According to psychologist Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, the fifth stage of ego is identity versus confusion. This period occurs between the ages of 12 and 18 throughout adolescence. Adolescents explore their freedom and build a sense of self at this time. They try out different roles to see which one fits them best. If they are able to do this without being influenced by others, they will identify with one particular role and reject others.
If adolescents cannot distinguish between themselves and others, they suffer from role confusion. They don't know who they want to be so they act like everyone else around them. This can lead to many problems such as drug abuse, sexual activity before understanding the consequences, etc.
Identity is defined as the feeling that you are part of something special. You should strive to find your place in life because it is only then that you will know who you are. Role models play an important part in helping adolescents develop their identities. If someone famous is also well-known for his or her work, students will feel good about themselves if they too can make a difference in the world. The more individuals who exist in society, the more diversity there will be which helps children understand that they are not alone in facing certain challenges.
Children need parents or other adults who can serve as guides during this phase of development.
Children in adolescence (ages 12–18) must determine their identity in the midst of role uncertainty. The primary goal of an adolescent, according to Erikson, is to create a sense of self. For many young people, this occurs in high school when they begin to define themselves as students or workers rather than children or boys/girls. For others, it may not happen until after high school when they seek out roles in religious communities or in family businesses.
Adolescents struggle with issues such as identity theft, where someone uses another person's identity without permission. Adolescents may use the identities of friends or siblings to get free rides on buses or to buy cigarettes illegally. Others may commit fraud by using fake IDs to enter bars or nightclubs. Still other adolescents may engage in identity theft because it can be very rewarding. For example, one study found that teenagers who engaged in this behavior obtained a "high" from it just like drug addicts do. This form of crime can have serious consequences such as being arrested and having your own identity stolen.
Erikson believed that during this stage of development, individuals struggle to understand why bad things happen to good people. They also try to understand how they could have done something wrong even though they wanted to do well. This stage of identity development involves trying on different roles to see which ones fit best.
The formation of ego identity is a key component of Erikson's psychosocial stage theory. It is the conscious sense of self that we establish via social contact, and it is continually evolving as a result of the new experiences and knowledge we gain through our everyday interactions with others. Ego identity is defined by who you think you are, which depends on what parts of yourself you believe others see in you.
Erikson believed that during each phase of development, your identity is formed around a particular set of values that reflect how you have responded to the demands of your time period. For example, if you were raised in the 1950s, your ego identity would be based on how you fulfilled the needs of your parents by living your life according to their expectations. In other words, your identity is shaped by what society asks of you rather than who you want to be. This is why some people can change their identity simply by changing their behavior; if they decide to stop being obedient then they can become disobedient without feeling like they are betraying themselves.
According to Erikson, every person goes through several crises during their lifetime that challenge their sense of who they are. The first major crisis occurs between ages 1 and 4 when children must determine whether they will identify with their parent(s) or not. If they choose not to, then they must decide whether they will identify with their teacher(s) or not.
Marcia (1966) established four identity states based on Erikson's (1950/1980) theory of psychological identity development: identity diffusion, identity foreclosure, identity moratorium, and identity attainment. These four stages describe how individuals cope with the challenges of growing up.
Identity diffusion occurs when an individual does not know who they are or what they stand for. They may try out different roles in search of something that feels right. This is a normal part of growing up and should not be mistaken for identity confusion, which refers to having no idea who you are or where you fit in society.
During identity foreclosure, individuals lose their values and beliefs as they face threats to these foundations of self-definition. For example, if the young adult family receives criticism from school officials because of their drug use, this might cause them to feel like they cannot fulfill their potential due to their family situation. In such cases, they would be experiencing identity foreclosure.
In identity moratorium, people do not know what they want to become when they grow up. They may spend some time working on their career goals, but once they find someone they like, they usually stop thinking about it. This stage can last for a long time - sometimes all through adulthood - before individuals finally identify themselves as a member of one group over another.
The Identity vs Role Confusion (or Diffusion) stage is distinguished by the teenage dilemma of "Who am I?" during which they are conflicted with hundreds of beliefs and notions about who they should be and what they should think. This leads many teenagers to feel confused about their identities.
During this stage, adolescents tend to believe a variety of things about themselves. Some examples include: I'm bad at math so I must be stupid, I'm not popular so I must be worthless, or Girls don't like me so I must be undesirable. They also may think they're responsible for some of their own failures - such as if they get rejected by someone, they may conclude that they're unattractive or lack important skills. These thoughts lead them to feel inadequate about themselves.
In addition, adolescents in this stage often have problems deciding what parts of themselves to reveal to others. For example, if they like sports, then they might want to act tough in order to protect their vulnerable feelings of insecurity but they might also want to show their friends that they're not really tough. Thus, they might try to act tough but actually feel uncomfortable when others see them cry.
Finally, adolescents in this stage struggle with finding ways to satisfy their needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.