"...a subjective sense as well as an observable quality of personal sameness and continuity, paired with some belief in the sameness and continuity of some shared world image.According to Marcia and his colleagues, the balance between identity and confusion lies in making a commitment to an identity.
Identity Statuses
- Identity achievement occurs when an individual has gone through an exploration of different identities and made a commitment to one.
- Moratorium is the status of a person who is actively involved in exploring different identities, but has not made a commitment.
- Foreclosure status is when a person has made a commitment without attempting identity exploration.
- Identity diffusion occurs when there is neither an identity crisis or commitment.
In today's rapidly changing world, identity crises are more common today than in Erikson's day. These conflicts are certainly not confined to the teenage years. People tend to experience them at various points throughout life, particularly at points of great change such as starting a new job, the beginning of a new relationship, the end of a marriage, or the birth of a child. Exploring different aspects of yourself in the different areas of life, including your role at work, within the family, and in romantic relationships, can help strengthen your personal identity.
The four identity statuses are built from high and low positions on two identity dimensions. Dimension one is "commitment." People high on commitment have a firm sense of who they are and feel strongly about the choices they have made. People low in identity commitment have an uncertain sense of self. Dimension two is "exploration." If you are high on the exploration dimension, you are actively questioning your sense of self and looking for ways to come to a decision.Combining the high and low points on each dimension, we arrive at four identity statuses. People high on the commitment and exploration dimension are the traditional "identity achieved." At the opposite pole on both dimensions, people low in commitment and exploration fit Erikson's criteria for "identity diffused." People high on exploration but low on commitment are in a category that Marcia called "moratorium." This means that they have placed a hold on making the major decisions in their lives. They're thinking hard about what they want to do but aren't ready to commit. The final category applies to people who are low on exploration and high on commitment. In other words, they have a firm sense of self but they never went through a serious process of questioning their commitments. Marcia calls these "foreclosed;" in other words, they have closed off any serious contemplation of what they really want out of life. The most favorable status for people to have in terms of adjustment is identity achieved. People who are moratorium, at least during adolescence, will be the most likely to fit the classic image of the rebellious teen. The identity diffuse can also experience difficulties because they tend to float and may be led astray and into high-risk behaviors. The foreclosed are perhaps the most interesting, however. Their commitments most likely coincided closely with the expectations their parents had for them. These are the teens most likely to enter the family business or profession, and follow the values that fit closely with those of their parents. The problem for them is that without an actual period of exploring their own commitments, they may find themselves in mid-life to regret those decisions that did not match their true, inner needs.
The identity statuses were originally meant to apply to adolescents but later researchers have extended them to the adult years. In looking at adults, though, the natural question to ask is whether an identity exploration in adolescence is enough to keep people optimally adapted in adulthood. Several identity researchers, including me, examined the commitment and exploration dimensions as continuous developmental processes that can carry on throughout life. Just because you experienced a period of identity exploration as a teen doesn't mean that you are set for life. It's healthy to keep exploring your values, roles, and sense of self regardless of your age.
This is mainly for recently diagnosed/self-diagnosed adults. I'm wondering if anyone else understands this. I spent my entire life until now not feeling like I had my own true identity. Now that I realize I have AS, I understand why I felt that way, but I'm still unsure about the identity part. I know what I like and don't like and my habits, but I still can't tell who my true self is.
For some reason, I think it's because I've been mimicking people my whole life to fit in because I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't sure how to act or what things to say, and most of my hobbies were things my mother made me do for the most part (sports, choir, etc). I've never had one specific special interest I excelled in (they still change all time). Many characteristics i adopted from other people because I noticed other people responding positively to them, so I figured it would work well for me too. I tried to talk like certain people, copy their unique mannerisms, in addition to wanting to have the same kinds of clothes and other material items. They never completely worked for me. I either did them really awkwardly and embarrassed myself or I just couldn't keep it up anymore because it was too tiresome. I would even manifest personalities that I thought people would like and then try to be it.
It seems that I've done this so much and I was so focused on keeping up socially that I never truly figured out who my true self is, and now I'm mostly stuck just being confused. Since I've realized I'm on the spectrum, it has made me just a little more comfortable in my own skin because I know there's an explanation for WHY I act that way, but now how do I go about getting to know myself? I'm not sure where to begin. Does this seem strange to anyone else?
The four identity statuses are built from high and low positions on two identity dimensions. Dimension one is "commitment." People high on commitment have a firm sense of who they are and feel strongly about the choices they have made. People low in identity commitment have an uncertain sense of self. Dimension two is "exploration." If you are high on the exploration dimension, you are actively questioning your sense of self and looking for ways to come to a decision.Combining the high and low points on each dimension, we arrive at four identity statuses. People high on the commitment and exploration dimension are the traditional "identity achieved." At the opposite pole on both dimensions, people low in commitment and exploration fit Erikson's criteria for "identity diffused." People high on exploration but low on commitment are in a category that Marcia called "moratorium." This means that they have placed a hold on making the major decisions in their lives. They're thinking hard about what they want to do but aren't ready to commit. The final category applies to people who are low on exploration and high on commitment. In other words, they have a firm sense of self but they never went through a serious process of questioning their commitments. Marcia calls these "foreclosed;" in other words, they have closed off any serious contemplation of what they really want out of life. The most favorable status for people to have in terms of adjustment is identity achieved. People who are moratorium, at least during adolescence, will be the most likely to fit the classic image of the rebellious teen. The identity diffuse can also experience difficulties because they tend to float and may be led astray and into high-risk behaviors. The foreclosed are perhaps the most interesting, however. Their commitments most likely coincided closely with the expectations their parents had for them. These are the teens most likely to enter the family business or profession, and follow the values that fit closely with those of their parents. The problem for them is that without an actual period of exploring their own commitments, they may find themselves in mid-life to regret those decisions that did not match their true, inner needs.
The identity statuses were originally meant to apply to adolescents but later researchers have extended them to the adult years. In looking at adults, though, the natural question to ask is whether an identity exploration in adolescence is enough to keep people optimally adapted in adulthood. Several identity researchers, including me, examined the commitment and exploration dimensions as continuous developmental processes that can carry on throughout life. Just because you experienced a period of identity exploration as a teen doesn't mean that you are set for life. It's healthy to keep exploring your values, roles, and sense of self regardless of your age.
This is mainly for recently diagnosed/self-diagnosed adults. I'm wondering if anyone else understands this. I spent my entire life until now not feeling like I had my own true identity. Now that I realize I have AS, I understand why I felt that way, but I'm still unsure about the identity part. I know what I like and don't like and my habits, but I still can't tell who my true self is.
For some reason, I think it's because I've been mimicking people my whole life to fit in because I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't sure how to act or what things to say, and most of my hobbies were things my mother made me do for the most part (sports, choir, etc). I've never had one specific special interest I excelled in (they still change all time). Many characteristics i adopted from other people because I noticed other people responding positively to them, so I figured it would work well for me too. I tried to talk like certain people, copy their unique mannerisms, in addition to wanting to have the same kinds of clothes and other material items. They never completely worked for me. I either did them really awkwardly and embarrassed myself or I just couldn't keep it up anymore because it was too tiresome. I would even manifest personalities that I thought people would like and then try to be it.
It seems that I've done this so much and I was so focused on keeping up socially that I never truly figured out who my true self is, and now I'm mostly stuck just being confused. Since I've realized I'm on the spectrum, it has made me just a little more comfortable in my own skin because I know there's an explanation for WHY I act that way, but now how do I go about getting to know myself? I'm not sure where to begin. Does this seem strange to anyone else?
