Identity Development
Learning Objectives
- Define self-concept
- Describe self-esteem and differentiate the different self-esteem types
- Explain Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development as it applies to adolescence
- Explain Marcia’s four identity statuses
- Identify major domains of identity formation and the developmental processes for each
Middle childhood and Adolescence are periods of personal and social identity formation, in which different roles, behaviors, and ideologies are explored. In the United States, adolescence is seen as a time to develop independence from parents while remaining connected to them. Some key points related to social development during school years include the following:
- Middle childhood is a period of life where children start to have more frequent interactions with their peers. This usually leads to social comparison and more evaluation of their abilities.
- Erik Erikson referred to the task of the older children as industry vs. inferiority. Thus in his view, children this age starts to have a more realistic estimation of their actual ability.
- Starting in middle childhood, cognitive developments result in greater self-awareness, the ability to think about abstract, future possibilities, and the ability to consider multiple possibilities and identities at once.
- Adolescence are the periods of life known for the formation of personal and social identity. Though it is not complete.
- Adolescents must explore, test limits, become autonomous, and commit to an identity or sense of self.
- Erik Erikson referred to the task of the adolescent as one of identity versus role confusion. Thus, in Erikson’s view, an adolescent’s central questions are “Who am I?” and “Who do I want to be?”
- Changes in the levels of certain neurotransmitters (such as dopamine and serotonin) influence how adolescents experience emotions, typically making them more emotional and more sensitive to stress.
- When adolescents have advanced cognitive development and maturity, they tend to resolve identity issues more efficiently than peers who are less cognitively developed.
- As adolescents work to form their identities, they pull away from their parents, and peer groups become very important; despite this, relationships with parents still play a significant role in identity formation.
