Life Span Development II School Age and Adolescence

Life Span Development II: School age and Adolescence 3 (2+1)

Lesson 22 : Marcia Theory On Identity Development

Marcia’s Theory of Adolescent Identity Development

James Marcia (1987, 1993) expanded Erikson’s theory, describing the basic processes involved in adolescent identity formation. Marcia proposed two essential aspects of an adolescent’s search for identity:

1. Crisis/exploration refers to the process of considering options, values and goals. Making choices about life directions is an active process of searching among alternatives in religious beliefs, political views, sexuality, roles and relationships.

2. Commitment refers to the making of voluntary choices about life directions from the many available options. By making these choices, adolescents become invested in their identity decisions.

The concepts of exploration and commitment are used to classify adolescents into four categories with respect to identity status. These status categories provide a way to recognize adolescents who are in the different phases of identity development.

• Adolescents who have not explored choices or committed themselves to a specific identity are considered identity diffusion. These adolescents may appear aimless and preoccupied and they often lack confidence and positive views of themselves.
• Adolescents who have not explored alternatives but nonetheless have made a definite commitment to a specific identity are in foreclosure. In this case, the commitment has been made prematurely, without adequate searching or questioning. These teens may try to become what others want them to be rather than really deciding for themselves.
• Adolescents who are actively exploring identity issues but have not yet made any firm commitment are in moratorium. Adolescents must experience moratorium before developing a mature identity. This status may be uncomfortable, but it allows adolescents to consider a variety of ideas and behaviors.
• Adolescents who have experienced a period of exploration and crisis and have made a personal commitment to their choice are considered identity achieved. Identity-achieved adolescents experience greater self-acceptance and have a better sense of their own strengths and weakness.

Marcia believed that identity development is a process of moving or processing from one status to another as issues related to who one is and what one wants to become are explored. Adolescents start making constructive progress on identity formation. Identity-achieved adolescents are psychologically healthier than those classified in the other categories. They attain greater levels of achievement, morality, and intimacy than others do. Adolescents experiencing moratorium are likely to have problems with authority issues, whereas adolescents in foreclosure have a great need for social approval and a low level of autonomy. The adolescents classified as identity-diffused are likely to be withdrawn, less intimate with peers, more neurotic, and less explorative in their interests and activities. Thus, adolescent identity status has important consequences for the quality of adolescent’s adjustment and their relationships with others.