By Hayley Reynolds,
Emily Meyers, and
Christa Fowler
- Term used to describe a person’s conception and
expression of their individuality or group affiliations.-
Objectives
 Is identity ever fully developed?
 Based on Marcia’s identity statuses, was each subject
within their age group on track to developing Identity
Achievement?
Hypothesis
 Identity as a whole can never fully develop as behavioral,
phenomenological, and structural elements are constantly
affecting the person.
 However, through everyday experiences, a person can
acquire Identity Achievement in certain aspects of their
life.
Erik Erikson
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Born June, 15th 1902 in Frankfurt, Germany.
Mother raised him alone because father had an affair.
She remarried in 1904 to a doctor: Both were Jewish.
Not a very good student.
Loved to travel.
Found his calling at the age of 25.
Married Joan Serson at age 27.
Taught at a Freudian School in 1927.
Moved to Boston during World War II.
Died in 1994.
Definitions
 Ego-identity- a feeling for who is and one’s place in the
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larger social order.
Moratorium- period during which young people take a
time to try and find themselves.
Psychosocial Moratorium- kind of “time out” period of
finding oneself.
Fidelity- the ability to sustain one’s freely pledged loyalties.
Generativity- broad term that refers not only to the
creation of children, but also to the production of thing
and ideas through work.
Ego-strengths- the emotion that the individual is supposed
to obtain after successfully developing a stage.
Stage Theories
Erikson’s Theory
Freud’s Theory
Trust vs. Mistrust
Oral
Autonomy vs. Shame, Doubt
Anal
Initiative vs. Guilt
Phallic (Oedipal)
Industry vs. Inferiority
Latency
Identity vs. Role Confusion
(Adolescence)
Genital
Intimacy vs. Isolation
(Young Adult)
Generativity vs SelfAbsorption, Stagnatation
(Adulthood)
Ego Integrity vs. Despair
(Old age)
Adolescents: Identity vs. Role Confusion
 Turbulent stage  Continuing with that idea, Erikson
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believed social conflict and demand helped establish a new
sense of ego identity.
Impulse for will of their own and no longer themselves.
Problem in this stage is that they “might look bad” to
others.
Form groups.
Develop sense of identity through accomplishments.
 Examples: Stand up, walk, run, draw, read etc.
 Psychosocial moratorium.
 Central task = to find some way of life to which
he/she can make a permanent commitment.
 Ego strength = Fidelity
Young Adult: Intimacy vs. Isolation
 Steps by which people widen and deepen their
capacities to love and care for others.
 Attainment = intimacy.
 Failure to attain genuine mutuality results in isolation.
 Ego strength = mature love.
Adulthood: Generativity vs. SelfAbsorption, Stagnation
 Established intimacy which then expands beyond just
the two people  Concerned with raising the next
generation.
 This stage is where generativity comes in.
 Sacrifice and overcome temptations.
 Can occur with no children (Example: priest/nun)
 Problem & U.S. view.
Old Age: Ego Integrity vs. Despair
 As older people face death, they often do a “life review”.
 Erikson emphasizes the importance of both positive
and negative roles in this crisis.
 The inner struggle tends to make the older person
something of a philosopher.
 Ego strength = wisdom.
Erikson’s Theory
Marcia’s Theory
Trust vs. Mistrust
Autonomy vs. Shame, Doubt
Initiative vs. Guilt
Industry vs. Inferiority
Identity vs. Role Confusion
Diffusion
Intimacy vs. Isolation
Foreclosure
Generativity vs. SelfAbsorption, Stagnation
Moratorium
Ego Identity vs. Despair
Achievement
Defining Criteria of the Identity Statuses
Identity
Achievement
Moratorium
Foreclosure
Identity
Diffusion
Exploration of
alternatives
Present
In-process
Absent
May be present
or absent
Commitment
Present
Present but
vague
Present
Absent
Ego Identity
 Behavioral
- identity negotiation may arise from the learning of social roles
through personal experience. Identity negotiation is a process in
which a person negotiates with society at large regarding the
meaning of his or her identity.
 Structural
- an increase in overall ego strength, so that the other ego
function (Example: delay of gratification, thinking under stress,
mutuality of inter-personal relationships) should show
heightened development concomitant with identity
development.
 Phenomenological
- requires a substantial re-thinking about the nature of human
existence. “Identity-in-the-world-” experienced every day life
Rubric
 These questions were carefully worded and adapted
from Marcia’s book, Ego Identity: A Handbook for
Psychosocial Research, in order to determine what
stage of identity each individual is in.
 These questions were formed to reflect Marcia’s three
aspects of ego identity; structural, phenomenological,
and behavioral.
 The responses were then rated on scale of 1-4 to
indicate a particular status and were averaged.
Test Subjects
 8th Graders from Holy Family Catholic
School.(7)
 Students from the University of Dallas.(7)
 Adults over the age of 40.(6)
Conclusion
• We were unable to answer our first hypothesis,
however, with the collective research, we can conclude
that with the rise of identity development, Identity
Achievement could be possible.
• Our second hypothesis can be taken to be correct
because even young adolescents showed early signs of
Identity Achievement in certain areas. This
achievement progressively increased with each age
group reiterating that new experiences continuously
effect Identity Achievement.
Limitations and Problems
 Small numbers.
 Wording of the questions.
 Limited social views.
 No access to “Old Age” test subjects
Nature/Nurture Line
Erikson
Nurture
Nature
Marcia
•Erikson says: “Development functions by
the epigenetic principle. It says that
humans develop through a predetermined
unfolding of personalities in eight stages.
Our progress through each stage is in part
determined by our success, or lack of
success, in all the previous stages.”
Special Thanks
The children and their parents of the 8th grade class at
Holy Family Catholic School, the students of UD, and
the willing adults who participated in our study.
Mrs. Khirallah 
Silvia Wykeacre
I love
Mrs. K!
Love V
<3