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A theory is a body of tested information that explains a situation or phenomenon and facts. Theory is also a step by step explanation of a principle or phenomenon which has undergone some validation and which thereafter, may be applied to similar situations. According to Shertzer and Stone (1976) “a theory is a framework for working systematic observations base on collected data for a proper explanation of a parison between Erik, H. Erikson theory and James Marcia’s Identity statusIn Erikson theory, he believed that a social factor, that is the desire of an individual to affiliate with others, shapes human development than sexual impulses. He also believed that human development progresses across eight stages and continuous till the end of life.Stages of human development postulated by Erik, H. Erikson throughout life are as follows:1. Trust versus mistrust (first year of life)2. Autonomy versus shame and doubt (1 – 3 years)3. Initiative versus guilt (3 – 5 years)4. Industry versus inferiority (5 – 20 years)5. Identity versus confusion (10 – 20 years)6. Intimacy versus isolation (20-40 years)7. Generativity versus stagnation (40-60 years)8. Integrity versus despair (60 years and beyond)Erikson stated that, each of these stages has unique development task the individual needs to achieve. The process of achieving them involves crises though can be talked depending on the social environment. Achieving the development task are challenges to the individual that makes him or her mobilize his or her potentials to surmount them. In the fifth stage which is (10-20 years), he postulated that the development task of this stage for the adolescent is to carve and identity for him or herself, in an attempt to achieve this; the adolescent poses certain questions such as, who I am? What is he or she about? What is the direction am I facing in life? He or she tends to find answers to these questions, sometimes they tries to review the past childhood fantasies, harmonize the past and present and tries to recreate a project for the future. He or she thinks of the past; what he or she experienced what he or she was told by parents and significant of others. Perception of his or her real self and ideal self; these he/she evaluates told by parents and significant of others. Perception of his or her real self and ideal self; these he/she evaluates objectively and decides on the way forward, but if the adolescent is overwhelmed with the crisis and cannot come out of itself identity; role confusion is the result. Lack of stable identity makes the adolescent adopts socially unacceptable ways like deviant behaviours parse as a copying mechanism.Erik H. Erikson went further and noted that, the success of adolescents is to achieve adolescence development tasks as a function of his/her ability to positively integrate past experiences of all previous stages of development up to adolescence.While James Marcia’s identity status state that, for an individual to achieve mature identity, he has to experience some crisis and make commitment for success in his life’s endeavours. Crisis and commitment were therefore identified by Marcia. Identity according to Marcia (1966) is “an Internal, self-constructed, dynamic organization of drives, abilities, beliefs and individual history. He defined these two variables, referring to crisis as the period of choice for the adolescent among alternative occupations and beliefs, while commitment means a degree of personal investment the individual makes in an occupation or belief.The method adopted by Marcia on adolescent Identity Status was based on interviews he conducted among students between the ages of 18 and 22 years concerning their occupational choices, religious and political beliefs and values, all revolving around identity. And classified his subjects into four categories of identity statuses which is known as:(1) Identity Achievement (2) Moratorium (3) Foreclosure (4) Identity diffusion1.?Identity Achievement:?This is the stage during which after crisis and role confusion or diffusion, at this stage the Adolescents are able to overcome all challenges and evolve a commitment to ideology, occupational or other goals, the adolescent are able to take decisions and resolve their attitude towards sexuality.2.?Moratorium:?this is a stage whereby individuals here are serious in crisis; exploring and searching for alternative ways of finding their identity, and they have not made any commitment towards resolving the identity crisis.3.?Foreclosure:?this is when the adolescents do not have crisis, but have commitments which did not originate from their personal efforts and the commitment are handed over to them by significant other adults including parents.4.?Identity Diffusion:?at this stage, there is no crisis, and no commitment to any perceived crisis, even if there is a crisis, the adolescent is not ready to make any commitment, not even after the crisis. It is otherwise known as identity confusion state.ReferencesBandura, A. (1977). Social Learning theory. Englewood cliffs, N.J. Prentice Hall.Benjamin, B.L. (2003) Psychology. An introduction. 8th?edition. University of Chicago, U.S.A.Bair, G.M.J. (1964), The Psychological Foundation Series. Macmillan, Nigeria.Cosgrave, E. (2007) Adolescent Problem. Developmental Issues and treatment approaches.Faust, M.S. (1960). Developmental maturity as a determinant in prestige of Adolescent girls. ................
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