IDENTITY dEVELOPMENT
concept
Identity is defined as who a person is, representing a synthesis and integration of self-understanding. Due to Erik Erikson's advanced knowledge and analysis, identity is believed to be a key concept in adolescent development (Erikson 1950, 1968). Erikson's theory states that there are eight stages of development as people go through life. James Marcia (1980, 1994, 2002) stresses that Erikson's theory implies four identity statuses, or ways to resolve identity crises. Marcia defines crisis as a time of identity development during which the adolescent is choosing between meaningful alternatives, and defines commitments as a personal investment in what an individual is going to do.
The first identity status is identity diffusion, this is where adolescents have not yet experienced an identity crisis and have not made any commitments. The second identity status is identity foreclosure, this is where adolescents have not made a commitment and have not experienced an identity crisis. The third identity status is identity moratorium, this is where adolescents are in the midst of an identity crisis, but have not made a clear commitment to an identity. The fourth and final identity status is identity achievement, this is where adolescents have gone through identity crisis and made a commitment to an identity.
Another important aspect of identity development is the evaluation of self. Self consists of all the characteristics of an individual (Thompson & Goodman, 2011; Thompson, Winer, & Goodvin, 2011). Along with self comes self-esteem, which is the global evaluative dimension of the self (Harter 2006). This allows an adolescent to perceive themself as a good/bad person compared to just a person. Self-concept refers to domain-specific evaluations of the self (Harter 2006). Adolescents make self-evaluations in numerous domains, such as academic, athletic, and physical appearance. For example, an adolescent may have a negative athletic self-concept because they are bad at sports but have a positive academic self-concept because they are doing well in school. Therefore self-esteem refers to global self-evaluations and self-concept refers to domain evaluations.
Self and identity are often considered to be central aspects of personality development in adolescence (Thompson & Goodman, 2011; Thompson, Winer, & Goodvin, 2011) (1.3). Adolescents carry a sense of who they are and what makes them different from others with them; they take comfort in their uniqueness. How an adolescent perceives themself, whether real or imagined, by their sense of self and uniqueness is the motivating force in life. The research begins with information about adolescents' self-understanding and then turns to their self-esteem and self-concept.
The first identity status is identity diffusion, this is where adolescents have not yet experienced an identity crisis and have not made any commitments. The second identity status is identity foreclosure, this is where adolescents have not made a commitment and have not experienced an identity crisis. The third identity status is identity moratorium, this is where adolescents are in the midst of an identity crisis, but have not made a clear commitment to an identity. The fourth and final identity status is identity achievement, this is where adolescents have gone through identity crisis and made a commitment to an identity.
Another important aspect of identity development is the evaluation of self. Self consists of all the characteristics of an individual (Thompson & Goodman, 2011; Thompson, Winer, & Goodvin, 2011). Along with self comes self-esteem, which is the global evaluative dimension of the self (Harter 2006). This allows an adolescent to perceive themself as a good/bad person compared to just a person. Self-concept refers to domain-specific evaluations of the self (Harter 2006). Adolescents make self-evaluations in numerous domains, such as academic, athletic, and physical appearance. For example, an adolescent may have a negative athletic self-concept because they are bad at sports but have a positive academic self-concept because they are doing well in school. Therefore self-esteem refers to global self-evaluations and self-concept refers to domain evaluations.
Self and identity are often considered to be central aspects of personality development in adolescence (Thompson & Goodman, 2011; Thompson, Winer, & Goodvin, 2011) (1.3). Adolescents carry a sense of who they are and what makes them different from others with them; they take comfort in their uniqueness. How an adolescent perceives themself, whether real or imagined, by their sense of self and uniqueness is the motivating force in life. The research begins with information about adolescents' self-understanding and then turns to their self-esteem and self-concept.
classroom
Identity development gives teachers the knowledge that identity exploration is all a part of healthy adolescent development. This allows teachers to see that is a good thing for students to explore different identities because it is going to help them find their personal identity. To apply this theory in a classroom a teacher could have students work in pairs on math problems. The teacher could mix the students up based on their social groups. Mixing the students up could give the adolescents a chance to explore different identities, allowing them to see if they think that particular social group peaks their interest. This would give the adolescents another way to explore their identity.
At times adolescent's self-esteem might be low and need a helping hand. If a student's self-esteem is low they might start to slack in class and put off that they do not care what grade they receive. If a teacher can spot that a student is struggling in class then the teacher can inform the student that they have hours before and after school when students can come in when they need extra help. Letting the student know that they still have a chance of getting a higher grade in the class could help boost their self-esteem.
At times adolescent's self-esteem might be low and need a helping hand. If a student's self-esteem is low they might start to slack in class and put off that they do not care what grade they receive. If a teacher can spot that a student is struggling in class then the teacher can inform the student that they have hours before and after school when students can come in when they need extra help. Letting the student know that they still have a chance of getting a higher grade in the class could help boost their self-esteem.