Question

Using Erikson's theory as a springboard, psychologist James Marcia talks about four aspects of identity development (Selection 32 of your Classic Editions text). These include:

Identity Achievement

Identity Foreclosure

Identity Moratorium

Identity Diffusion

Assignment: Pick one area of identity formation in your own life. It may have to do with career and/or education, religion, political beliefs, etc. Tell how you have moved amongst the aspects of identity development that Marcia identified. Include your entire life from adolescence to the present, even if your chosen aspect of identity formation has not changed since adolescence and/or even if you are in the life stage of adolescence.

Answer 1

The main idea of James Marcia is that one's sense of identity is determined largely by the choices and commitments made regarding certain personal and social traits.

They are categorised into four stages,

• Foreclosure.
• Identity diffusion.
• Moratorium.
• Identity achievement.

I was a bright student in the early school (in terms of study). After grade 5 lost control over the study mainly due to surroundings as my brothers were not so much interested in studies and they were mainly focusing on watching television and playing outdoors. This was an Identity Foreclosure for me as in this stage you adopt  the traits and qualities of parents and friends. As i had very few friends i adopted them from my brothers. There was no chance of exploring other ideas and options which lead to downfall in studies and in my acadamic grades. I was moved from class A to class B (class A was considered as class of scholars B being the less and there was C,D after that). Though i managed to secure good grades in class 10 (which is end of highschool and moving to college) but there was no one to guide me further about the field of education.

Then started Identity Diffusion after school when i had no idea what to do which stream to choose. At the time when my classmates had there parents and relatives to guide them i had no one to tell me that you should do this or do that and then you will become this after that. I was searching myself too early what to do with my life and education. I had no sense of having choices of becoming a doctor or a engineer. So when there is no choice you just follow wht others are doing and i opted to go to college and science being a difficult subject i took the same.

After taking science as a college subject two years (grade 11th And 12th) were tough not as easy as they were heard. But i managed to score distinction in the 12th grade as well (only god knows how). And this was a another decision to make now where? Identity Moratorium. I was ready to make choices but not made commitment to any as our financial condition was not as good for me to take any higher education to become a doctor or engineer.( what people usually choose after science class 12).

Identity Achievement : After going through all the stages i came to the stage where i had to make a decision. So i decided to work full time at the airport as a customer service executive ( which i managed to crack the interview in the vacation period after final exam). As financial condition at home was not as great so decided to work and study at the same time took correspondance to complete the education. But the sense of achivement is worth in finding out the differnt stages of identity in life.