Reference no: EM133236409

Assignment:

Create a response to the following post in your own opinion. Erik's identity theory is what best visibly describes Kerikson's personality. Kerikson seems to be someone who is very focused on working on himself, and his own individual personality in order to better himself. He grew up being used to living in a low income area that was not very populated. He was never really around a lot of people, and it seems like where he lived was basically rural, or something close to that. But after Kerikson visited some family who lives in a very populated suburban area, it left him feeling very uneasy as it was not what he was used to. The area was city like, and had a lot of people everywhere he looked which is not anything close to what he was used to growing up.

After reading through, it seems he may be struggling with identity crisis in a way. "An Identity Crisis is a temporary instability that begins in adolescence when a person must discover their role in society, thereby entering adulthood" (Narsaria 2022). Identity formation begins in childhood, according to Erikson, and it is very easy to become overwhelmed when exposed to new changes that we are not used to or have not been around.

At this point in time, "one needs to successfully resolve each crisis, such as autonomy, independence and trust, before entering the next developmental stage". Identity is what gains prominence during adolescence. Erikson has created eight stages of development, with identity formation being one of them, and he believes it is one of the most important in defining character. Since Kerikson had not ever been in a populated, city-like area, he was overwhelmed when introduced to something new. This perfectly describes the theory of identity crisis.