Identity Formation Essay.
Instructions: 1.Describe common rites of passage from two cultures around the world and compare them to a common American rite of passage. Possible resources might include National Geographic and the Argosy University Online Library.
2.Compare and contrast these rites to common US rites of passage. Do they coincide with the physical, cognitive, or socioemotional changes taking place at this age? Describe which specific changes (physical, cognitive, or socioemotional) they coincide with. Does this explain their importance in a particular culture?
3.How might such a social ritual, such as a rite of passage, influence the identity formation process of adolescents?
4.In light of Erikson and Marcia’s theories, discuss how the process of identity development is affected when the adolescent belongs to a minority group (racial, ethnic, sexual, or religious). Be sure to explain these theories and how they apply to identity development.
5.Summarize research from at least two peer-reviewed* studies on the effect of minority status on identity development, ensuring you describe the main findings of the study as well as the research methods used to study the topic.
6.Apply the information you gathered from the online notes, textbook, and research articles to provide at least three practical recommendations for what the family, school, and community can do to ease the process for adolescents.
Solution.
Identity Formation
Identity Formation: Parental Guide
As parents, you should be aware of the dynamic process that takes place in the environment that your children are nurtured (Beyers & Goossens, 2008). This flier will help you monitor the behavior of your kids, especially the minority students in our institution. As parents, you are supposed to know the how the various rites of passage affect their identity formation dynamics. Also, you must familiarize yourself with the common identities like race, ethnicity and sex and their effects on your children development.
As you know, there are several rites of passage that are practiced worldwide. Most of them are different from the once we are all aware in our country. Such rites are practiced by various cultures around the world, and they differ from our rites of passage regarding physical such as circumcision in Africa (Mudege, Egondi, Beguy, & Zulu, 2012), cognitive and socioemotional impacts. Most of the common rites of passage here in our country are important in a student’s identity formation such as baptism and graduation from high school to further academic institutions like universities and colleges.
Erik Erikson in his eight stages of development identifies that students at this age (teenage) fall on the fifth stage, Identity versus Role Confusion. He states that parents need to encourage children in their commitments of their desires. Better choices can be made by a student if only you as a parent can support it. On the other hand, Marcia, a Canadian psychologist models Erik Erickson’s model by saying that teenager has to undergo identity formation process swiftly so that they can attain achievement of an Identity. Both theorists agree that if the character the student desires is not achieved, then it will lead to a dysfunctional life. Therefore, as parents, you need to monitor and interact with the child before the worst happens.
Research has it that ethnicity
shows a parallel relationship with Self
Esteem and confidence (Martinez & Dukes, 1997). If you help your
child understand his or her background well,
he or she will have much ease in forming a better identity with himself. Also,
identity formation plays a significant
role in a student’s daily experiences as it shapes the student’s future and how
they conduct themselves in a social setting,
hence, a commonality with minority groups
(Phinney, 1996). As parents, you
should understand your child well, make him aware of the background information
of the family and advise him or her accordingly.
References
Beyers, W., & Goossens, L. (2008). Dynamics of Perceived Parenting and Identity Formation in Late Adolescenc. Journal of Adolescence, 31(2), 165-184.
Martinez, R. O., & Dukes, R. L. (1997). The Effects of Ethnic Identity, Ethnicity, and Gender on Adolescent Well-Being. Journal of youth and adolescence, 26(5), 503-516.
Mudege, N. N., Egondi, T., Beguy, D., & Zulu, E. M. (2012). The Determinants of Female Circumcision among Adolescents from Communities that practice Female Circumcision in Two Nairobi Informal Settlements. Health Sociology Review, 21(2), 242-250.
Phinney, J. S. (1989). Stages of Ethnic Identity Development in Minority Group Adolescents. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 9(1-2), 34-49.
Phinney, J. S. (1996). When we talk about American ethnic groups, what do we mean? American Psychologist,, 51(9), 918.
