Identity Development Essay
Identity Development
Introduction What is identity? Identity is like a fingerprint, a unique identifier of who a person is. People create their own identities throughout their entire life. The development one goes through highly influences the person they become. They may strive to form morals, standards or views of the world. It can become a lifelong task in finding who one is, but the search for identity begins roughly during adolescence. Erik Erikson developed a theory based on psychosocial behaviors. He believed that a person’s identity arises from development beginning from infancy. The stages are all interdependent; success in each builds the needed foundation to be able to be successful …show more content…
Those who are minorities, bi-racial or more than one race seek out for their ethnic characteristic. Ethnic identity is often described as ones sense of belonging to a certain ethnic category (Belsky, 2010 p.302-303). Ethnic identity is different form one’s personal identity but both coincide with one another. There are four major ways in which one can achieve successful ethnic identity which is through: ethnic awareness, self identification, ethnic attitudes and ethnic behaviors (Wakefield & Hudley, 2005 p.147-154).One must learn the aspects of their ethnic culture, language, and beliefs. Adolescents may also pass through three stages as they move forward into adulthood; unexamined ethnic identity, identity search and achieved ethnic identity behaviors (Wakefield & Hudley,2005 p.147-154).Some studies suggest that what causes that transition from an unexamined ethnic identity is from the experience of racism, prejudice or discrimination (Wakefield & Hudley,2005 p.147-154). Other studies indicate that as adolescents mature socially and cognitively they become more aware of ethnic issue through their own race and want to then better understand them (Wakefield & Hudley, 2005 p.147-154).Adolescents with an achieved ethnic status have thorough knowledge of their ethnic heritage, as well as the meaning of membership within that ethnic group and a commitment to the role that it may play in their lives (Wakefield & Hudley, 2005
Introduction What is identity? Identity is like a fingerprint, a unique identifier of who a person is. People create their own identities throughout their entire life. The development one goes through highly influences the person they become. They may strive to form morals, standards or views of the world. It can become a lifelong task in finding who one is, but the search for identity begins roughly during adolescence. Erik Erikson developed a theory based on psychosocial behaviors. He believed that a person’s identity arises from development beginning from infancy. The stages are all interdependent; success in each builds the needed foundation to be able to be successful …show more content…
Those who are minorities, bi-racial or more than one race seek out for their ethnic characteristic. Ethnic identity is often described as ones sense of belonging to a certain ethnic category (Belsky, 2010 p.302-303). Ethnic identity is different form one’s personal identity but both coincide with one another. There are four major ways in which one can achieve successful ethnic identity which is through: ethnic awareness, self identification, ethnic attitudes and ethnic behaviors (Wakefield & Hudley, 2005 p.147-154).One must learn the aspects of their ethnic culture, language, and beliefs. Adolescents may also pass through three stages as they move forward into adulthood; unexamined ethnic identity, identity search and achieved ethnic identity behaviors (Wakefield & Hudley,2005 p.147-154).Some studies suggest that what causes that transition from an unexamined ethnic identity is from the experience of racism, prejudice or discrimination (Wakefield & Hudley,2005 p.147-154). Other studies indicate that as adolescents mature socially and cognitively they become more aware of ethnic issue through their own race and want to then better understand them (Wakefield & Hudley, 2005 p.147-154).Adolescents with an achieved ethnic status have thorough knowledge of their ethnic heritage, as well as the meaning of membership within that ethnic group and a commitment to the role that it may play in their lives (Wakefield & Hudley, 2005