Comparing Erikson And Marcia's Theory Of Psychosocial Development

When you stare at your reflection in the mirror, what do you see? Do you really know who you are? Over the course of years people go through multiple roles and stages of life to try and find their own unique identity. This is known as Identity Formation. Psychologists have created several developmental theories that include Identity Formation, but the two most influential are Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development and Marcia’s identity status theory. Erikson’s developmental theory was broken down into 8 developmental stages, but the stage that focused on identity formation was the “Identity versus Role Confusion”. He believed that adolescents face a crisis of attempting to balance the desire to try multiple selves and the need to only have one self (Kail and Cavanaugh 316). Establishing intimate, sharing relationships with others is the result of adolescents who have already achieved a sense of identity. Adolescents who have not reached identity will never get to experience it with human relationships, therefore they live their lives in isolation. Adolescents who successfully achieve their identity are healthy and well-adjusted adults. While on the other hand, the adolescents who are stuck become emotionally unstable adults.
Marcia’s identity status theory groups adolescents’ developmental stages into four categories.
The four stage are diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, and achievement. Identity diffusion is when the individual is overwhelmed by attempting to achieve an identity and does little to accomplish the identity. Identity foreclosure is when a person has a status that is determined by adults and not by self-exploration. Identity moratorium is when the individual is exploring multiple identities but has not found the one that satisfies them. Identity achievement is when the individual has finally chosen the one identity that satisfies them (Kail and Cavanaugh
317).
The earliest identity I can recall for myself was in elementary when I wanted to be a hair stylist. That was a chosen identity, it was a something I really enjoyed doing. I learned how to braid when I was in the 5th grade, I know some adults who are well over 40 who still don’t know how to braid. After being a hair stylist, I wanted to have my own day care center. I love children and helping them. Both of those identities got put to rest by my father, he told me he wanted me to be in a field that made a lot of money. He said he could see me being an accountant or a doctor and from there I decided I was going to be a pediatrician. Being a pediatrician was of course a prescribed identity, because it was something my father wanted.
Entering into high school I still had a passion for helping children and I knew I wanted a career in the medical field. Being a pediatrician wasn’t what I desired to be though. By my senior year in high school when I had to present my senior project I knew I wanted to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. I chose the identity of a pediatric nurse practitioner. Becoming a nurse practitioner I have so many options to choose from, if pediatrics does not work out then I can focus on something else. I am currently a pre-nursing major at East Carolina and I’m working towards my career of being pediatric nurse practitioner.