FEM 3101

Developmental Psychology : Children and

Adolescents

ADOLESCENT SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

SEMESTER 2 (2019/2020)

DR. NELLIE BINTI ISMAIL

nellie@upm.edu.my/03-97697081
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 IDENTITY: ASKING "WHO AM I?"

 During adolescence, self consciousness takes center

stage!
 Teens focus on wondering “Who am I?” and “Where do
I belong in the world?”
 WHY??
 Teens begin to become more like adults intellectually
 Realize the importance of establishing self in society,
and shaping their individuality
 Teens become more like adults physically
 Dramatic changes during puberty make teens acutely 2
aware of their own bodies
SELF CONCEPT: REFINING SELF
PERCEPTIONS

 Self-concept – mental image we have of

ourselves
 Self concept broadens during adolescence to
include both one's own assessment of who
you are and also includes others' views.
 The view of self becomes more organized
and coherent.
 Adolescents can look at themselves in
terms of traits and can see multiple
aspects of themselves (which can be 3
confusing at first).
SELF-ESTEEM: EVALUATING ONESELF

 Self-esteem – the way we see and think

about ourselves
 During adolescence, teens become
increasingly accurate in understanding
who they are (they develop their self
concept)
 The increase in self-concept does not
mean that they like themselves any
better (self esteem may still be low)
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SELF-ESTEEM IS INFLUENCED BY SEVERAL FACTORS

 Gender - especially in early

adolescence, girls have lower self-
esteem
 SES - higher SES leads to more
self-esteem (especially in late
adolescence when one can buy
things of value)

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FORMING AN IDENTITY DURING THE
TEEN YEARS: CRISIS OR CHANGE?

 Erik Erikson asserted that adolescents may encounter substantial

psychological difficulties in their search for identity (“the adolescent
identity crisis”)
 Erikson's stage is IDENTITY-VERSUS-ROLE CONFUSION STAGE
where adolescents seek to determine what is unique and distinctive
about themselves.

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 ERIKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL STAGES
Late Adulthood (60 above) Integrity vs Despair

Middle Adulthood (40’s-50’s) Generativity vs Stagnation

Young Adulthood (20 -30’s) Intimacy vs Isolation

Adolescent (12-19) Identity vs Role Confusion

Middle childhood (6-11) Industry vs Inferiority

Early Childhood (3-5) Initiative vs Guilt

Toddler (1-2) Autonomy vs Shame/doubt

Infancy (0-1) Trust vs Distrust

ERIKSON'S IDENTITY-VERSUS-ROLE
CONFUSION STAGE
 Those who do not find a suitable identity, tend to follow a
dysfunctional path because their sense of self is "diffuse".
 There are a lot of social pressures to achieve a secure identity
(or at least have clear career or major goals).
 Which job track to follow?
 Attend college? Which one?
 Now, adolescents rely more on friends and peers than adults.

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VIDEOS

 Identity vs Role Confusion

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70yDo6cexyY

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WHAT IS IDENTITY?

 Identity is a new way of thinking

about oneself that emerges during
adolescence.
 Identity involves a sense of self-
unity, accompanied by a feeling that
the self has continuity over time.
 A firmly established identity also
provides a sense of uniqueness as a
person. 11
DURING ADOLESCENT STAGE

 Changes occurs  influence adolescent to find and

form own identity (differs from their parents).
 Changes that occurs forced adolescent to “adjust
and re-arrange” their lives  formed a new identity.
 The physical, cognitive and socio-emotional
development  its impact and influence on
adolescent.
 Form own perception on self  include peers
evaluation.
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APPROACHES IN UNDERSTANDING
IDENTITY

 Involve the cognitive element

 Self-concept
 Involve emotion element
 Self-value or self-image
 Involve personal element
 Questions about self

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SEARCH FOR IDENTITY

 According to Erikson:-
 A teenager effort to make sense of the self is a:-
 Part of a healthy , vital process that builds on the achievement of
earlier stages.
 Groundwork for coping with the crisis of adult life.

 A man needs a stable identity before reaching intimacy,

whereas, women define themselves through marriage and
motherhood (may be different now).

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IDENTITY

 Erik Erikson
 Defined identity as a "subjective sense of an invigorating
sameness and continuity," as well as a "sense of feeling
active and alive.“
 According to Erikson's psychosocial model of
development, identity must be perceived by the individual,
but also recognized and confirmed by others.
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STAGE 5: IDENTITY VS ROLE
CONFUSION

 Focus on:
 Formation of identity
 Coherent

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IDENTITY - ACCORDING TO JAMES
MARCIA

 Marcia argued that

 Identity could be viewed as a structure of beliefs, abilities and
past experiences regarding the self.
 "The better developed this structure is, the more individuals
appear to be of their own...strengths and weaknesses....
 The less developed this structure is, the more confused
individuals seem to be about their own distinctiveness from
others and the more they have to rely on external sources to
evaluate themselves." 17
IDENTITY

 Identity is a dynamic, not static psychological structure.

 The formation of identity in adolescence sets the stage for
continual changes in the content of identity through the
adult years.

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MARCIA'S IDENTITY STATUSES

 In Marcia's model, identity involves the adoption of

 a sexual orientation
 a set of values and ideals
 a vocational direction
 A well-developed identity gives on a sense of one's
strengths, weaknesses, and individual uniqueness.
 A person with a less well-developed identity is not able to
define his or her personal strengths and weaknesses, and
does not have a well articulated sense of self.
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ACCORDING TO MARCIA
 Crisis & Commitment  influence individual identity status.
 Identity formation  a long term process.
 Choose
 Arrange
 Try
 Push out
 Re-built
 Finally  choose (unique to him/her self)
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MARCIA’S IDENTITY FORMATION PROCESS

Foreclosure

Diffusion

Moratorium

Achievement
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* Not progressive  based on experience and exploration
FORECLOSURE

 Commitment without crisis

 Lack exploration of alternatives
 Commitment has been made, but without exploration of
alternatives, identity is not attained
 Developmentally unsophisticated level of achievement
 Adopt parents' characteristics

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DIFFUSION

 Lack of commitment
 Lack of exploration of alternatives
 Least sophisticated level of development
 Typically the level at which identity formation is begun
 Do not feel accepted by parents

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MORATORIUM

 Active exploration of alternative identities

 Commitment is desired, but it is not yet attained
 Sophisticated level of development

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ACHIEVEMENT

 Individual has explored alternatives.

 Commitment is at a high level.
 According to individual's in this status, "The parts of my
self feel as though they have finally come together"
(Archer, 1990).
 Most developmentally sophisticated status of identity
formation.
 Perceive parents as supportive. 25
SUMMARY ON MARCIA’S

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IDENTITY CONFUSION

 Identity problem
 Autonomy problem
 Attachment problem
 Sexuality problem
 Achievement problem

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SOCIAL INFLUENCE IN IDENTITY
FORMATION
 Family
 Discipline & relationship
 Environment
 Socio-cultural
 Diet
 Education
 Peers
 Status symbol
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 Mass media
VIDEOS

 Marcia’s Identity Formation

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzdsQgnuuo0

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