Impact of Culture, Ethnicity & Gender on Identity Development

Different youths will have different identity development depending on where they come from. There are youths living in abject poverty today and worse enough they engage in drug and alcohol abuse. It is also very important to note that the crises that male adolescents face are different from those which females’ adolescents undergo.

Save Time On Research and Writing
Hire a Pro to Write You a 100% Plagiarism-Free Paper.
Get My Paper

Many scholars believe that the identity stages of Erickson have a reversed effect for the opposite sex since intimacy come first before identity (Santrock, 1998). Whereas females strive for relationships and emotional bonds men strive for autonomy and achievement (Santrock, 1998).

Achievement of Autonomy and Attachment
Adolescents attain autonomy and gain control over their behavior through relevant reactions to adolescent’s desire for control. It is believed that if adolescents have secure attachments to their parents then they will also have high chances of effective social competence and well-being; moreover this manifests itself through self-esteem, emotional adjustment and physical health (Santrock, 1998).
Therefore, families that subject their children to rejection do a lot of harm to their identity development. It is also important that parents avail themselves to their adolescent children to strength their bonds with them.
In most cases, parents complain that their children begin being noncompliant at their adolescent stage. This is the time when adolescents resist their parents’ instructions and standards (Santrock, 1998).  It is actually said that conflict with parents heightens at the age when the children become adolescents (Santrock, 1998).
A greater part of such conflicts take place in the day-to-day events of family life although it does not involve serious conflicts posed by drugs or delinquency. It is also believed that these conflicts have a positive implication on the development of the adolescent from being dependent to becoming self-reliant (Santrock, 1998).
In order for parents to facilitate a competent development of their adolescent sons and daughters they should establish in them a deep sense of warmth and mutual respect and also show interest in their lives (Santrock, 1998).
They should also take into consideration their cognitive and socioemotional development. Parents should have democratic and constructive ways of dealing with crisis.
Re-Evaluation of Self Portrait
Earlier long this study provided an analysis of the boy who underwent a lot of resentment due to pressures he got from his parents and teachers as well. This study believes that up to this point the reader can now say that, indeed, the boy was justified in his actions.
It can be said that it was a violation of rights since the boy was striving for self identity and fulfillment as required in adolescent stage. It is therefore very unfair for an adolescent to be subjected to situations that hinder him to move towards this end.
Looking at what adolescent stage really is the boy must have gone through serious crisis, specifically, it must have been role confusion kind of a crisis. This can be argued from Erickson’s socioemotional stages which he articulates very well. In fact, the case of the boy serves as an empirical justification to the theoretical aspect of this study, as in, all that has been reviewed is well supported by the situation of this boy.
Looking at his parents and especially how they handled him it is evident that they contributed to his role confusion. Their instructions and stiff standards did the boy no good but harm. As can be seen, they had a responsibility to affirm his identity development at all costs. It is never too late; they can still make amends so that the boy can get to his next stage of life with resolved conflict.
Conclusion
It is no doubt that this study has taken into account every aspect of adolescence that would leave the reader with quality information needed. However, it still believes that there is a lot to be studied in the future. It can be seen that adolescence stage is the most critical stage of life due to its crises here and there.
It has illustrated an empirical investigation of a boy who underwent serious socioemotional issues that did no good to his identity development. The worse of it is that his parents worsened his crave for self identity.
From the self-portrait this study identified five socioemotional issues namely: anger, frustration, low self-esteem, inferiority and antipathy. This study has also defined adolescence stage as the period when a person develops physically and psychologically from the onset of puberty to maturity. Different theories have bee analyzed especially that of Erickson and his psycho-social development stages.
This study has also indicated that the primary unit charged with facilitation of adolescence identity development is none else other than the family. In actual fact, families have a big role to play. How this study hopes that it lands on every parents’ desk so that they might read some good staff in it.
References
American Association of University Women. (1991). Shortchanging girls, shortchanging
America. Washington, DC
Covey, S. (2002). First Things First: To live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy. New
York: Simon & Schuster.
Dale, M. (2000). Body and self: An exploration of Adolescent development. New York:
Jason Aronson.
Erikson, E. (2009). Childhood and society. New York: Norton, Revised Edition
Huitt, W. (1999). Educational Psychology. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University
Santrock, (1998). Child Development. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Teodoro, J. The Impact of Family on Identity Development. Journal of Psychology, vol.
Woolfolk & McCune-Nicolich. (1984). Educational psychology for teachers. (2nd Ed.).

Fountain Essays
Calculate your paper price
Pages (550 words)
Approximate price: -

Why Work with Us

Top Quality and Well-Researched Papers

We always make sure that writers follow all your instructions precisely. You can choose your academic level: high school, college/university or professional, and we will assign a writer who has a respective degree.

Professional and Experienced Academic Writers

We have a team of professional writers with experience in academic and business writing. Many are native speakers and able to perform any task for which you need help.

Free Unlimited Revisions

If you think we missed something, send your order for a free revision. You have 10 days to submit the order for review after you have received the final document. You can do this yourself after logging into your personal account or by contacting our support.

Prompt Delivery and 100% Money-Back-Guarantee

All papers are always delivered on time. In case we need more time to master your paper, we may contact you regarding the deadline extension. In case you cannot provide us with more time, a 100% refund is guaranteed.

Original & Confidential

We use several writing tools checks to ensure that all documents you receive are free from plagiarism. Our editors carefully review all quotations in the text. We also promise maximum confidentiality in all of our services.

24/7 Customer Support

Our support agents are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week and committed to providing you with the best customer experience. Get in touch whenever you need any assistance.

Try it now!

Calculate the price of your order

Total price:
$0.00

How it works?

Follow these simple steps to get your paper done

Place your order

Fill in the order form and provide all details of your assignment.

Proceed with the payment

Choose the payment system that suits you most.

Receive the final file

Once your paper is ready, we will email it to you.

Our Services

No need to work on your paper at night. Sleep tight, we will cover your back. We offer all kinds of writing services.

Essays

Essay Writing Service

No matter what kind of academic paper you need and how urgent you need it, you are welcome to choose your academic level and the type of your paper at an affordable price. We take care of all your paper needs and give a 24/7 customer care support system.

Admissions

Admission Essays & Business Writing Help

An admission essay is an essay or other written statement by a candidate, often a potential student enrolling in a college, university, or graduate school. You can be rest assurred that through our service we will write the best admission essay for you.

Reviews

Editing Support

Our academic writers and editors make the necessary changes to your paper so that it is polished. We also format your document by correctly quoting the sources and creating reference lists in the formats APA, Harvard, MLA, Chicago / Turabian.

Reviews

Revision Support

If you think your paper could be improved, you can request a review. In this case, your paper will be checked by the writer or assigned to an editor. You can use this option as many times as you see fit. This is free because we want you to be completely satisfied with the service offered.