Disabled Spiritual Identity Development
Running head: Disabled Spiritual Identity Development
Spiritual Identity Disability
in Israeli Religious Adolescents
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ABSTRACT
According to Marcia, ego identity comprises of two dimensions: commitment and
exploration. Commitment refers to professional and ideological commitment. As for
Israeli religious male adolescents, ideological commitment relates to spiritual identity,
the later being a central factor in their identity.
Foreclosure status is the closest status
to diffuse identity, and to avoid it, the adolescent has to reexamine decisions he has
made in childhood. This reexamination sheds doubt on various contents the adolescent
has absorbed from his parents and educators, but it is essential for the crystallization of
his identity. Spiritual identity is crystallized, similar to the crystallization of ego
identity. In order to crystallize a mature spiritual identity, the adolescent has to
reexamine his faith and behavior. Adopting an external faith layout does not allow
reexamination of positions and convictions, thus constituting a deficiency in the
crystallization of spiritual identity. Acceptance of the adolescent’s reexamination
process by the adult and his encouragement, are essential in the crystallization of
spiritual identity. Interfering with the adolescent when crystallizing his spiritual
identity, could result in various difficulties and deficiencies, among them backpacker’s
moratorium, joining a cult, alienation, fickleness and withdrawn behavior.
EGO IDENTITY
Ego identity was identified and defined by Erikson (1958) as a one-dimensional
and successive variable, was expanded by Marcia (1980) as a bi-dimensional and
dichotomic variable, and expanded again by Tzuriel (1984) as a multi-dimensional and
successive variable.
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According to Marcia, ego identity comprises of two elements: commitment and
exploration.
Of these two dimensions, Marcia created a typology of 4 ego identity statuses:
crystallized identity, diffused identity, foreclosure, and moratorium. Since the purpose
of this article is to shed light on the deficiency in the spiritual identity development, we
will emphasize the foreclosure status.
Foreclosure status
Many researchers have dealt with the question, what is the adaptive
development process. Waterman and Whitbourne (1982) and Archer Waterman (1983),
as well as Tzuriel (1990) see adolescents as advancing from diffuse identity status
towards foreclosure, from it to moratorium, and from it to crystallized identity status.
The dissipated identity is considered closer to diffuse identity than moratorium.
Individuals in foreclosure express decisions that have not been made by way of
examination and skepticism. Their decisions are based usually on meeting parents’ or
society’s expectations. These adolescents would rather have higher authority to dictate
to them their way of life, and they tend to be stiff and nonflexible (Flum, 1995).
According to Marcia (1994), these adolescents feel that they have adjusted to “life”, and
they are able to function, as long as nothing changes in their living conditions. But if the
context of their life does change, they are helpless. In his opinion, most of them will
experience in the future skepticism and crises.
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Tzuriel (1990) says that when some of the adolescents (who were in
foreclosure status) discover the existence of various options (not taken before into
account), or when the adolescent finds himself in stressful situation and conflict, that
demand of him to stand firm while being aware of the options, they experience a crisis.
Late identity crisis is usually tougher than adolescence normative crisis. Fisherman
(2002a) counts three reasons for the late exploration process being harder than the
normative one: 1. Exploration in adolescence is a normative process that takes place
with the peers. Friends and the entire society refer to this process as normative and
positive. The late exploration process is not considered normative, and society is not
that tolerant towards it. 2. Experiencing exploration, the adolescent learns inquiry
processes; he is not afraid of contesting the truths accepted by him in childhood. He
does not necessarily look for his parents’ support, and he learns to live with doubts,
realizing that these are “healthy” processes of ego identity crystallization. The
adolescent in foreclosure status thinks that he does not need exploration. He is certain
that he can form his identity with no contestation and deliberation, and therefore does
not develop in himself inquiry and search skills. 3. When the exploration process
occurs at an older age, the adult (younger or older) has to shed off himself decisions he
made in the past. When he made, at an early stage, decisions that usually conformed to
pressures of his surrounding, he did not regard them as temporary ones.
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To the contrary, he was certain that these decisions would remain intact during his
entire lifetime. When exposed to other options, he has to “give up” these decisions;
therefore he senses loss and confusion.
It seems as if Western society has undergone a development process, in which it
abandoned dictating and preaching to foreclosure, and chose to attempt and educate the
adolescent, to strive and form his identity by way of deliberation and exploration
processes. This process is expressed, among others, by the transition from traditional
maturation rituals to inquiry, deliberation and introspection. Marcia (1986) argued in
this context that former transition rituals fixed the Oedipal super ego. These rituals
conveyed cultural values, internalized in childhood, to the psychological “plane”
fertilized in adolescence. This way society managed to continue educating its
adolescents to the values they were brought up on in their childhood, but this identity
fixation came at the expense of ego development. Tzuriel (1990) strengthens this
argument, saying that indeed, the ego was being reinforced, temporarily, but it stiffened
because it remained subjected to the tribal super ego. Transition rituals expresses, to
large extent, the aspiration of society of foreclosure.
Modern western society replaced the transition rituals with relatively long
moratorium encouragement that renders inquiry, experience and restructuring of values
legitimate. The values system that is restructured by way of deliberation, inquiry and
experience, proves itself over time, and resists pressure and temptation. However, early
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Closure that is characterized by ancient maturation ritual sometimes fails in resisting
time changes, social pressures and temptation.
The contribution of adults (both parents and educators) to these processes is
essential (Marcia, 1993; and Tzuriel, 1990). Self-confident adults, who are confident of
their identity and their ability to educate their children, can trust their children, and they
allow them to perform appropriate exploration, in order to form their identity. These
adults are able to convey the proper mixture of support, resolution and no interference,
which is essential in accompanying the adolescent during his adolescence. Without this
assistance, the adolescent could “choose” to belong to foreclosure status.
In Marcia’s (1986) opinion, there are three conditions for the development of
crystallized ego identity: confidence in the parents’ support, sense of creativity and
reflective independent approach. Confidence in parents’ support is important, because it
causes the adolescent to feel that he has someone to rely on, and that he will always be
able to return to them, and will always be received with warmth and love. The sense of
creativity relates to control (and more than that, to the belief in the ability to gain
control) on society’s technological tools. The adolescent has to believe that he is able to
control technological tools that include physical tools, mental, emotional and
personality related tools. In Tzuriel’s (1990) opinion, reflective independent approach
refers to internal introspection and structuring of alternatives. In Marcia’s opinion, the
three conditions are built as a hierarchy, the basis being the confidence in the parents’
support; the sense of creativity is found above it, and only afterwards reflection
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develops. Naturally, an adolescent who receives from his parents ready made and fixed
future, does not need the reflective approach.
The element of commitment in Marcia’s theory includes professional and
ideological commitment. The ideological commitment comprises of many elements,
including: political ideology, social, economic, moral ideology and more. The spiritual
identity, that contains religious ideology, seems central in the ideological commitment
of the adolescent, in particular that of the religious Israeli male adolescent (Bar-Lev,
1986; Fisherman, 1998, 2000).
Ego identity and spiritual identity
Glock and Stark (1965) created a typology, referring to religious roles.
According to this typology there are five religiosity dimensions: experience oriented
dimension, that relates to religious feelings; intellectual dimension, that relates to
knowledge on religion; ideological dimension, that relates to convictions; ritual
dimension, that relates to religious behavior; and consequential dimension, that relates
to religious effects.
When speaking about Israeli male adolescents, in particular adolescents who
grew and were raised in the religious education, it is better to refer to the ideological
and ritual dimensions (Bar-Lev, 1986; Fisherman, 1992). Observing imperatives with
no formed faith layout, indicates the existence of “sociological religiosity”, that to the
best is external to the personality (Beit Halackmi, 1991; Fisherman, 1998). Since this
article deals with disabled spiritual identity, we have to emphasize the crystallization of
faith related identity, which we will term “spiritual identity”.
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Other researchers examined the relation between ideological commitment, in its
religious context, and ego identity. Hide, Reihhide and White (1986) found no relation
between religious commitment and ego identity. However, other researchers found
relation between religious commitment and ego identity (Shenkel & Marcia, 1972; St.
Clair & Day, 1979; Archer, 1982; and Philipchalk and Sifft, 1985). An early study
(Fisherman, 2000b) examined 78 Israeli male adolescents, visiting religious high
schools. The subjects received spiritual identity questionnaires and ego identity
questionnaire for adolescents. A positive and significant relation was found between the
spiritual identity score and the general ego identity score, and the identity dimensions
dealing with ideology (meaningfulness – alienation, naturalness and genuineness,
solidity and continuity).
Crystallization of spiritual identity
Healthy spiritual identity is crystallized after deliberations, speculations and
raising doubts (Fisherman, 1998, 2000). Theoretically, it is possible to define disabled
spiritual identity in three ways: A. Disabled spiritual identity crystallization process.
B. Disabled spiritual identity content. C. Disabled spiritual identity consequences.
Disabled spiritual identity crystallization process refers to deliberation, and to
examination process of the faith related layout, and this is the process we will refer to in
this article. Disabled spiritual identity content refers to a faith related layout that does
not conform to the education the adolescent received. Since healthy spiritual identity is
formed by way of individual deliberation, and since the adoption of values and
convictions, with no deliberation, is not a healthy way to form a spiritual identity, then
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an adolescent who formed a spiritual identity that does not agree with his parents’,
educators’ or community spiritual identity, will not be defined as deficient in his
spiritual identity, because it has to be his own identity, and an identity adopted from his
surrounding1. Disabled spiritual identity consequences refer to a behavior that is nonnormative in the society the adolescent grew in. This behavior, though it might be
absolutely rejected by some adults, is not a deficiency in spiritual identity. If spiritual
identity is individual and unique to the adolescent, its consequences, even if individual
and unique, and as long as they do not harm the adolescent or damage his surrounding,
re legitimate, and do not indicate disabled spiritual identity. Interference with the
spiritual identity crystallization process is the one to be defined as a deficiency in the
spiritual identity.
In a lecture delivered the Canadian Psychological Association, Marcia (1986)
explained the importance of deliberation, setting that the adolescent has to crystallize
his ego identity. In order to crystallize his ego identity, the adolescent has to reject his
childhood identity. His parents have formed his childhood identity, therefore, the
crystallization of the ego identity relates to some rejection of the identity the parents
tried to form for him. Marcia also argued that there is some rejection and loss in the
identity process, therefore identity crystallization is not a pleasant process. Adolescents
have to be taught to raise doubts, thus they will feel less the loss in rejecting childhood
identity. Raising doubts has both cognitive and emotional significance. Emotional
preparedness to raise doubts is essential in consolidating the identity. It is easier and
1
See below.
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more convenient to live without doubts; life with doubts bothers, and causes the
adolescents to feel that they are not “whole” or good. This capability and preparedness
has to be learned.
In Marcia’s opinion, those who do not doubt, do not expose themselves to
information and various considerations, and do not review their commitments or values.
Still, when they encounter new information that could contradict their positions, they
reject it (arguing that it does not exist), or change it (“smoothing the information”).
These people choose this way in order to maintain their own self-image. In
psychoanalytical terms, they refuse to risk compromising the internalization of their
childhood figures (usually the parents).
One may apply Marcia’s words also to the crystallization of spiritual identity.
Spiritual identity evolves from childish identity to adult one. Childish spiritual identity
is characterized by the adoption of values and behaviors that are external to the child.
The child depends on adults to provide his physical and mental needs. This dependency
creates the wish to imitate the adult’s behavior and to please him. Pleasing the adult is a
natural process that is expressed in spiritual context, in behavior that agrees with norms,
that include, sidelong religious behavior, also sayings on religious faith (Fisherman,
2000). These sayings are not faith related layout, because the child has not considered
and examined, whether he accepts them or not. In this sense, the child tries to adopt the
adult’s identity. If the adult prays, and he educates the child to pray, the child will “say
a prayer”, but could we see this as a wish to connect with God? The adult demands of
him to behave according to certain norms (religiously speaking), and the child behaves
accordingly, not because he thinks that these norms are true, but because he imitates the
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adult, or expects some positive reward from him. Could we argue that the child has
developed a spiritual identity?
A person who adopts an “external” faith related layout without doubting it, does
not expose himself to new information, and does not examine the world of religious
values he has been brought up on; he does not crystallize his spiritual identity, and
therefore his spiritual identity is disabled. In light of this, we may say that choosing
foreclosure status in the area of faith related identity is a deficiency in the crystallization
of the faith related identity.
During adolescence, many changes occur, relevant to the development of
spiritual identity. The adolescent’s formal thinking develops and matures (Piaget, 1968).
From here onward, the adolescent is able to think about abstract issues, and he is even
pushed to do the same. This capability urges him to think anew about truths that were
his lot during childhood. The consequences of this reexamination constitute a most
important layer in his identity. His inclusive cognitive complexity capability increases,
and he is able to think about contradicting ideas, and integrate them to one coherent
position (Streufort & Streufort, 1978; Fisherman, 2001).
Another developmental focus is the social one. Until now, the child’s main
reference object were his parents, and from now onward, his main reference object are
his peers (Cole & Hall, 1970). And indeed, the peers have a central role in the
development and crystallization of the ego identity and the spiritual identity. Identity
comprises of two main dimensions: resemblance and uniqueness. These two dimensions
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relate to the adolescent’s group of peers. The wish to belong to a group, the wish to
develop uniqueness, and the wish to balance between the two, all depend on the
adolescent himself and on his group of peers (Smilansky, 1990).
Another focus relates to the psychoanalytical theory. According to the
psychoanalytical theory, the balance between the indefinite and the ego is broken in
adolescence. The rising power of the libido at the onset of physical maturity, that
precedes adolescence, causes withdrawal towards Oedipus complex. This causes
anxiety that activates the ego’s defense mechanism. The healthy adolescence process
ends with a balance between the indefinite, the ego and the super ego (Ormian, 1975).
Erikson (1975) integrated in the eight stages theory psychoanalytical
development with social development. Kaniel (2001) combines the psychoanalytical
development with the social – psychological development. According to Kaniel’s
approach, personal identity (including spiritual identity) is a subjective aspect,
according to which the person feels continuity and conformance between various
elements in the content of his personality, experience and memory. Kaniel accepts the
opinion of Anderson (1993) and Estes (1991), according to which personal identity is a
“super scheme” in cognition architecture, and it contains man’s super positions. Kaniel
believes that crystallized identity is a highly complex scheme; and indeed, an early
study (Fisherman, 2001) found positive and significant relation between integrative
cognitive complexity and ego identity.
These focuses relate to reexamination of “decisions” made in the past, and they
are the ones to allow the crystallization of the spiritual identity. Without formal
thinking, the adolescent will be unable to contest and reexamine the faith related layout.
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Without social support for the spiritual confusion, and when ideas and ideals he has
been brought up on are undermined, the adolescent will be unwilling to drop off his
convenient and warm wrapping ( foreclosure), and choose doubt abundant road (the
spiritual identity crystallization process). Without inclusive cognitive complexity, the
adolescent will be unable to weigh ideas, oppose them, and accept some of them, within
a complex array of his spiritual identity, knowing that in the future, he might be
rejecting even this array that he just formed.
An early study (Fisherman, 1998) found that when the adolescent feels free to
deliberate, ask and experience, he considers realistic alternatives. When he feels
threatened, and is expected to belong to foreclosure status, he could react reversibly2.
The more independent the adolescent, so greater is the information he is exposed to,
with more different models of adoption and realistic options of experiences, that could
assist him in the examination of his spiritual identity.
Doubting spiritual identity relates both to cognitive aspect and emotional aspect.
The adolescent feels that he does not want to adhere to his parents and teachers, and
wants autonomy. When he feels that the autonomy he could get in behavioral matters is
too little, the behaviors he is pushed towards express rebellion, stemming from “faith
related independence war”. Sometimes, when the rebellious behaviors are too subtle for
the adolescent, and he behaves by religious behavior norms, only to please his parents
or teachers, he could feel that he is insincere, and his sense of naturalness and
About some reverse reactions see in the chapter “Consequences of deficiency in the crystalization of the
spiritual identity”.
2
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genuineness, as well as the sense of solidity and continuity in the ego identity could be
undermined (Tzuriel, 1990).
If the deliberating boy will find the answers to his deliberations, he might reach
mature faith and moral strength. This boy will believe, and will behave by religious
norms, because he accepted these norms on the backdrop of his convictions, and not
because thus ordered. He will use introspective process to study himself, to examine his
convictions and to clear his positions, and thus will render them substantial and
immanent part of his identity.
The importance of the adolescent’s reaction to his doubts
Sigal (1984) ascribed great importance to the education to doubts, among
children. He argued that a person becomes independent and controls more external
reality, when he is able to assimilate greater parts of reality in his personality. In his
opinion, the parents’ role is to encourage questions and skepticism, and prefer them to
giving decisive answers. It is better not provide the children with answers all the time.
They have to be left with questions and doubts, to educate them to live with questions.
Marcia (1986) argues that children who have been brought up to investigate and raise
questions, and not expect fast answers, grow to be identity achieving adolescents, while
children who got used to receive fast answer to any question, could grow into
adolescents in
foreclosure status. Children who receive ultimate answers from
authoritative adults, and are not encouraged to raise doubts, will adopt the identity
elements provided to them in childhood. These children will grow into adolescents who
use less formal thinking capabilities, when dealing with their identity. Marcia describes
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how an adolescent in foreclosure status is able to engage in formal thinking, when he
solves geometry problem, but he does not use this capability when he engages with
identity related questions. It seems as if his formal thinking is curbed by authoritative
adults. Compared to spiritual identity, one may argue that education towards skepticism
and critical thinking could assist in the crystallization of healthy spiritual identity, while
the expectation of foreclosure, and education to compliance and reciting, could lead to
a deficiency in the crystallization of spiritual identity (Fisherman, 2001).
Sometimes, the adolescent experiences and behaves unlike conventional norms,
because he wants to see whether he could adopt these behaviors as part of his
personality and identity. Sometimes these behaviors have also social nature, during
recreation, social meeting or a trip, and following this behavior, the adolescent feels a
tension generating cognitive dissonance. This behavior that does not agree with his
convictions places both his behavior and his convictions in a test. This deliberation, and
furthermore, these experiences are deemed by his parents and teachers adverse, curbing
the development of faith, but to us they seem essential for the crystallization of mature
conviction. Parents and teachers might pressure the adolescent to choose
foreclosure
status that is very convenience for them. Sometimes, the parents or teacher might
deprive of the adolescent exposure to information sources, relating to the various
alternatives, in order to “lock” him in decisions, close to their positions, thus
perpetuating his choosing foreclosure status. One educator argued that had he had any
saying in the matter, he would have put the young female adolescent to sleep in the 9th
grade, and would have awakened her when she was already mother of three children. By
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this, this person expressed his educational point of view and his fears, and he chose
education to foreclosure, instead of to crystallization of spiritual identity.
Some theoreticians discussed society’s desirable reaction to adolescents’
deliberations and experiences. Cote and Levin (1987) point at the importance of
“institutional moratorium”. Institutional moratorium is the boundaries society sets to
adolescents’ experiences. Societies are different from one another in the extent of
institutional moratorium, as well as in the level of conformism they demand of their
members. In the opinion of the authors, the situation in North America is non –
structured, in terms of leading the individual through moratorium, towards adulthood.
North America went so far with moratorium culture, that, in the authors’ opinion, it has
reached anti – social moratorium, or as termed by Cote and Levin, a negative identity
based institutionalized moratorium.
Tzuriel (1990) suggests a balance between authority and coercion. In his opinion the
adolescent has to be presented with several alternatives. Each one has to be explained
and the ways chosen by the adolescent should be legitimized. This does not prevent of
the adult to try and convince the adolescent, that the way suggested by him (the adult) is
the right one. Tzuriel indicates that Erikson objected to the generation of deliberation
and frustration free educational environment, Summerhill’s like (Neal, 1961). An
entirely coercion free educational policy could be dangerous for the crystallization of
healthy identity, the same way coercive policy that demands obedience and tough
discipline is dangerous. Tzuriel (following Erikson) stands for a certain degree of
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positive and meaningful frustration in education, because it presents to the adolescent
challenges and the ways to deal with them.
The consequences of deficiency in the crystallization of spiritual identity
The transition from childish faith to the stage of deliberation is not inevitable.
Many adolescents, who are not encouraged to raise doubts and questions, could suffer
of an disabled identity spiritual. This deficiency could be expressed by one of the
following situations:
A.
Diffused spiritual identity status – the diffused spiritual identity is
characterized by confusion and perplexity. The adolescent in this status does not want to
engage with the crystallization of his spiritual identity. Many a times he will be afraid to
discuss his convictions (and furthermore, their non – crystallization), because he is
afraid to deliberate, following such a conversation.
B. Spiritual identity moratorium status that is expressed in “backpacking”. For
the purpose of this discussion, backpacking is a trip, taken to look for a way, and search
for authenticity (Cohen, Ben Yehuda and Aviad, 1987). Adolescents in this status have
taken time out in the crystallization of their faith related identity. Many a times they are
afraid to despair of consolidating their faith, and they escape this fear and take time out.
This includes relatively long self – exploration trip to the Far East, Sinai, or
South America. Backpacking is a relatively new phenomenon among adolescents who
have had religious education. It is not a trip for the purpose of excursion only, or
relaxation following military service. The purpose of this backpacking is to follow
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spirituality, examine the combination of oriental doctrines with Judaism, and the
possibility of “Jewish meditation”. Some of the backpackers take time out; they
temporarily discharge themselves of imperatives and undergo experiences other than
their education.
C. Emphasizing behavior and ritual aspects – the confused adolescent who does
not look for answers, and does not deliberate, could emphasize his religious behavior’s
ritual and external aspects, and hold to them as if seeking for refuge. He does not define
his convictions, because he did not think about them, and therefore he emphasizes ritual
aspects that grant him the sense of security. He does not define his convictions,
therefore he does not examine himself, and neither does he distinguish between faith
principles related ideas and superstitions that sometimes relate to rituals and behaviors
that have nothing to do with religious faith.
To the observer (parent or teacher), this adolescent seems as if he has
crystallized spiritual identity, because he observes the imperatives. His observing
imperatives is a folklore – ritual matter, that allows him to feel that he belongs to
society, though he has not yet decided whether he accepts the convictions and ideals
society presents to him. This adolescent is “sociological – religious”, his spiritual
identity is diffusive and usually also his ego identity.
D.
Joining a cult or self – enslavement to a charismatic leadership – the
adolescent, who became part of a cult, loses his faith in favor of the group faith. The
group gives his the sense of security and belonging. He does not have to find answers to
his deliberations, because he has to adopt the leader and group’s answers. He does not
have to think independently, and sometimes he is even forbidden to think or raise
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questions and doubts. This adolescent sometimes reports on the sense of “divine
pleasure”, “full happiness” and “finding divine truth”. He is drawn into the group or the
cult and thus loses himself.
Many times the group comprises of individuals, who are afraid to raise faith
related questions and doubts, and they introduce tough rules of behavior in the group, to
prevent doubts from being raised.
Some of these groups protect themselves by withdrawal and by setting rigid
limits. The group members are afraid of expressions of doubts that could affect the other
members, and to prevent doubts from being raised, they withdraw into themselves.
Some of them live in relatively closed places, some of them put on clothes that
distinguish them from the others, and some of them have a different language, different
communication and even different food. Adult group members educate their children to
withdrawal, and thus they give them the feeling that every stranger is dangerous, and his
purpose is to trap them and take them out of the group.
The group is headed by charismatic leaders who manage to identify the
adolescent (or the adult) who escapes confrontation; they offer him new – old answers
and slogans, and prove to him incontrovertibly their knowledge, “their over –
piousness” and their “sacredness”, and thus they sweep him into the group. They
promise the adolescent that with them he will find happiness, truth and the heaven,
while the others are wrong and mislead.
It should be noted that not all the groups, neither all the charismatic leaders are
negative, but the mere self –enslavement is the negative factor.
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E. Group alcohol and drug abuse – escapism by way of alcohol and drug abuse
is characterized by group drug abuse, group alcohol consumption and group property
delinquency, adventurous and not instrumental. The group nature distinguishes between
them and other drug abusers and delinquents. The group pushes the individual to smoke
and drink, and it protect him psychologically.
F. Alienation - an adolescent, who felt confusion in the past and could not find
his way, might develop into an adult, alienated from religion and the religious public.
Sometimes alienation commences with the religious establishment, the religious
politicians, and is followed by alienation towards the rabbinical establishment,
schoolteachers and religious people in general.
Alienation is usually a result of untreated anger. Alienation is defined as the
feeling of distance from the family’s, community’s and society’s purposes and norms.
Rogers (1951) argues that alienated people will feel insecurity, cynicism, defensiveness,
wretchedness and self – rejection.
Sometimes he mocks the religious people and expresses loathing towards them
and religion, sometimes he even hates them. For him alienation is a refuge from finding
answers. Mockery and jeering help him to avoid deliberating on faith questions, and
thus he perpetuates confusion.
G. Fickleness – this person chooses a limited number of behavior norms, which
he observes. He does not delve in reasons for his behavior, or in matters of his
surrounding, stating that he is “religious deep in his heart”. Sometimes it is hard for
him to cope and behave by the norms he decided to observe; in this case he makes his
behavior more flexible, and adjusts it to the circumstances.
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His faith related identity is not crystallized, and his strength is not enough in
case of temptation or difficulties. When he is in a religious company, he might behave
according to religious behavior norms, but when in a non – religious company, he
behaves according to the social norms prevailing in it. Sometimes he will justify himself
and will say, “in Rome behave as a Roman”, and sometimes will find other
justifications. But these justifications are post – behavior rationalization, more than
crystallized faith layout.
H. Withdrawing behavior – various modes of addiction serve as a refuge from
confusion, and an escape from the crystallization of spiritual identity. Among
withdrawal behaviors, caused by the escape from consolidating spiritual identity, we
find alcohol abuse, drug abuse and even eating disorders (Fisherman, 2000). The
adolescent thus withdrawing, out of confusion and despair, drinks alone. He is pushed
to drinking out of despair, and he believes that drinking or drugs will give him the
decisiveness and happiness his life has been deprived of.
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Israel
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Author Note
.Shraga Fisherman Ph.D, Academic Dean, Orot Israel College, Elkana, Israel
orrespondence concerning this article should be addressed to Shraga Fisherman,
Orot Israel College, Elkana, D.N. Harei Ephraim 44814, Israel.
Electronic mail may be sent via Internet to: shraga@orot.ac.il
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