Identity crisis of today’s youth
LAND OF DIMINISHED DREAMS
The year is two thousand fifty-four,
The world is full of curses.
People no longer walk the streets,
No women carry handbags.
The name of the game is survival now-
Security is far in the past.
Families are huge with tons of kids.
Hoping one last
Drugs are no longer underestimated,
They are a way of life.
They help us escape from heartbreaking stress
Of our speedy worlds endless fights…
I wake up now, it was just a dream
But the message was terribly clear.
We better think hard ahead
Before our goals and our dreams disappear.
-Jessica Inglis, 16
(Through the eyes of youth)
A rose called by any other name would smell just as sweet, wrote Shakespeare. So what’s in a name! But names do matter, names have their values, just like “identity”.
Who am I? What is my identity? Where was I born? Who are my parents? What is my socioeconomic position in society? What is my caste? What is my religion? What is my nationality? What is my education? What is my profession? These are all “identity” parameters.
There are many problems facing teenagers today. Probably one of the most common is the theme of individualism or identity. The increasing rate of drug addiction, juvenile delinquency, maladjustment, violence, unemployment, conflicts between parents and children are among the serious problems of today’s youth.
Beginning the discussion of this problem I want to recall the words of God in the movie “Bruce
Almighty,” “You asked me what a miracle is… When a teenager says “no” to drugs and says “yes” to school, that’s a miracle. In modern life, saying “no” to drugs can be considered a miracle for most children.
Soumi (name changed) is 15 years old and pregnant. She reflects, “I’m 3 months pregnant. This could ruin my whole life. I’ve made all the plans for the future and now they’ve all gone down the drain. I don’t have anyone to talk to about my problem.” These young pregnant women are a flaw in the current social fabric. Like Soumi, too many get pregnant in their early and middle teens. Sixteen-year-old Jennifer (name changed) gradually eliminated foods from her diet to the point where she subsisted on only applesauce and eggnog. She was hospitalized and treated for anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that involves the relentless pursuit of thinness through hunger. She can eventually lead to death, as she did to the popular singer Karen Carpenter. In modern families, there are exchanges like this:
A fourteen-year-old boy says to his mother, “What do you mean I have to be home at 10 p.m.?”
The mother replies, “It’s the way we do things around here.”
Boy replies, “Why do we do things around here this way? What retroactive culture?”
This parent-teen conflict is common during this phase.
Not sure of your role in life? Do you feel like you don’t know the “real you”? Here is a set of questions for you to answer:
1. Do you feel proud to be Indian?
2. If there is rebirth, would you like to be born as a man or a woman?
3. Are you proud to be your father’s/mother’s son?
4. Do you prefer to solve critical problems by-
a) seek advice from the elders b. decision on your own c. peer help
5. Which of the religions are you strongly attracted to?
has. Christianity b. hinduism vs. Muslim
6. Chasteism is a curse for progress-
has. OUI B. No
7. Chasteism helps develop a positive sense of self.
has. Yes B. No
8. Do you hesitate to meet people of a higher socioeconomic level (than you)?
9. Are you ashamed to mix with people of low socioeconomic status (for you)?
10. Do you think parents should criticize their children’s failures?
has. never b. often c. Rarely
11. If you were given options, how often would you buy?
has. western-style clothing b. ethnic clothing
12. If you were asked to give your friends a gift, would you rather…
a.Bengali dish b. chinese dish c. continental D. Any other
13 What professions do you have great respect for?
14. Do you feel shy/hesitating to mingle with your schoolmates who are well settled in life?
has. always sometimes c. Never
If you answered “yes” to the questions above, you may be experiencing an “identity crisis.”
Theorist Erik Erikson coined the term “Identity Crisis” and believed it to be one of the most important conflicts facing people in development. It is a time of intensive analysis and exploration of different ways of looking at oneself. Erikson described “identity” as “a subjective sense as well as an observable quality of personal equality and continuity of a shared image of the world.
The emergence of an identity crisis occurs during adolescence, in which people struggle between feelings of identity and role confusion.
The balance between identity and confusion lies in making a commitment to an identity. There are four different identity states:
(a) Identity Achievement: Occurs when an individual has gone through an exploration of different identities and has committed to one.
(b) Moratorium: is the status of a person who is actively involved in exploring different identities but has not committed.
(c) Foreclosure status is when a person has been compromised without attempting identity scanning.
(d) Identity diffusion: occurs when there is no identity or commitment crisis
Findings from a survey of youth in the 18-31 age group that included both students and working youth.
AGE(18 – 31 years)
Identity Crisis Domains Percentage Identity Crisis Domains Percentage
Economic 28% Economic 32%
Staff 32% Staff 30%
Cultural and Ethnic 18% Cultural and Ethnic 16%
Religious 12% Religious 10%
Nationality 10% Nationality 12%
AGE(18 – 31 years)
Percentage of domains in identity states Percentage of domains in identity states
Identity Achievement 28% Identity Achievement 45%
Moratorium 30% Moratorium 28%
Foreclosure 18% Foreclosure 12%
Identity Distribution 24% Identity Distribution 15%
It has been found that those who have strongly committed to an identity tend to be happier and healthier than those who have not. Those with an identity diffusion status tend to feel out of place in the world and do not pursue a sense of identity.
Some strategies to reduce this problem
o Understand the importance of autonomy and attachment
o Avoid parent-teen conflict from being rebellious and use good communication skills with the teen
o Recognize the importance of peers, youth organizations and mentors.
o Help young people better understand the nature of differences, diversity and conflicting values
o Let youth explore their identity.
In today’s rapidly changing world, identity crises are more common today. Exploring different aspects of oneself in different areas of life, including one’s role at work, within the family, and in relationships, can help strengthen personal identity.