Identity crisis refers to the failure of a youth to achieve their ego identity during their adolescence stage. This occurs due to the confusion between identity cohesion versus role confusion where the youth face challenges regarding growth, integrating personal ideas, sexual maturation, and the thoughts of others about the youth. The success of resolving the crisis depends on the steps through the previous stages of development of an individual.
James was my high school friend whose adolescence experienced an identity crisis. My friend had a problem facing his sexual maturation and understanding his physical growth due to his background and family relationships where he could not develop his autonomy; hence, had identity diffusion and grew without coming to grips with the important life decisions and never got to a firm identity.
The advantage that James could have had if he had developed his identity is that he could have found it easy to solve conflicts successfully and come out of the stage with a strong identity. The psychological effect is the James has a low self-esteem and suffers from inferiority complex. Establishment of relationships with other individuals is problems majorly because of failure of self-understanding understand.
The failure to develop a strong identity was a consequence of strict parenting and lack of autonomy in the family; therefore, James sunk into confusion and has failed to come to decisions and choices in his entire life. He has faced problems with his sexual orientation and has failed to integrate the aspect of roles in his life in adulthood. James lacks a sense of commitment due to identity crisis and fails to develop an attachment to the choices that he makes and has an uncertain sense of self.
Conclusion
Identity crisis is a stage in adolescent that requires the natural environment of growth and suppression can have adverse effects on the development of identity. Erik Erikson identified the phrase ‘identity crisis’ as one of the eight crisis stages in the psychological development to adulthood and determines the relationships between childhood and adulthood. The above example is an illustration of the effects of identity crisis.
