Summarize two different psychological approaches to identity.

How has each been used to further our understanding of this concept ? Identity is showing we are, who we are not, what we stand for, it is agreed by us and also we feel the need to be agreed by the people around us. Further, I will summarize two approaches of identity and how each approach has been used further to understand identity. The Psychosocial Theory of Identity, developed by Erik Erikson (1902-1994) is dealing with every individuals identity, making associations with I and me. The Social Identity Theory(SIT), developed by Henry Tajfel (1919-1982), is dealing with group identity, making associations with we and us. In the Psychosocial Theory, Erikson sais that our identity is both personal and social (the social environment we live in) and fluid, meaning that identity construction is a lifelong process. Every identity has its fix characteristics, named core identity(page 52) and that the identity is forming and changing around this core identity with influences from the social environment. Erikson described identity in eight stages of development, each stage being important for going to the next one. It starts from the birth and ending with late adulthood and the most important stage, as Erikson considers, is adolescence(fifth stage). In this stage, the individual must achieve an Ego Identity (page 55), by realizing who I am and who I can become in the future(reference !!!). The failure to achieve an ego identity, can lead to role diffusion. He saw adolescence as a period of Psychosocial moratorium (page 55), in which the adolescent can try different social roles. If the adolescent fails in finding his own role and to take commitments can lead to identity crisis (page 56). The psychotherapist James Marcia focused on the stage of adolescence and made identity measurable using the semi structured interview (page 57). In this interview, the questions are open and flexible, covers particular themes. In adolescence, commitment and exploration are important in constructing identity. Marcia developed four identity statuses(page 59-60). Identity diffusion, with low commitment and low exploration, Identity foreclosure, high commitment and low exploration, Moratorium, low commitment and high exploration, Identity achievement, high commitment and high exploration. This theory helped to understand the violent behavior in schools and not only and why certain students act violently towards others. It is explained that people who have this kind of behavior have personality issues. They dont have a strong identity and as a result, they are showing their power by making others being afraid of them. The second approach to identity, SIT, explains group identities and has associations with we and us. This theory helps to understand why people choose to be part of a particular group rather than another, using the experimental method (page 63). Tajfel said that social identity is a self identification with the groups characteristics. People need to have the feeling of belonging and to psychologically satisfy their social identity. Because the society has different social categories and each categories has its own amount of power. To improve social identity, needs to improve social position and to increase the status in society. This is called social mobility (page 65). This social change is done by social creativity or social competition. The conclusion is that both theories take into account the historical period in which we live and construct identity and demonstrates that the social environment has inevitable effects on identity. Both theories use power in describing the construction of identity and that it is a lifelong process because changes are coming all the time and these changes affect identity. Even in the

group identity, Tajfel focused more on the identity of the individuals from a certain group and less on the group itself. To understand a group identity is needed to look at the people who make that group, how they deal with each other, with others and other groups and what is their social status.