Exploration of alternatives, identity formation, and iClass

Prof. James Marcia

Erik Erikson has proposed a scheme for personality development throughout the lifespan. A central construct of this theory is identity, which is assumed to be formed for the first time at late adolescence. I and my students and colleagues have developed and validated four ways of dealing with the identity issue. These are called “identity statuses”. The identity statuses are determined empirically based upon the twin criteria of exploration and commitment in such important life areas as occupation, ideology, and relationship values. In this symposium, I shall describe briefly the identity statuses and their characteristics, and then I shall focus upon one identity status in particular: Identity Foreclosure. Foreclosures are persons who may have strong commitments in the above life areas, but their commitments have not been arrived at via exploration; rather, they are usually adopted from parental or authority figures. These conferred (as contrasted with constructed) identities have consequences for political positions, cognitive abilities, level of moral thought, and personal well-being. Some research results will be presented documenting this. In addition, I shall present some thoughts about the potential impact of iClass upon identity development.

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