Erikson's Identity vs. Role Confusion/Marcia Identity States

Summary

This script delves into adolescent socio-emotional development, highlighting Erikson's theory of identity formation during the 'adolescent crisis.' It draws parallels between toddlers and teenagers, both experiencing rapid physical and cognitive changes, and the quest for independence. The discussion covers the stages of psychosocial development, emphasizing the process of adolescents trying on 'possible selves' to resolve identity versus role confusion. It also touches on James Marcia's identity status model, which categorizes adolescents into four states based on crisis and commitment, suggesting that identity achievement often occurs later than Erikson's proposed timeline.

Takeaways

• 🌱 Adolescence is likened to the 'toddler stage of adulthood', with both stages marked by rapid physical development and newfound freedoms.
• 📈 Both toddlers and adolescents experience significant physical changes, with adolescents undergoing dramatic growth spurts and the development of secondary sexual characteristics.
• 🗣️ Rapid development in verbal dexterity is observed in both toddlers and adolescents, with the latter gaining the ability for abstract thought and hypothetical reasoning.
• 🏋️‍♂️ The script emphasizes the struggle for independence in both age groups, with adolescents taking on part-time jobs and exploring their identities through various activities.
• 🚫 Both toddlers and adolescents push boundaries, testing limits until parental intervention sets necessary restrictions.
• 🔍 Erikson's theory of psychosocial development is discussed, with 'identity versus role confusion' highlighted as the key crisis of adolescence.
• 🎭 The concept of 'identity' is explored as a consistent definition of oneself in terms of roles, attitudes, beliefs, and aspirations.
• 🤔 Adolescents are described as balancing between selecting a single self and trying out many possible selves, exemplified by the personal anecdotes shared in the script.
• 🕰️ The script notes that the timing of identity formation may have shifted from Erikson's era, with many young adults not solidifying their identities until their mid-twenties.
• 🧠 Cognitive development in adolescence is characterized by the ability for formal operational thought, allowing for abstract and hypothetical thinking.
• 🌐 James Marcia's theory on identity states is introduced, offering a framework to operationalize Erikson's theory with four distinct identity states: achievement, foreclosure, moratorium, and diffusion.

Q & A

What is the key psychosocial crisis of adolescence according to Erik Erikson?

The key psychosocial crisis of adolescence according to Erik Erikson is 'identity versus role confusion.'

How does the script compare the developmental stages of toddlers and adolescents?

The script compares toddlers and adolescents by highlighting their rapid physical development, changes in verbal dexterity, and the process of learning to be independent, as well as pushing boundaries and exploring the world around them.

What does the term 'identity' in Erikson's theory signify?

In Erikson's theory, 'identity' signifies a consistent definition of oneself as a unique individual in terms of roles, attitudes, beliefs, and aspirations.

How does the script describe the process of adolescents trying out different 'possible selves'?

The script describes the process as adolescents exploring various roles and identities, such as being an athlete, joining a band, or adopting a 'goth' identity, to find what feels right and fits their sense of self.

What is the significance of James Marcia's theory in relation to Erikson's concept of identity?

James Marcia's theory operationalizes Erikson's concept of identity by introducing the idea of 'identity states,' which categorize adolescents into four different stages based on their level of crisis and commitment.

What are the four identity states proposed by James Marcia?

The four identity states proposed by James Marcia are achievement, foreclosure, moratorium, and diffusion.

How does the script illustrate the concept of 'foreclosure' in Marcia's theory?

The script illustrates 'foreclosure' by describing a scenario where an adolescent commits to an identity, such as becoming a doctor like their parent, without actively exploring other alternatives or questioning the decision.

What does the term 'moratorium' in Marcia's theory refer to?

In Marcia's theory, 'moratorium' refers to a state where an adolescent is actively exploring different identities and has not yet made a commitment to any particular one.

According to the script, why might adolescents in poverty have a harder time achieving identity achievement?

Adolescents in poverty might have a harder time achieving identity achievement because they may not have the same access to resources and opportunities that facilitate exploration of different roles and identities.

How does the script suggest that the process of identity formation may have changed over time?

The script suggests that the process of identity formation may have shifted to occur later in life, with many individuals not solidifying their religious, gender, political, and vocational identities until around age 25 or later, as opposed to Erikson's original timeline of 18 to 20.

Outlines

00:00

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Adolescence as a Stage of Development

This paragraph introduces the concept of adolescent socio-emotional development by drawing parallels between the developmental stages of toddlers and teenagers. It emphasizes the rapid physical changes and newfound independence that both groups experience. The speaker likens adolescence to the 'toddler stage of adulthood,' highlighting the exploration and pushing of boundaries that are characteristic of this period. The paragraph also touches on the cognitive development of adolescents, noting their increased ability for abstract thought and argumentation, which contributes to their evolving sense of identity.

05:01

🧑‍🦰 Erikson's Theory of Identity Formation

The second paragraph delves into Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory, focusing on the 'identity versus role confusion' crisis of adolescence. It explains identity as a consistent definition of oneself in terms of roles, attitudes, beliefs, and aspirations. The speaker discusses the process of adolescents trying on various 'possible selves' to find their identity, using personal anecdotes and current examples. The paragraph also acknowledges the shift in societal norms regarding the timing of identity formation, suggesting that it now extends into the early 20s rather than being completed by age 20 as Erikson proposed. It touches on the various aspects of identity, including religious, gender, political, ethnic, and vocational identity, and how these are explored and solidified during adolescence.

10:03

🔍 James Marcia's Identity Statuses

The final paragraph introduces James Marcia's theory, which operationalizes Erikson's concept of identity formation into four distinct identity states based on the dimensions of crisis and commitment. These states are identity achievement, foreclosure, moratorium, and diffusion. The paragraph explains each state, providing examples and discussing the implications for adolescents and young adults. It also considers the role of parental encouragement and resources in facilitating identity exploration and the typical progression from diffusion or foreclosure in early adolescence to moratorium and achievement in young adulthood. The speaker concludes by mentioning a handout with vignettes for further exploration of the identity states.

Keywords

💡Adolescence

Adolescence refers to the transitional stage from childhood to adulthood, marked by significant physical, emotional, and cognitive changes. In the video, it is compared to the 'toddler stage of adulthood' due to the rapid changes and the process of identity formation. The script discusses the physical development, cognitive abilities, and the quest for independence that are characteristic of this period.

💡Socio-emotional development

Socio-emotional development encompasses the emotional and social growth that occurs during adolescence, affecting how young people understand and manage their emotions, build relationships, and navigate social situations. The video introduces this concept by discussing Erikson's theory and the psychosocial crisis of 'identity versus role confusion' during adolescence.

💡Erikson

Erikson, or Erik H. Erikson, was a developmental psychologist known for his theory of psychosocial development, which includes eight stages that individuals pass through from infancy to adulthood. The video script focuses on his concept of 'identity versus role confusion,' which is the key crisis of adolescence according to his theory.

💡Identity

Identity in the context of the video refers to a consistent definition of oneself as a unique individual in terms of roles, attitudes, beliefs, and aspirations. It is central to Erikson's theory of psychosocial development during adolescence. The script describes how adolescents balance between selecting a single self and trying out many possible selves to develop their identity.

💡Role confusion

Role confusion is a term from Erikson's theory that describes the uncertainty and confusion adolescents may experience when they are unsure of their social roles and identities. The video script uses the example of trying on different 'possible selves' to illustrate how adolescents navigate this psychosocial crisis.

💡Formal operational thought

Formal operational thought is a stage of cognitive development in Piaget's theory, characterized by the ability to think abstractly and hypothetically. The video script mentions this as a cognitive ability that adolescents possess, allowing them to fantasize about different roles and identities, contributing to their identity formation process.

💡James Marcia

James Marcia is a psychologist known for his work on identity development, particularly his model of identity statuses. The video script references Marcia's theory, which operationalizes Erikson's concept of identity formation into four distinct identity states based on the dimensions of crisis and commitment.

💡Identity statuses

Identity statuses, as described by James Marcia, are four stages of identity development: identity achievement, foreclosure, moratorium, and diffusion. The video script explains these statuses in the context of adolescents actively exploring or committing to their identities, or lacking both crisis and commitment.

💡Moratorium

Moratorium, in Marcia's model, is an identity status where an individual is in a crisis, actively exploring different roles and identities, but has not yet made a commitment. The video script uses the example of a teenager trying on a black leather jacket to illustrate being in a moratorium, exploring a 'biker' identity.

💡Achievement

Achievement, in the context of Marcia's identity statuses, refers to the successful resolution of a crisis with a commitment to a particular identity. The video script suggests that identity achievement is more likely when parents encourage autonomous exploration and commitment to alternatives.

💡Foreclosure

Foreclosure is an identity status where an individual has made a commitment to an identity without having actively explored alternatives. The video script describes it as premature identity formation, often adopting parents' or society's roles and values without questioning, such as a child of a doctor deciding to become a doctor without exploring other options.

💡Diffusion

Diffusion, in Marcia's theory, is an identity status characterized by a lack of commitment and absence of crisis. The video script implies that adolescents in diffusion do not actively explore their identity and are not committed to any particular roles or beliefs, which is more typical of early adolescence.

Highlights

Adolescence is the 'toddler stage of adulthood' with rapid physical and cognitive development.

Both toddlers and adolescents experience new-found freedom and independence.

Adolescents undergo significant physical changes, like body hair and shifting centers of gravity.

Adolescents' cognitive abilities develop through formal operational thought, allowing abstract and hypothetical thinking.

Eric Erikson's theory identifies 'identity versus role confusion' as the key psychosocial crisis of adolescence.

Identity is defined as a consistent sense of self in terms of roles, attitudes, beliefs, and aspirations.

Adolescents balance between selecting a single self and trying out many possible selves.

An example of an adolescent trying on possible selves is the story of the presenter's son with the black leather jacket.

Erikson believed identity formation was completed by age 18-20, but modern times may push this to around age 25.

Gender identity in Erikson's time referred to traditional roles, while today it includes transgenderism and sexual orientation.

James Marcia's theory operationalizes Erikson's concepts into four identity states based on crisis and commitment.

The four identity states are achievement, foreclosure, moratorium, and diffusion.

Achievement is reached when adolescents actively explore alternatives and make a commitment to an identity.

Foreclosure is commitment to an identity without active exploration, often adopting parents' or society's roles and values.

Moratorium is a state of active exploration without commitment, common in young adults.

Diffusion is a lack of commitment and crisis, where adolescents show no active exploration or concern for identity.

Parents who encourage autonomous exploration facilitate identity achievement in adolescents.

Moratorium and achievement are more common in young adults, while diffusion and foreclosure are typical of early adolescence.

Transcripts

hi class Welcome to our discussion of

adolescence we're going to introduce um

adolescent socio emotional development

by talking about Eric Ericson and his uh

sense that identity versus role

confusion is the key psychosocial crisis

of adolescence but first let's think

about

this can you see how in a sense

adolescence is the toddler stage of

adulthood let's think about that

Toddlers and that Ence both are

undergoing rapid changes in physical

development all of a sudden that little

toddler can stand up hang on to the

toilet and throw a toothbrush right in

that toilet and see what happens um

they're starting to be able to crawl

they can walk this is New Found freedom

for them right as they're able to get

away from Mom and Dad's arms and go

explore the world well teenagers are

undergoing a lot of physical development

too are they not um think about those

long gangly arms and legs think about oh

my gosh I've suddenly got breasts think

about I've got body hair where I never

had it before these are huge changes in

their physical development their

physical their um uh center of gravity

changes lots and lots of changes in

physical development for both Toddlers

and Adolescence rapid changes in verbal

dexterity what are toddlers doing well

they're learning to talk they're saying

their first words by age one by age two

or three they've got um they're starting

to do telegraphic speech by age three

they've got um a few thousand words what

are the Adolescent doing well thanks to

their new found cognitive abilities um

in terms of formal operational thought

think P right there they're able to do

things like hypotheticals they're able

to think

abstractly they get very argumentative

they see everything in Black and White

so they become um much more able to

express themselves

verbally Toddlers and adolesence are

also both learning to be independent

that toddler is trying everything out on

her own she's um moving farther and

farther away from mom um from her secure

base so are teenagers they're working

part-time jobs they're staying out till

midnight they're responsible for their

own school workor and both of them are

pushing the limits until parents say no

in order to protect them right your

little toddler is going to go in the

kitchen and start pulling out all those

pots and pans until mom says no your

teenager well she's probably going to

roll her eyes or groan or sass you until

you put uh the limit in place and say no

so Toddlers and Adolescent have a lot in

common so um this sets the stage for us

to think about um development and

Adolescence from an eriksonian

standpoint for Ericson let's think back

um to through Ericson's stages of

psychosocial development first of all

you have trust versus in mistrust in

infancy

then you have autonomy versus shame and

doubt initiative versus guilt um

industry versus inferiority in childhood

and finally you get to identity identity

versus role confusion is the

psychosocial crisis in adolescence well

what is identity it's a consistent

definition of oneself as a unique

individual in terms of roles attitudes

beliefs and

aspirations here he is Dr Ericson

himself and so he calls it identity

achievement versus Identity or role

confusion and he says that what the

Adolescent is trying to do is they're

balancing between selecting a single

self and trying out many possible selves

we all have a lot of possible selves um

for an adolescent this is going to be

things

like am I going to be an athlete am I

going to be in band am I going to be a

goth today so they are trying on all of

these possible selves um I remember as

an adolescent um freshman year of high

school I tried out for the cheerleading

team and I made it and I spent a year on

the cheerleading squad but it just was

never quite me it never really felt good

so I tried music and I played piano for

a couple of years and I could do it but

it was hard and finally I tried tennis

and that clicked everything was easy it

came easy to me it was something that

really felt good and and so as I'm going

through all of those things I'm

developing my identity cheerleader no

not really a music person athlete yes

okay so that's what kids are trying to

do my son is working this out right now

he uh got a black leather jacket

recently he's in sixth grade middle

school 11 years old got himself a black

leather jacket which he has wanted so

badly for a year or two and so first day

of school he is dying to wear this

jacket to school but here in Texas it's

105° on the first day of school so I

encourage him not to do that finally

this week it's um October we finally get

into the 60s in the morning and he is

dying to wear that thing so he wears it

and he comes home and I say hey bud

how'd the black leather jacket go over

in school today and he said oh it was

great they were like oh you look like a

biker man so he's at this very beginning

process of trying on a possible self hm

what would my what would it be like if I

were a biker guy if I rode a dirt bike

that's what he's kind of working out and

as parents we just let our kids do these

things you know if they're basically a

good kid getting good grades not doing

drugs and they come home with blue hair

that might be the time for the wise

parent to say you know I'm going to let

the blue hair go this is my kid trying

on possible selves so for Ericson

remember he is working in um the latter

half of uh the 1900s so we're talking

50s 60s and 70s was life different then

was the cultural Zeitgeist different

then that it is here in uh the early

2000s absolutely it was so um there are

ways in which his theory um although it

is applicable today the timing may be a

little off for him he's thinking of

identity versus role um confusion really

being done by about age 18 to 20 right

in there that you have figured out your

religious identity what you believe in

terms of God and religion you figured

out your gender identity your political

and ethnic identity your vocational

identity would we say that most 18 to

20y olds have all this stuff nailed here

in 2016 no no most people don't um this

kind of thing has gotten pushed back

maybe people have this done by about age

25 or so of course this varies uh person

to person so we talked a little bit

about religious identity what did he

mean by gender identity well what he

meant and what we think today in 2016

are probably different things for him

gender identity was simply for an

adolescent girl what does it mean to be

a woman what is a woman's roles how can

I become a woman and how will being a

woman affect who I think I am same thing

for an adolescent boy what does it mean

to be a man what kind of roles do men

play um how can I become a man of course

today we we think of these things and we

also think of issues of transgenderism

and we also think of issues such as

sexual orientation political and ethnic

identity he was imagining that by um and

and this was true for him back then that

by 18 to 20 years old you had um a sense

of where you stood politically you knew

if you were liberal or conservative

Republican libertarian Democrat what

have you um and then finally vocational

identity um deciding on what your career

and vocation will be so you can see that

these things are still at play today and

yet they probably are happening later

than they were in Ericson's

time so for Ericson um identity versus

rule confusion is the psychosocial

crisis of adolescence he's thinking this

is pretty much done by age 20 and when

he was researching and writing by age 20

you were heading toward marriage average

age of marriage would have been about 22

for men and about 20 for women today

that looks more like 28 for men and 22

for women so he's imagining your

identity is done by a at age 20 and then

what's the next thing that you do in

life well for for him then um this was

the next step was marriage and intimate

relationships and so he said look if the

Adolescent hasn't figured out who they

are yet if they end up in role confusion

that that really interferes with the

ability to move into the next stage of

forming Intimate

Relationships um we should think about

about how this is all taking place in

the Adolescent brain in terms of their

cognitive development what is happening

cognitively for the Adolescent well they

have hit formal operational thought they

are able to think abstractly and

hypothetically what this implies is that

they're now able to sort of fantasize

think about various roles and do these

trial runs um like my son trying on the

biker jacket like me trying out

cheerleading and tennis and piano

um so kids are are fantasizing about

these roles they're thinking about their

talents they're thinking about romance

friendships religion politics gender

orientation what kind of roles they're

going to take in

society one of the cool things about

identity versus Ro confusion is that we

have this Theory by James Marcia it's

actually not Marsha not Marsha Marsha

Marsha it's James Marcia and his work on

identity State he said look this is a

fascinating theory of Ericson's but

let's operationalize this so that we can

test it in the lab and so um he started

looking at identity and he's thinking

about it in terms of two Dimensions

crisis and commitment and from these two

Dimensions crisis and commitment he gets

four identity States remember we've

talked about um Diana boman's theory of

parenting style right she also had two

dimensions control or demandingness and

warmth and from there she got four

parenting Styles well here we have a

similar thing crisis and commitment

leading to four different identity

States now crisis here I got to tell you

crisis here does not mean what you and I

typically think of as crisis this is not

um ah something really bad has happened

a snake is in the house or um something

like that it is crisis in Marcia's uh

model means that you are wrestling in

with your identity you're thinking about

it working through it actively exploring

okay so let's look at each of the

statuses achievement crisis leading to

Commitment there was a crisis you did

explore the Adolescent actively explored

Alternatives and they have made a

commitment to a particular identity

foreclosure is commitment without

crisis the person is committed to an

identity but never actively explored

this is pre premature identity formation

often time this is the Adolescent

adopting parents or society's roles and

values wholesale without questioning so

imagine a kid whose dad is a doctor and

he grows up always thinking he's going

to be a doctor and so he commits to

being a doctor and he's never really

explored anything else that's an example

of

foreclosure moratorium is Crisis is

actively present the person is actively

exploring options and has not yet made a

commitment this is a good status to be

in if you are say 18 years old to be

actively searching and trying to figure

it out and finally you have diffusion

where there is no commitment and no

crisis the Adolescent doesn't seem to

know or care what his or her identity is

they're not actively exploring and

they're not

committed achievement tends to be

obtained at different times for

different aspects of

identity so for example you could

imagine an 18-year-old or a 19-year-old

who's spent a year in college and taken

some different classes and has now

decided yep I'm all set I'm going to be

a chemistry teacher but they maybe

haven't really thought about religious

identity maybe really haven't thought

about political identity maybe they're

still working through what is it mean to

be a man okay so you can be in different

identity states for different aspects of

your identity identity achievement is

likeliest when parents actively

encourage autonomous exploration of

alternative

they're trying to get their kid to look

at a bunch of different things trying to

encourage the kid to head toward

commitment and this is best facilitated

by parents who have the time and

resources to help the kid explore

Alternatives kids who are living in

poverty don't have access to this nearly

as

much now finally the last point I want

to make about this is that moratorium

and achievement are more common in young

adults than in adolescence and diffusion

and foreclosure is more typical of

adolescence especially early adolesence

you can imagine a 13 or a 14-year-old

definitely being in diffusion or

foreclosure in terms of say politics or

religion but by the time they're 18 20

25 they may be actively wrestling with

us or have come to their own

conclusions all right I'm going to put

on blackboard um a handout for you that

gives four vignettes and you're going to

have a chance to read those four

vignettes and try to decide which um

identity State each of the adolescents

is in diffusion moratorium foreclosure

and achievement