Who am I? What career do I want? What do I believe in? How should I dress today? Whom will I hang out with? During the stage of identity versus role confusion, parents and teachers alike may face adolescents who are exerting more independence through defiant or rebellious actions and testing limits and boundaries such as purposely exceeding curfews, failing to complete homework or chores, or dressing or acting in a way a parent or teacher disapproves of. During this time, the parent or teacher may feel a lack of ability to control the adolescent and a power struggle ensues. An adolescent may question a parent repeatedly with “Why? Why? Why?” A parent, after being worn down by continual questioning of parental authority, may become utterly frustrated and blurt out, “Because I said so! That’s why.” Adolescents may become more inquisitive about the world around them and wonder how will they fit into this big world in the years to come. The result is an increased interest in asking a parent or teacher about various career choices. There is a great deal of change going on emotionally and mentally with an adolescent during this stage, and it can be difficult for a parent or teacher to keep up with the latest version of who the adolescent is trying to be or become.
These questions and similar ones run through the minds of adolescents transitioning into adulthood through what theorist Erik Erikson identified as Stage 5 of psychosocial development: Identity versus role confusion. The identity versus role confusion stage is a turning point in human development during which adolescents from roughly the ages of 12 to 20 years try to understand and invent who they are by testing out different versions of themselves in different social situations. Identity formation begins to develop as the adolescent explores greater independence, testing limits, and making their own choices about a career, values, beliefs, and goals. Self-confidence is gained through the experiences of facing and overcoming these new challenges of life (Myers, 2014).
An adolescent transitioning successfully through the identity versus role confusion stage results in a well-developed sense of individuality and self-worth and the formation of one’s identity. Conversely, when an adolescent has been unable to manage these accomplishments, role confusion occurs. With role confusion, “the individual experiences extreme doubt regarding the meaning and purpose of their existence, leading to a sense of loss and confusion” (Sokol, 2009).
How might parents or teachers be impacted during an adolescent’s transition through the identity versus role confusion stage?
The identity versus role confusion is a stage of human development, and according to Meyers (2013), “…as with all stage theories, the sequence is unvarying. We begin on the bottom rung and ascend to varying heights.” The outcomes for this stage are either an “identity” or “role confusion.” A parent or teacher may use this information to help recognize an adolescent whose transition may appear to be stalled in role confusion and assist them in seeking ways to carve out and create their identity and self-worth. While adolescents transitioning through this stage can create great power struggles between themselves and adults, a parent or teacher may find it best to keep this saying in mind: “This too shall pass.”
Myers, D. G. (2014). Psychology (10 ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Sokol, J. T. (2009). Identity Development Throughout the Lifetime: An Examination of Eriksonian Theory. Graduate Journal of Counseling Psychology, Vol. 1(Issue 2, Article 14), 1-12. Retrieved February 10, 2015, from http://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1030&context=gjcp
