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1.1.1EssentialistConceptsofIdentity
Developmental
Amongthecontributionsofthepsychoanalytictheoryofdevelopment,none
hasbeenmoresubstantialthantheEightStagesofLifepropoundedbythe
psychologistErik.H.Erikson(Crain,2005,p.277).Accordingtohistheoryof
egodevelopment,peoplepassthrougheightstagesofpsychosocialmatura-
tionatdifferenttimesintheirlives,eachstagecharacterizedbydifferent
formsofbehaviour.Ofimportanceisthefactthateachunresolvedtensionor
crisisfromapreviousstagere-emergesinsubsequentstages,whichmakesit
moredifficulttopassthroughfuturecrises.Therefore,eachcrisiswhichis
associatedwithaparticularstageshouldberesolvedifapersonistoattain
asenseofidentity.Thisalsomeansthatidentityisnotasumofearlieriden-
tifications,butrathertheirintegrationconstitutestheperson’sinternalcapi-
talinthewayheorshefunctionssocially.Erikson’smodelofdevelopmentis
wellknownintheliterature(Witkowski,2004),andthisiswhyitsdescrip-
tionhereisconfinedtothefifthstageinwhichthetermHidentity”isused
withregardtolateadolescentstheageoftheparticipantsatthebeginning
oftheempiricalstudydescribedinthisbook5.
Theperiodoflookingforidentityatthetimeoflateadolescencecoincides
withtheperiodofpsychosocialmoratoriuminyoungpeople.Feeling
pressedtofindtheirrolesinsocietyanddecidewhotheywouldliketobe-
comeintermsofprofessionalworkandvalues,adolescentsoftenstrugglein
theireffortstoachievetheirauthenticidentity.ThisperiodiscalledHidentity
diffusion”6,andthemorepressurethereisfromthosearoundtomakethem
adoptacertain(i.e.professional)role,thegreatertheirinternalresistance
canbe.Thechoiceofaprofessionandstartingworkoftenresultinkeyiden-
tityproblemsatthistimeoflife.TheperiodoflateadolescenceisinErik-
son’sconstructthefirstseriousandconsciousstageofshapingaperson’s
ego.Lackofpositivesolutionsinidentitycriseswhichinitiateatthistime
canberevealedinfurtherstagesofadulthood.Ontheotherhand,experienc-
ingidentityproblemsandsolvingthemwithpositiveeffectmayrelease
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5AlthoughtheformationofidentityisviewedbyEriksonasthetimeoflateadolescence,
otherresearchersarguethattheprocessofidentityachievementextendsintoearly
adulthood(Schwartzetal.,2009)orlaststhroughoutadulthood(Marcia,2002).
6Inhislaterworks,EriksonreplacesHidentitydiffusion”withHidentityconfusion”and
Hidentitydispersion”,claimingthatthenewtermsdonothavenegativeconnotations
withregardtoanthropologicalcontexts(Witkowski,2004,pp.160-161).
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