Psychosocial identity theory is based on how an individual’s identity is shaped by their own development and experiences combined with their social surroundings. Phoenix refers to E. Erikson (Phoenix, 2002), who wrote about eight stages of development whereby an individual’s identity is built over their lifetime. He suggests that most of the time we are unaware of this and is only when something in our life goes wrong or changes that we become more aware of whom we are and therefore what our identity is. This seems to be why Erikson focuses mainly on adolescence, as this is when people tend to explore different possible paths that lead to certain friendships and life choices, he describes this stage as ‘psychosocial moratorium’ that will eventually lead us to shape who we are as adults. Erikson refers to this achievement as ego identity (Phoenix, 2002), where an individual feels comfortable with whom they are. As with anything or anyone in a stage of development, it is not always a smooth transition from one stage to another and the individual can sometimes be delayed or stuck on one stage; in reference to identity Erikson describes this as an identity crisis. Phoenix also refers to Marcia (Phoenix, 2002) who looked at Erikson’s development stages, particularly adolescence and suggested that people often go through different phases of their…
“To know our refuse is to know ourselves. We mark our own trail from past to present with what we've used and consumed, fondled, rejected, outgrown.”…
Everyone grows up and they change, but do they as teens change themselves to fit in and be accepted? In growing up people all face challenges, and hiding their identity becomes one of those many challenges. When a teen develops a personality it just might not be completely their own.…
Locked up: should teens be tried as adults? (2008, 04 12) Weekly Reader publication p 1…
Do you know the percentage of teenagers in America that are a part of a clique? Cliques have a tremendous effect on the lives of teens because they are a part of every teen’s life. A clique is simply a group of people that hang out with each other and usually have similar interests. Cliques have the greatest impact on teen identity because they give teens a sense of belonging and social cooperation, discourage new friendships, and suppress individuality.…
During the adolescence age, identity is very easy to change by your parents or friends. Their linguistic and mental behavior mind influences a teenager’s identity.For example, article “A Teen’s Friends Are a Powerful Influence” by Valerie Ulene, the author portrays that friends exert over one another as teenager’s influence is clearly powerful and far too often, undesirable by using an example, “more likely to indulge in these behaviors themselves. Aggressive, illegal or self-injurious behaviors also have a tendency to cluster among friend groups, as do concerns about body image and eating”(4). In this quote, the author point out that behavior is almost contagious among teenagers. Good behavior by peers can spread through the group, but bad behavior can also be modeled. Friends influence is so powerful and subtle in influence teenagers.…
Throughout childhood and adolescence, we observe our parents and peers morals and ideologies, and use this to construct identity.…
The crowd was roaring and happily jumping from the intersection that just happened against the TCU. Everyone was ecstatic as the students waved their white towels and cheered on our team. The smell of donuts and popcorn filled the air as the game heated up. Waves of yellow and maroon filled the stadium like one united nation. During the third quarter, my friends and I sat down since we be The game was 3 to 23 and we all began to get tired and lose hope of the Gophers winning against TCU. Suddenly, my friends and I heard “Hey! Stand up. This is a game not mosque” yelled angry boy two benches behind us. At first we didn’t think much of it but he kept yelling. As my friends and I looked around us, we realized the guy was pointing at us. I was surprised as the rest of my friends. I wondered why he was doing that to us? I felt embarrassed and annoyed at the same time because of the guy attention was drawn to us and he ruined our…
The identity of an individual has unique differences depending on the association with his or her personal and social functioning in society, especially during the formation of identity in the adolescent years of development (Crocetti, Rubini,, Luyckx&, Meeus, 2008). The influences of personal identity development will illustrate through the time line of my life events from birth through adulthood.…
Identity can be generally defined as the personal characteristics and traits which differentiate each individual from the other, however in “The myth of Latin woman: I just met a girl named Maria” by Cofer, Judith Ortiz and “The joy of reading and writing: superman and me” by Alexei Sherman, both authors demonstrate the theme identity in a different manner. Judith Cofer portrays how the society often stereotype individuals into groups without a doubt, in this particular essay, the offensive stereotype of Latino women without any particular reason but merely due to their identity. Alexei Sherman in “The joy of reading and writing: superman and me” also describes how society can have an impact on one’s identity; however Alexei was determined to build himself and challenge the society despite of its expectations.…
We know our identity when we are happy with ourselves, not how people view us.…
According to Erik Erikson, adolescence is marked by the child’s questioning his or her identity during what he refers to as the identity versus identity confusion developmental stage. During this phase, the adolescent becomes mindful of his or her identity and seeks his or her purpose in life, as well as the answer to the eternal question, “who am I?” In their quest to find their sense of self, adolescents experiment with different personalities and roles. Some teenagers display rebellious behavior, which is normal, as they experience a flood of countless emotions. The teens that are able to cope with the differing identities are able to form a new identity that they can accept. On the other hand, those who cannot cope during this experimental period suffer what Erikson calls identity confusion, where they either withdraw themselves from everyone else, or they lose themselves in their peers.…
Teens' are automatically succumbed to judgment because of what group they are labeled in. Tracy McVeigh, a chief reporter for the Observer says, “Young people have so many labels and stereotypes slapped on them. What is undeniably true is that the evidence suggests that rates of depression, self-harm and anxiety among young people are at unprecedented levels” (n.pag.). It’s every teens’ dream to fit in with the cool kids and it puts a great deal of stress on them. When they are denied entry to be with the cool kids it can lead to more self harm then there has ever been in the past making it the worst times to be a teen.…
Children develop a sense of trust that the world is a good safe place when significant…
The sociological approach of self and identity begins with the assumption that there is a reciprocal relationship between the self and society. The Self influences society through the actions of individuals thereby creating groups, organizations, networks, and institutions. And, reciprocally, society influences the self through its shared language and meanings that enable a person to take the role of the other, engage in social interaction, and reflect upon oneself as an object. The latter process of reflexivity constitutes the core of selfhood (McCall & Simmons, 1978; Mead, 1934). Because the self emerges from social interaction and it is reflective of society, the…