Into the Wild- Identity Crisis
Ashlyn Roberson
Mr. Hudgens English 9G
16 February 2013
Identity Crisis At Any Age
Imagine yourself sifting through the remnants of your life and questioning who you are, and what you’ve become and feeling the need to create a name for yourself before it’s too late. This is how someone who is going through an identity crisis feels. What causes an identity crisis? There are many things that can cause an identity crisis in adolescent teens and adults.
Many things that can cause someone to have an identity crisis. According to Ellis-Christensen, "An identity crisis is a time in life when an individual begins to seriously quest for answers about the nature of his or her being and the search for an identity." This doesn’t specify an age limit in which a crisis is common. Many either associate it with either adolescence or adults. This is supported in this quote, "It is now thought that an identity crisis may occur at any time of life, especially in periods of great transition" (Ellis-Christensen). The transitional time period may be the time in between new schools, a divorce, job transfers, or having to relocate to a new area which may cause a person to question everything. However, according to Krauss Whitbourne, "If you don't come to grips with these crucial life decisions and never arrive at a firm identity, your ‘identity diffusion’ will not prepare you for the developmental tasks that lie ahead." Sometimes though, coming to these terms is hard to do alone, and a therapist may be a necessity. There are many things that can trigger this time of questioning, and many times it has to do with a great time of transition.
Identity crisis is not uncommon in adolescence. According to Kidwell, "This research investigated Erikson's theory that adolescent identity exploration is associated with a variety of symptoms such as fluctuations in ego strength, mood swings, rebelliousness, and heightened physical complaints.” These symptoms are not uncommon by themselves in
Mr. Hudgens English 9G
16 February 2013
Identity Crisis At Any Age
Imagine yourself sifting through the remnants of your life and questioning who you are, and what you’ve become and feeling the need to create a name for yourself before it’s too late. This is how someone who is going through an identity crisis feels. What causes an identity crisis? There are many things that can cause an identity crisis in adolescent teens and adults.
Many things that can cause someone to have an identity crisis. According to Ellis-Christensen, "An identity crisis is a time in life when an individual begins to seriously quest for answers about the nature of his or her being and the search for an identity." This doesn’t specify an age limit in which a crisis is common. Many either associate it with either adolescence or adults. This is supported in this quote, "It is now thought that an identity crisis may occur at any time of life, especially in periods of great transition" (Ellis-Christensen). The transitional time period may be the time in between new schools, a divorce, job transfers, or having to relocate to a new area which may cause a person to question everything. However, according to Krauss Whitbourne, "If you don't come to grips with these crucial life decisions and never arrive at a firm identity, your ‘identity diffusion’ will not prepare you for the developmental tasks that lie ahead." Sometimes though, coming to these terms is hard to do alone, and a therapist may be a necessity. There are many things that can trigger this time of questioning, and many times it has to do with a great time of transition.
Identity crisis is not uncommon in adolescence. According to Kidwell, "This research investigated Erikson's theory that adolescent identity exploration is associated with a variety of symptoms such as fluctuations in ego strength, mood swings, rebelliousness, and heightened physical complaints.” These symptoms are not uncommon by themselves in