Question

Give good examples and write in complete sentences.

Provide a definition and an example of each of Marcia’s four identity statuses: a) identity diffusion (what the text described as role confusion); b) identity foreclosure; c) identity moratorium, and d) identity achievement.

Answer 1

Identity is a self-portrait composed of many pieces, including these:

• The career and work path the person wants to follow (vocational/career identity)

• Whether the person is conservative, liberal, or middle-of-the-road (political identity)

• The person’s spiritual beliefs (religious identity)

• Whether the person is single, married, divorced, and so on (relationship identity)

• The extent to which the person is motivated to achieve and is intellectual (achievement, intellectual identity)

• Whether the person is heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual (sexual identity)

• Which part of the world or country a person is from and how intensely the person identifi es with his or her cultural heritage (cultural/ethnic identity)

• The kind of things a person likes to do, which can include sports, music, hobbies, and so on (interests)

• The individual’s personality characteristics, such as being introverted or extroverted, anxious or calm, friendly or hostile, and so on (personality)

• The individual’s body image (physical identity)

Identity diffusion, the status of individuals who have not yet experienced a crisis or made any commitments. Not only are they undecided about occupational and ideological choices, they are also likely to show little interest in such matters.

Identity foreclosure is the status of individuals who have made a commitment but not experienced a crisis. This occurs most often when parents hand down commitments to their adolescents, usually in an authoritarian way, before adolescents have had a chance to explore different approaches, ideologies, and vocations on their own.

Identity moratorium is the status of individuals who are in the midst of a crisis but whose commitments are either absent or are only vaguely defined.

Identity achievement is the status of individuals who have undergone a crisis and made a commitment.