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

Ways of promoting a sense of Identity in Children and adolescents

Successful Identity achievement is important because this allows young adults to develop mature relationships with others and feel emotionally secure. If identity crisis is not solved successfully, the adolescent is faced with a sense of identity diffusion and inability to cope with the demands of adulthood. Identity achievers have the highest self esteem, followed by those in the moratorium status, followed by foreclosure and last identity diffusion.

The adolescent’s self identity is crucial in the development of an integrated personality. The three ingredients necessary for the sense of personal identity are

1. Inner confidence about their competence and ability to master new tasks must carry forward from middle childhood to adolescence.
2. They must have ample opportunity to experiment with new roles both in fantasy and practice.
3. They must get support from parents and adult in this regard

These tasks are easily fulfilled if the parents should follow the guidelines given below

1. They should adopt inductive and democratic style of discipline
2. Allow adolescents to make their own decisions
3. Organize and adopt appropriate plans
4. Encourage the adolescents to express their own opinions and ideas
5. Allow them to take an active role in decision making in the family context
6. Tolerate their assertiveness
7. Allow them to consider various alternative solutions to a problem since from late childhood.

In all these types of democratic home situations, adolescence are more apt to seek guidance and advice from their parents. Subsequently they strongly identify with their parents and in turn more likely to internalize their parents values and rules.