Paper Summary:

The paper states that in psychology, the term 'identity crisis' refers to conflict that a human being encounters when he goes through Erik Erickson's eight developmental states of life. The paper notes that according to Erickson, "the identity is a subjective sense as well as an observable quality of personal sameness and continuity..." . The paper confirms that to develop an identity one needs to go through eight stages of development, which are discussed in detail in this paper.

From the Paper:

"Erickson's stages of psychosocial development span an individual's entire lifetime. Between each stage one experiences a conflict, the successful resolution of which results in such favorable outcomes and trust over mistrust. It is this period of conflict that causes the identity crisis.The stage most relevant to adolescents is stage five, which last from age twelve to age eighteen. It is during this stage that the most significant changes occur as, according to Erickson, it is during the adolescence stage that one develops their identity. Thus, in developing an identity, one often experiences confusion and difficulty with peer relations and establishing their role among others."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Erikson, Erik. (1980): Identity and the Life Cycle. New York.
• Friedman, Lawrence J. (1999): Identity's Architect: A Biography of Erik H. Erikson. Oxford.
• Hoare, Carol Hren. (2002): Erikson on Development in Adulthood: New Insights from the Unpublished Papers. New York.
• Marcia, J.E. (1966): "Development and Validation of Ego Identity Status." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2, pp. 551-58.

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