The Four Identity Statuses

The Four Identity Statuses

IDENTITY STATUS; The Four Identity Statuses

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EXAMPLE

Identity achievement

Having already explored alternatives, identity-achieved individuals are committed to a clearly formulated set of self-chosen values and goals. They feel a sense of psychological well-being, of sameness through time, and of knowing where they are going.

When asked how willing she would be to give up going into her chosen occupation if something better came along, aLuren responded, “Well, I might, but I doubt it. I’ve thought long and hard about law as a career. I’m pretty certain it’s for me.”

Identity moratorium

Moratorium means “delay or holding pattern.”These individuals have not yet made definite commitments. They are in the process of exploring—gathering information and trying out activities, with the desire to find values and goals to guide their lives.

When asked whether he had ever had doubts about his religious beliefs, Ramón said, “Yes, I guess I’m going through that right now. I just don’t see how there can be a God and yet so much evil in the world.”

The Four Identity Statuses: Identity foreclosure

Identity-foreclosed individuals have committed themselves to values and goals without exploring alternatives. They accept a ready-made identity chosen for them by authority figures—usually parents but sometimes teachers, religious leaders, or romantic partners.

When asked if she had ever reconsidered her political beliefs, Emily answered, “No, not really, our family is pretty much in agreement on these things.”

Identity diffusion

Identity-diffused individuals lack clear direction. They are not committed to values and goals, nor are they actively trying to reach them. They may never have explored alternatives or may have found the task too threatening and overwhelming.

When asked about his attitude toward nontraditional gender roles, Justin responded, “Oh, I don’t know. It doesn’t make much difference to me. I can take it or leave it.”

Identity development follows many paths. Some young people remain in one status, whereas others experience many status transitions. And the pattern often varies across identity domains, such as sexual orientation, vocation, and religious and political values. Most young people change from “lower”statuses (foreclosure or diffusion) to higher ones (moratorium or achievement) between their mid-teens and mid-twenties, but as many remain stable, and some move in the reverse direction (Kroger, 2007 ; Kroger, Martinussen, & Marcia, 2010 ; Meeus et al., 2012 ). The Four Identity Statuses.

Because attending college provides opportunities to explore values, career options, and lifestyles, college students make more identity progress than they did in high school (Klimstra et al., 2010 ; Montgomery & Côté, 2003 ). After college, they often sample a broad range of life experiences before choosing a life course. Those who go to work immediately after high school graduation often settle on a self-definition earlier. But if non-college-bound youths encounter obstacles to realizing their occupational goals because of lack of training or vocational choices, they are at risk for identity foreclosure or diffusion (Cohen et al., 2003 ; Eccles et al., 2003 ).

At one time, researchers thought that adolescent girls postponed establishing an identity, focusing instead on Erikson’s next stage, intimacy development. Some girls do show more sophisticated reasoning than boys in identity domains related to intimacy, such as sexuality and family versus career priorities. Otherwise, adolescents of both sexes typically make progress on identity concerns before experiencing genuine intimacy in relationships (Berman et al., 2006 ; Kroger, 2007 ).