Identity Vs Role Confusion

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Argument

Psychological development plays a big role in the adolescent stage of an individual 's development, both biologically and environmentally. As Erik Erikson 's stages of Psychological Development model stated, "Identity vs. Role Confusion" occurs at the age of adolescence to the 20s. During this stage, individuals increase concerns for the way others seem them, and exploring "who am I '. However, inability to settle on an identity at this stage may lead to role confusion. This is an important stage as individuals are exploring and experimenting with different aspects of one 's self. An example can be expressed using an adolescent girl attending high school. She may try to dress differently, dye her hair, and make her own decisions …show more content…

continued exploration without commitment; Foreclosure, commitment without exploration, perhaps by taking on parent 's values and expectations; Diffusion, no tangible exploration or commitment, the least mature amongst all status. Marcia stated that not all individuals will experience all four of the identity statuses, some may even experience none. However, individuals who experienced all four of the identity statuses may have a greater chance at achieving their desired identities. Furthermore, the ego identity theory allows us to understand who we are as individuals. The ego-synthetic function allow us to interpret information about the world, while the ego-executive function allow us to execute an appropriate response. If an individual fails at mastering his or her ego identity, the individual is likely to result in role confusion because he or she has not yet developed the skill to react to different situations which indicates the lack in acknowledging his or her position and identity. According to Maslow 's Hierarchy of Needs, in order for each individual to develop into self actualization, he or she is required to fulfill the physical need, safety need, social need, and self-esteem. Without fulfilling the basic needs, it is impossible for the individual to realize his or her …show more content…

Racism, classism, prejudice, stereotype, and racial profiling still lurk beneath what deems to be a more civilized society compared to the 1800s. Discrimination is the main cause of identity crisis in adolescents as schools across Canada contains numerous diversified cultures and race. Visible minorities and obese adolescents are often the main target of bullying and discrimination. Islamophobia is defined as racism that leads to prejudice against and fear of Islamic beliefs and Muslims. This is a new term that was created due to the influence of the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. Some students, even teachers, effected by the prejudice views toward the Muslims, both consciously and unconsciously categorized Muslim students as "evil" and "dangerous". This can lead to identity crisis of the Muslim students as they are unsure of whether they are truly dangerous and evil. Even though some Muslim individuals possess a logical mindset, they may still break under the extreme peer pressure and the non-acceptance by society. The prejudice and discrimination will lead these students into depression, low self-esteem, and distrust in themselves, which ultimately may lead to serious issues such as committing suicide. Discrimination against obese people are also common in modern school settings. One study asked teachers

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