IDENTITY FORMATION THEORY

BY JAMES MARCIA
(Group 3)
DISCOVERING WHO I AM: What kind of self can (or should) I become?

JAMES MARCIA
•According to Wikipedia, he was born in Cleveland, Ohio.
•1959 – Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.
•1965 – Received a master’s and doctoral degree from Ohio State University in clinical psychology. The
same year, he became a professor and director of the psychology clinic at the University at Buffalo.
•Although he had major commitments to psychology, he also attended the University of British Columbia
School of Music from 1995- 1998 for performance in trombone.
•After his retirement, he continues to maintain a private clinical practice and is a very dedicated musician
playing trombone with orchestras and bands in Vancouver.

Identity Formation
Identity mirrors the questions “Who are we?”, “What do you want to become?”, “What do
you enjoy doing?”. It not only answers “What Am I?” but also “Why Am I?”. Identity is an individual’s
combination of behaviors, preferences, thoughts, talents, and beliefs. And we all have different identities
throughout our lifespan. What we want as a child, may not be in our preferences as an adult.

Marcia believed that identity is mostly based on two things; the first is what he calls,
occupation which refers to the main role one has in society. This could refer to a lawyer, a doctor, or even a
mother, or father. The second is ideology which refers to a person’s fundamental beliefs about topics like
religion or politics.

Erikson proposed that most people achieve a sense of identity by the end of adolescence.
However, recent evidence suggests that only a few thinks seriously at this age.

“Marcia posited that the adolescent stage consists neither of identity resolution nor identity
confusion but rather a degree to which one has explored and committed to an identity in a variety of
life domains from vocation, religion, relational choices, gender roles, and so on.”

The two distinct parts of forming identity are crisis and commitment. Crisis is defined as a
time to reevaluate or reexamine previous beliefs or choices. Exploration is also a fundamental key that refers
to how much analysis have you gone through to consider alternatives. The end outcome of a crisis is
commitment, one’s dedication to the identity.
 According to Erik Erikson, the major developmental challenge that we face during adolescent stage is
establishing an identity. Questions such as “Who am I?” “Where am I heading?” “Where do I fit into
society?”, all of this might be a lot for a teenager to take in and Erikson used the term identity crisis to
explain the sense if confusion and anxiety that adolescents may feel as they think about who they are and try
to decide “What kind of self should I become?”
Is there ever a time wherein you were confused about who you were, where you should be, and what you
were likely to become?
James Marcia developed a structured interview to help us classify adolescents into one of four identity
statuses- identity diffusion, identity foreclosure, identity moratorium, and identity achievement.

Identity Diffusion
 An identity status in which the individual has not yet thought about or not resolved any identity crisis
 Will remain stagnant if no progress is made
 Crisis is low, Commitment is low
Identity Foreclosure
 An identity status in which the individual has committed themselves to an identity without
experiencing the crisis
 Has a premature commitment to an ideology influenced by either their environment or their
biological parents
 Committed to something without exploring other options
 Crisis is low, Commitment is high
Identity Moratorium
 An identity status in which the individual who are currently experiencing identity crisis and is
actively exploring different ideologies
 Phase of exploration
 Crisis is high, Commitment is low
Identity Achievement
Refers to the status for those who, after exploration, have made a commitment. The individual has attained a
coherent and committed identity based on personal decision. This is a long process and is not often achieved
by the end of adolescence.
 Individuals who carefully considered their identity issues and have made firm commitments to
certain ideologies.
 Individuals achieve stable identity/s
 Being at this stage doesn’t mean you can stay here. You can always go back to identity crisis or
exploration (Moratorium)
 Crisis is high, Commitment is high

FACTORS AFFECTING IDENTITY ACHIEVEMENT

1) PARENTING INFLUENCES / FAMILIAL FACTORS
Family can influence a person’s identity in many ways. They provide a sense of belonging, cultural
and social heritage, and values that can contribute to a person’s sense of self. They can serve as role
models and provide guidance on social norms and behaviors.
 Adolescents who are close to their parents but also free to express their own thoughts are more likely
to be in the state of moratorium or identity achievement (Berzonsky, 2004; Grotevant & Cooper,
1998). Foreclosed teenagers typically have close relationships with their parents but have few
opportunities for healthy separation. And diffused children report the lowest levels of parental
support and open, warm communication (Reis & Youniss, 2004; Zimmerman & Becker-Stoll, 2002).

However, we have control over how we let our families influence us. We can choose to accept or
reject their guidance and honor or modify our traditions. We can also choose to seek out other
sources of values from friends, mentors, or role models.

2) COGNITIVE INFLUENCES
Those who are intellectually mature and are able to reason logically are better able to imagine and
contemplate future identities. They are more likely to raise and resolve identity issues than those who
are less intellectually mature.

3) SCHOLASTIC INFLUENCES
Do you think attending college help one establish an identity? The answer is yes and no. Attending
college does seem to help people toward setting career goals and making stable occupational
commitments (Waterman, 1982). Although some collegians regress from identity achievement to the
moratorium or even the diffusion status in certain areas— most notably religion. However, when out
of college, many adults later reopen the question of “who they are” when exposed to people or
situations that challenge old viewpoints and offer new alternatives (Kroger, 2005).

4) SOCIAL-CULTURAL INFLUENCES
Identity formation is strongly influenced by broader social and historical context in which it occurs -
a point that Erikson himself emphasized. In past centuries, adolescents in many non-industrialized
societies today simply adopt the adult roles they are expected to adopt, without any soul-searching or
experimentation: sons of farmers will become farmers, the children of fishermen will become (or
perhaps marry) fishermen, and so on. For many of the world’s adolescents, what Marcia calls
identity foreclosure is probably the most adaptive route to adulthood. Although Erikson recognized
that identity issues can and be modified later in life, even for those adults who establish a positive
identity, he quite rightly identified adolescence as a key time of life for defining who we are (and
will likely become).

CONCLUSION
Identify achievement is the point in an individual’s life when they have arrived at a clear
understanding of who they are. The journey can be different for each person as it is a lifelong
dynamic process that is influenced by a wide variety of factors. Identity is both cause and
consequence of personality. Marcia identifies four identity statuses which point to the individual’s
level of identity exploration and degree of commitment to a specific identity. These identity statuses
are as follows: diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, and achievement.
Adolescents who assume that absolute truth is always attainable tend to be foreclosed, while those
who doubt that they will never feel certain about anything are more often identity-diffused. Young
people who explore different alternatives are more likely to be in a state of moratorium or identity
achievement.
 Identity achievement has its roots in Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development particularly the
identity vs. role confusion. Factors such as parenting, cognitive, scholastic, and social-cultural
influences are what affects in forging an identity.
What about you? Have you established a firm sense of who you are? Or are you still in the phase of
exploration? Or perhaps you have adopted your parents’ or the society’s values and norms? Or you
still haven’t thought about it?

REFERENCES
Drew, C. (2023, October 27). Identity Achievement: 15 Examples and Definition (2024). Helpful Professor.

https://helpfulprofessor.com/identity-achievement/

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pmp#:~:text=Our%20families%20play%20a%20crucial,let%20our%20families%20influence%20us.

Berk, L. E. (2007). Exploring lifespan development. https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB18695220

Shaffer, D. R., & Kipp, K. (2014). Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence.

Kim E. (2016, June 20). James Marcia’s Adolescent Identity Development [Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JrZwmHU9xE

Drew, V. S. a. P. R. B. C. (2023, September 18). Identity Foreclosure: 10 Examples and Definition (2024).

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Perveen, A., & Anwar, N. (2020). Moratorium or achievement: identity statuses in Mohsin Hamids the

reluctant fundamentalist. Global Social Sciences Review, V(I), 283–290.

https://doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2020(v-i).29

Subtle Communication. (2021, November 30). Identity moratorium (Identity crisis) [Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAHUb0AEE4Q

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entity%20results%20from,affected%20by%20conflict%20and%20commitment

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