Adolescence And Identity Essay

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This essay explains how identity is useful to help us understand the changes associated with youth and adolescents. One’s identity is determined by the choices and commitments made regarding certain personal and social traits. Identity formation has been conceptualized as the process by which individuals (1) develop a more accurate sense of their relative competencies, (2) come to understand what their values are, and (3) conceive self-esteem as grounded in these valued areas (Eccles et al., 1989). Adolescents experience several significant changes in their lives. These changes may be related with puberty, family, peers and escalating concerns about their identities. Teenagers struggle with the problems of adolescence, particularly when they …show more content…

Identity diffusion refers to a period when an individual does not have an established identity, nor is actively searching for one. Children and young teens are often in a state of identity diffusion for most types of identity, such as religious, occupational or cultural identity. Identity foreclosure is when a person thinks they know who they are, but they have not yet explored their options. They often have simply adopted the identity of a parent or close relative. For instance a teen may proclaim that he/she is Catholic because that’s his parents religious identity even though he has not explored other options. Identity moratorium is a period of active searching for one's occupational, religious, ethnic or other form of identity. Identity moratoriums often occur during the late teen and teen years, as individuals struggle to figure out "who they are." Identity achievement can only be achieved if a person undergoes and identity crisis. Those who are identity achieved show higher levels of autonomy for example they are less reliant on the opinions of others and cope well with

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