themselves.

3. RAPPROACHMENT STAGE- it means turning back. When the adolescents

have practised and employed their independent self without parent, a realization
comes that this experimentation for a long time without security of parents is
not possible to continue. Thus, an adolescent move back to the parents.

4. CONSOLIDTION STAGE- since an adolescent has experienced himself

both as independent and dependent individual; he gains a view point or idea
about himself. This realization about oneself occurs by combining the
independent self. It is here that an assessment of all the roles which he or she
has played is integrated with their experiences as independent individuals occur.

Explained in detail 2 and 3 stage ..can add from here. ( a process Erikson refers to
as psychosocial reciprocity, the adolescent often goes through a period of a great need for
peer group recognition and almost compulsive peer group involvement. Conforming to the
expectations of peers helps adolescents find out how certain cales fit them, but peer group
conformity can also create a new kind of dependency, so that the individual accepts the
values of others tao easily without really addressing the identity issue ofhow weIl they do fit
him or ber. The peer group, the clique, and the gang, even the lover, aid the individual in the
search for a personal identity since they provide bath a cole model and very personal social
feedback. The seemingly endless telephone conversations during adolescence and later, the
bull session in college, can serve genuine psychological purposes by providing this kind of
personal information. As long as the adolescent depends on cole models and feedback, the in-
group feeling that the peer group provides will remain quite strong. AIso, behaviors of
conformity to the expectations of the peer group reflect the learned skill of not making
oneself an easy target of "catty remarks" or to avoid being "mocked out." The ensuing
clannishness and intolerance of "differences"-including petty aspects of language, gesture,
hair style, and dress-are explained by Erikson as the "necessacy defenses" against the dangers
of self-diffusion that remain prevalent as long as the identity bas not yet been achieved.
Particularly during the time when the body image changes so rapidly, when genital
maturation stimulates sexual fantasies, and when intimacy with the opposite sex appears as a
possibility with simultaneously positive and negative valences, the adolescent relies on peers
for advice, comfort, companionship, and uses peers as a personal sounding board. Eventually,
adolescents must free themselves from this new dependency on peers-which bas just replaced
their dependency on parents-in order to find themselves, that is, to attain a mature identity.
Such an identity, once found, gives the young adult "a sense of 'knowing where one is going'
and an inner assuredness of anticipated recognition from those who count")

The adolescent who fails in the search for an identity will experience self-
doubt, role diffusion, and role confusion; such an individual may indulge in a
self-destructive one-sided preoccupation or activity. He or she will continue to
be morbidly preoccupied with the opinion of others or may turn to the other
extreme of no longer caring what others think and withdraw or turn to drugs or
alcohol in order to relieve the anxiety that role diffusion creates. Ego diffusion
and personal confusion, when they become permanent, can be observed in the
chronic delinquent and in pathological personality disorganization. In its most
severe form, the clinical picture of identity diffusion may lead to suicide or
suicide attempts.

There can be following barriers for not achieving self –(elaborate) 1. If

there is an over identification with social figures

2. Present day vulnerabilities - rapid social and technological

advancements do not allow an individual to have stability

3. When they are not guided properly or not giving them right kind of
information like about their careers.

(Add from this ) Of great concern for many adolescents is the issue of developing
a vocational identity, and during the initial attempts some unrealistic choices based on cole
diffusion are not uncommon. The problem, identified through empirical investigations, is that
early and even middle adolescents hold highly glamorized, idealized, and often unrealistic
conceptions of the vocational cales they dream about. Furthermore, goal aspirations are often
much higher than warranted by the individual's perseverance, skililevel, and ability.
Frequently, the adolescent is attracted to vocational goals that are attainable by only a vety
few: models, actors, actresses, rock musicians, athletic champions, car racers, astronauts, and
other socially glamorized "heroes." ln the process, the adolescents overidentify with and
 idolize their 54 Erik Erikson's Theory of ldentity Development models and heroes to the
extent that they forsake their own identity to imitate the heroes. At this point, youth rarely
identify with their parents; on the contrary, they often rebel against parental contrai, value
systems, and intrusions into their private life. This is a necessary part of growing up, since
youths must separate their own identity from that of their family and develop autonomy in
order to attaint maturity.

JAMES MARCIA

Refining and extending Erik Erikson’s work, James Marcia came up with four
Identity Statuses of psychological identity development. According to him two major
characteristics are important for an individual to attain identity; exploration and commitment.

Addressing Erikson’s notion of identity crisis, Marcia posited that the adolescent
stage consists neither of identity resolution nor identity confusion, but rather the degree to
which one has explored and committed to an identity in a variety of life domains from
vocation, religion, relational choices, gender roles, and so on. Upon developing a semi-
structured interview for identity research, Marcia proposed Identity Statuses of psychological
identity development:

 Identity Diffusion – the status in which the adolescent does not have a sense of having
choices; he or she has not yet made (nor is attempting/willing to make) a commitment.
Exploration is not there neither is commitment.
 Identity Foreclosure – the status in which the adolescent seems willing to commit to some
relevant roles, values, or goals for the future. Adolescents in this stage have not experienced
an identity crisis. They tend to conform to the expectations of others regarding their future (e.
g. allowing a parent to determine a career direction) As such, these individuals have not
explored a range of options. (commitment is there without exploration)
 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. (exploration only, no committmnent)
 Identity Achievement – the status in which adolescent has gone through a identity crisis and
has made a commitment to a sense of identity (i.e. certain role or value) that he or she has
chosen
Note that the above status are not stages and should not viewed as a sequential process.

Identity Formation Process

The core idea is that one’s sense of identity is determined largely by the choices and
commitments made regarding certain personal and social traits. The work done in this
paradigm considers how much one has made certain choices, and how much he or she
displays a commitment to those choices. Identity involves the adoption of 1) a sexual
orientation, 2) a set of values and ideals and 3) a vocational direction. A well-developed
identity gives on a sense of one’s strengths, weaknesses, and individual uniqueness. A person
with a less well-developed identity is not able to define his or her personal strengths and
weaknesses, and does not have a well articulated sense of self.

James Marcia is another influential theorist who expanded upon Erikson's concept
of identity crisis and identity confusion. His initial work was published during the
1960's but his theory continues to be refined in accordance with recent research
findings. Although Marcia's theory originally conceptualized identity development in
terms of a progressive developmental trend, his theory has subsequently become
more descriptive and categorical, defining and identifying particular configurations of
identity exploration and commitment.
Marcia's theory descriptively categorizes four main points or stations along the
continuum of identity development. These stations or points describe very different
identity conditions, ranging from a diffuse and indeterminate individual identity to a
precisely defined and highly specific individual identity. Similar to Erikson, Marcia
believed that certain situations and events (called "crises") serve as catalysts
prompting movement along this continuum and through the various identity statuses.
These crises create internal conflict and emotional upheaval, thereby causing
adolescents to examine and question their values, beliefs, and goals. As they
explore new possibilities, they may form new beliefs, adopt different values, and
make different choices. According to Marcia's theory, these developmental crises
ultimately cause adolescents to develop a progressively greater commitment to a
particular individual identity via the process of identity exploration prompted by
developmental crises.

Marcia used the term identity status to label and describe four unique developmental
identity stations or points. These are: identity diffusion, identity foreclosure,
moratorium and identity achievement. Each identity status represents a particular
configuration of youth's progress with regard to identity exploration and commitment
to the values, beliefs, and goals that contribute to identity. Though the different
identity statuses are in some sense progressive (in the sense that they flow one to
the next), Marcia's theory does not assume that every adolescent will pass through
and experience all four identity statuses. Some youth may experience only one or
two identity statuses during adolescence. Additionally, there is no assumption that a
youth's identity status is uniform across all aspects of their development. Youth may
have different identity statues across different domains such as work, religion, and
politics. In this sense it is possible for youth to have more than one identity status at
a time. Furthermore, unlike Erickson's stage theory, Marcia's theory accounts for
multi-directional movement between and among the various identity statuses. For
instance, youth may experience a traumatic event such as parental divorce, or a
violent assault, which may cause them to re-evaluate their understanding of the
world and their value system. This type of crisis may cause them to retreat to a
previously enacted identity status as they integrate this new information.

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. These adolescents haven't
considered their identity at all, and haven't established any life goals. They are
reactive, passively floating through life and dealing with each situation as it arises.
Their primary motivation is hedonic; the avoidance of discomfort and the acquisition
of pleasure. By way of illustration, consider the example of Tyler, who stumbled his
way through high school and graduated last year (but just barely). Tyler still doesn't
know what he wants to do with his life. In fact, he hasn't really given much thought at
all to what he'd like to accomplish. He hasn't applied to any colleges or technical
schools. He still works part-time at the pizza shop; a job he started while in high
school so that he could have a little extra spending money. He doesn't earn enough
money to live on his own so he lives with his parents, but he doesn't pay them any
rent or even pay for his own groceries. Nonetheless, he hasn't even considered
applying for a better paying, full-time job. Whenever his frustrated mother asks,
"What are you doing with your life?" he just mutters, "I dunno." Tyler hasn't even
considered this question, and has no goals or plans of any sort.

The second identity status is the identity foreclosure status. This identity status
represents a low degree of exploration but a high degree of commitment. At this
identity status adolescents are not actively trying to determine what is important to
them. They are not questioning the values and beliefs they have been taught.
Instead, these youth obtain their identity simply by accepting the beliefs and values
of their family, community, and culture. In a sense, they passively accept the identity
assigned to them. While these youth are committed to values and life goals assigned
to them, they do not question why they should be, nor do they consider any
alternatives. For example, Jasmine, 17, is applying to the same college that her
mother and grandmother both attended, and she has "decided" to major in
elementary education. She really hasn't thought about whether or not she wants to
go to college, or what other colleges she might like to attend. Nor has she
considered any other career options besides elementary school teacher. If asked
about her plans she might say, "All the women in my family became elementary
teachers for a few years and then stayed home with their own children. My mom and
grandma seemed to do just fine, so it seems good enough for me." Jasmine has
accepted she will be just like all the other women in her family. She has not
questioned whether the life path chosen by the other women in her family is
acceptable to her, but simply accepts that her goal is to proceed according to the
usual and customary path of the women before her.

The third identity status is called moratorium. This identity status represents high
degree of exploration but a low degree of commitment. At this status, youth are in
the midst of an identity "crisis" which has prompted them to explore and experiment
with different values, beliefs, and goals. However, they have not made any final
decisions about which beliefs and values are most important to them, and which
principles should guide their lives. Thus, they are not yet committed to a particular
identity. They are keeping their options open. For example, Tim, 14, may suddenly
begin to argue with his parents about going to the Sunday worship service at the
Methodist Christian Church, even though he has attended this service with his family
since childhood. Instead, he likes to spend his timing reading about all the different
world religions and plans to visit several mosques, temples, and churches around
the area to see what their worship services are like. Or, he may question the logic of
religion altogether, and he may even wonder whether God exists at all. It is clear that
Tim is not quite certain what he believes yet, but he is actively exploring and
considering what values, principles, and beliefs he wants to live by.

The final identity status is identity achievement. This identity status represents both a
high degree of exploration and a high degree of commitment. Youth are said to have
achieved their identity by a process of active exploration and strong commitment to a
particular set of values, beliefs, and life goals that has emerged from this active
exploration and examination. At this identity status youth will have decided what
values and goals are most important to them, and what purpose, or mission will
direct their life. Youth at the identity achievement status are able to prioritize what is
important to them and have sorted through the many possibilities of who they want to
be. They will have experimented with many different beliefs and values, and
analyzed their pathway in life. To fully achieve this type of identity youth must feel
positive and confident about their decisions and values. For example, Miranda cast
her vote for the presidential election the very first year she was allowed to vote. But,
she did so only after carefully researching all the different candidates and their
positions on issues that were important to her. First, she gave a great deal of thought
by considering her own beliefs and values system. Next, she figured out which
issues were most important to her based on her beliefs and values. And finally, she
determined which candidate best matched her beliefs and values on the issues she
considered most important.

As mentioned, these four identity statuses describe points along a continuum moving
from an initially diffuse, undefined individual identity to a highly specific and well-
defined, individual sense of self. Inherent in Marcia's theory is the assumption that a
mature and well-adjusted person possesses a well-defined and individually
determined identity. This assumption reflects an implicit set of values common to
many developed Western societies concerning the desirability of an individually
defined identity; but, this set of values may not be universally shared. In
contemporary Western cultures, there is a great value placed upon individual needs,
rights, and freedoms. Therefore it is only natural that such societies would define
maturity in terms of a highly evolved sense of an individual self. But some other
cultures value the needs of the larger community over any single individual. In such
cultures, maturity is defined by the ability to subjugate individual pursuits and desires
in the service of the group's greater good. Ironically, these cultures would consider
the importance Westerners assign to individual identity an indication of immaturity.

It is evident there can be a great deal of variation in determining an individual

identity. Furthermore, the development of an identity cannot be separated from
personal values and beliefs and is discussed in the following section. Emotional
development is similarly related to the development of morality which is discussed
in another section. Likewise, self-identity includes an understanding of ones gender
and its role in determining "Who am I?" Gender Identity is discussed in the section
on Sexual Development.

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