IDENTITY VS.

ROLE CONFUSION
12-18 YO (Adolescence)
Who am I? What can I be?
Adolescence

transition in society from childhood to adulthood

crossroads

period of radical change

o physical changes of puberty, sexual maturation
o integrating our ideas of ourselves and about what others think of us
o suddenly sharpened awareness of the roles society offers

period of synthesis
o childhood identifications no longer hold
o new identity must be forged
Cohesive Ego Identity

'the person one has come to be' and 'the person society expects one to become'
o past experiences with anticipations of the future emerging sense of self

healthy resolution of earlier conflicts can now serve as a foundation for the search for an identity

FIDELITY
o sincerity, genuineness and a sense of duty in our relationships
o ability to live by societies standards despite imperfections
o finding a place in a community that allows you to contribute

SOCIAL INTERACTION: peers, role models, other members of the culture, society
Elements for a positive outcome:

adults
o encourage and support exploration
o offer new possibilities to explore
o patiently support the trying out and breaking off of these commitments

adolescents
o develop a willingness to seek out, experiment with, explore, and even commit to aspects of identity
Elements for a negative outcome:

adults
o limit and control the exploration process
o unwilling to provide new possibilities to try
o force adolescents into premature commitments

adolescents
o foreclose on an identity (without exploring options)
o postpone the exploration and commitment process
If the adolescent cannot make deliberate decisions and choices (vocation, sexual orientation, life in general) ROLE
CONFUSION
Role Confusion

uncertainty about one's place in society and the world

o mixed feelings or ideas
o commitments are being asked for before particular identity roles have formed

MORATORIUM
o allowances for youth to "find themselves ; a time-out
o free exploration with reluctance to commit
o niche: firmly defined, uniquely made for him
Fanaticism & Repudation

Fanaticism
o too much ego identity
o so involved in a particular role in society/subculture that there is no room left for tolerance
o his way is the only way
o promote beliefs and life-styles without regard to others' rights to disagree

Repudiation
o lack of an ego identity
o renounce membership in the world of adults and the need for an identity
o groups providing the details of ones identity
o being "bad" or being "nobody" is better than not knowing who you are

CASE
In high school, he was very popular with his school
mates
grim medical never admitting that he was
constantly in pain
more concerned with his social standing than his
studies
co-founded an underground group of rebellious
students who organized practical jokes.
felt rules did not necessarily apply to him

INTERPRETATION

heightened consciousness how others view him

masking pain as a sign of unresolved feelings of

helplessness

A mediocre student, he graduated 65th in a class of

110 students.
Despite showing aptitude in English and History, his
favorite subjects, he earned consistently poor marks
in subjects like science
I would be most charitable in my attitude toward your
failings
I definitely know you have the goods
I am urging you to do the best you can
I am not expecting too much, and I will not be
disappointed

free exploration through a variety of behaviors and

activities
testing how society react to understand how he fits
in
signs of repudiation
o renounce membership in the world of adults
o reliance on a group providing the details of ones
identity
being "bad" or being "nobody" is better than not
knowing who you are
avoidance of success as a sign of reluctance to
commit
mixed feelings or ideas
commitments are being asked for before particular
identity roles have formed
flimsy identity of capable or incapable, genius or
failure

In high school, he was very popular with his school mates and was best known for troublemaking, not his academic
performance. He co-founded an underground group of rebellious students who organized practical jokes. When asked
why, he claimed that he felt rules did not necessarily apply to him and simply did whatever he could get away with. As
a consequence of his involvement with this club and his continued sickness, he spent the summer after his junior year
undergoing tests. He had a grim medical profile but he insisted on looking at the bright side, never admitting to
anyone outside the family that he was constantly in pain. A mediocre student, he graduated 65 th in a class of 110
students. Despite showing aptitude in English and History, his favorite subjects, he earned consistently poor marks in
subjects like science, and seemed more concerned with his social standing than his studies. This prompted his father
to write him a letter one day: I dont want to give the impression that I am a nagger, for goodness knows I think that
is the worst thing any parent can be, and I also feel that you know if I didnt really feel you had the good s I would be
most charitable in my attitude toward your failings. After long experience in sizing up people I definitely know you
have the goods and you can go a long way It is very difficult to make up fundamentals that you have neglected
when you were very young, and that is why I am urging you to do the best you can. I am not expecting too much, and
I will not be disappointed if you dont turn out to be a real genius, but I think you can be a really worthwhile citizen
with good judgment and understanding.