According to erikson the goal of adolescence is to
They swing from one experience to the next and lack commitment., impedes a teenager from forming close relationships and engaging in meaningful activities, which often leads to social withdrawal. The first stage, identity confusion Definition identity confusion: Adolescents do not seem to take an interest in their identity. doi: 10.1037/h0023281) built upon Erikson’s theory, finding four different ways in which teenagers work through the identity crisis: 1) identity confusion, 2) foreclosure, 3) moratorium, and 4) identity achievement. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 3(5), 551-558. Developmental and validation of ego-identify status. In Erikson’s fifth psychosocial stage, teenagers often test out various roles, activities, and ideologies in an attempt to reach identity achievement Definition identity achievement: Erikson’s term for when people attain a sense of identity, or an understanding of who one is as a unique person, taking into account what they have experienced and hope for. Racial self-categorization in adolescence: Multiracial development and social pathways. However, older teenagers are able to reconcile that conflict by understanding that their behaviors may be altered by situations and circumstances ( Hitlin, Brown, & Elder, 2006 Source: Hitlin, S., Brown, J. When teenagers are younger, they may struggle to accept that their desired self-concept (social and friendly) differs from their behavior (wanting alone time).
Their improved cognitive functioning now allows them to view themselves from a psychological perspective, whereas before they defined themselves using only concrete and specific traits. The development of multiple domains of child and adolescent self-concept: A cohort sequential longitudinal design. In adolescence, identity is often shaped by their impression of what others think of them as well as their own view of themselves ( Cole et al., 2001 Source: Cole, D. It is during this stage that the question “Who am I?” takes center stage. ) theorized that they enter his fifth stage of psychosocial development, identity versus role confusion Definition identity versus role confusion: Erikson’s term for the fifth developmental stage, in which people try to figure out who they are but do not know which roles to take on. Section 3, Article 1 - As individuals move into adolescence, Erikson ( 1968 Source: Erikson, E.