IDENTITY AND THE TEEN AGE

Confusion and insecurity sometimes interrupt teenagers as they try to fit into the society. There is a process according to Carl Rogers a process that we go through and it has a way it stipulates how we blend into the society. As we develop that sense of self, several elements come into play.

 

The organismic self.

This is the authentic, innate and natural version of the self. This version of the self, strives for growth and self-actualization.

It is that uncorrupted version of us and is also known as the real self. This is where we usually begin. It is there when we are born and introduced into life. This is supposed to be the strongest element in us. 

If it is allowed to grow, it can identify what it needs both intrinsically and externally.

There is that tendency in us to evaluate our experiences depending on our own unique cognitive and emotional framework.

 

The self-concept.

This is the version of self-concept after the interaction with the environment. The environment drives us into challenging the organismic self and rendering it a bit too basic and to some extent primitive.

The self-concept introduces us into a world that has stipulations. Dynamics of life come into play and the space that was a bit too peaceful is turned into a field full of activities.

The ego identity becomes inclined towards the need to achieve a particular state. The environment introduces boundaries that set the rules that we should follow.

There now comes in a need to fit into the environment. Identity issues start here amongst the teenagers. This is the point at which crisis in life develop. Most parents will start noticing great changes in the teenagers.

There will be roles, behaviors and activities. The one time child that would enquire from the parent almost everything becomes one who wants to be secretive.

The teenager starts viewing the world through the eyes of others. From these others, the teenager is able to identify where they are in life.

 

Conditions of worth.

These are the implicit and explicit rules, roles, expectations and standards which we believe we must meet in order to be valued, accepted and loved by others. These conditions shape our core beliefs about our own worth. It is not every time we are fully conscious of this process. There are many times we just realized that we already embraced a particular concept in life.

We by now will have started getting an inclination towards expecting that approval from others. These approvals will set the conditions of worth.

 

Locus of elevation.

Depending on how much influence either the self-concept or the organismic self has, a locus of elevation will be developed.

When we can use the organismic self to develop our locus of elevation, we will be using an inner locus of elevation.

We will develop that ability to recognize and listen to our own inner thoughts, feelings and desires and use them to make choices and decisions.

 

This will involve several processes.

1. Subjective experience. 

Reality is subjective, and we are the ultimate authority in as far as thoughts, feelings and experiences are concerned.

 

2. Intrinsic motivation. 

We get motivated to give priority to our own needs, desires and goals, totally ignoring the external forces.

 

3. Self-actualization. 

Developing that need to achieve the level of one true self and reaching our full potential.

 

4. Self-regulation.

 Ability to regulate behavior and align it with our own beliefs and values.

When we use the self-concept as our locus of elevation, we use the eyes of the environment and the judgments of others to define ourselves, others and life as a whole.

Values, beliefs and expectations are imposed an individual by the society.

The individual loses the capacity to tap from within to decide and choose.

Identity is a fundamental organizing principal which develops constantly throughout the life span.

 

During the teenage where the first level of existential crisis begins, there is a major task to balance between two forces. These forces are both products of identity.

i. Self-sameness. 

This is a desire to be associated with the society around us. Identity here is about the things that make us blend into the society and the environment.

Here we will be striving to get what others have. We will want to belong to a certain class. There will be a particular stipulation deciding and determining how well we fit into some setting.

These are the conditions making teenagers do all sorts of weird things in order to catch up with the peers. The social media will feed these individuals with the changing trends. These same stipulations continue even later on in life.

Sometimes we get so stuck in our rush to fit in that we totally abandon and neglect ourselves. A crisis might begin here and spread to all the other stages in development.

 

ii.Uniqueness.

It is in deeper terms referred to as individuation. It is that attempt by individuals to achieve a distinct and separate identity. Here we strengthen our own uniqueness and completely separate ourselves from the group.

According to Carl Jung, this is a very important life goal. 

The more we work on individuation, we are able to release our energy and time into producing a better version of ourselves.

Identity crisis are the first level of the existential crisis and in most cases, they happen as the teenagers and adolescents struggle to balance between the need to blend into the environment as well the contrasting force that seeks to tear us away from the group.