identity crisis
identity crisisThis concept is most fully developed by the American psychoanalyst Erik Erikson. He uses it to refer to a crisis, having interlocking psychological and sociological aspects, in an individual's sense of self. Erikson sees such crises as common in the adolescent stage of development, when no clear social role has yet been developed, and the youth is more than a child but not yet an adult. Psychologically, this is complemented by a reworking of earlier stages of development, particularly in relation to sexuality and the ability to form intimate relationships outside the family. (See, for example, his Life History and the Historical Moment, 1975.)
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