Compare and contrast Erikson’s theory and Marcia’s expansion.

Read and answer all the questions thoroughly. Make sure the responses are numbered properly.

1. First, spend about 10-15 minutes exploring Marcia’s theory more in-depth through online resources. Here are several good articles and a short video clip that are very useful.
(6 minute video clip of Marcia’s theory). https://youtu.be/_t0y-gCySN0
James Marcia’s Identity Theory: Understanding Adolescents’ Search For Identity – Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com
Marcias four Identity Statuses | Actforlibraries.org
James Marcia and Self-Identity – Child Development Theory: Adolescence (12-24) (wyomentalhealth.org)

2. Compare and contrast Erikson’s theory and Marcia’s expansion. How are they distinct in their conceptualization of identity? And which do you think is more accurate, and why?

3. Using Marcia’s theory of identity status determination, how would you classify the following two individuals?

a) What did you take into account in making your group decision. Make sure your justification takes theory into account.

b)How did this exercise make you rethink the limitations or imperfections of these identity theorist.

Senior 1

When the senior was asked how he would describe himself, he struggled for a while to come up with an answer and didn’t really seem like he could make sense of the question. He said that’s a tough question to ask someone. After a few minutes, however, he responded by saying that he’s an athlete, a computer geek, a musician, a Christian, an “imagineer” (this is a Disney term, he explained, meaning creative or imaginative), sensitive, and an ENFJ (this stands for characteristics on a specific personality test)—a “smooth-talking persuader”—the label for an ENFJ on that personality test.
With regard to what his plans were after graduation, or in 5 years, the first thing he said was that right now he didn’t know. All he knows right now is more of a generalization. He believes he’ll be working with people, he’ll have a lot of personal contact, his work will most likely have something to do with computers and the church, or some type of Christian organization. He said the only thing that he can say right now is that his plans are unfolding. As he was saying this, he showed no signs of being nervous or worried about his future and the fact that his plans seem unclear now. He even said that he was not very worried about it.
When asked why, he mentioned those particular things about what he would do in the near future, he said partly from an aptitude test. This test had been right on with members of his family and their aptitudes and careers that would be best for them. The computer idea, he said, came in almost by accident. He said that it just seems to keep popping up; it’s an additional skill that seems to be useful in everything and he really enjoys working with computers. With regard to involvement with the church or a Christian organization, he said that he can’t see not being involved because the church is such a big part of his life, and has been since he was born, and has never imagined not being a devout Christian.
He said figuring out what to do after graduation is a hard process, but it’s just beginning for him.

Senior 2

The senior in college is a 21-year-old male. When asked, “Who do you think you are?” he responded, “I’m a good person who also feels a lot of Catholic guilt.” This senior was very focused around his guilt. He believes that his guilt stems from being raised in a Roman Catholic family. His family is of Italian ethnic background, and this, too, he feels contributes to his feelings of guilt. He does not mean that he is guilty for being Italian, just that Italian families tend to use guilt as a weapon.
This senior listed things that he enjoyed. He enjoys swimming (he is on the swim team), the college life, friends, working with kids, and females. When we discussed the activities that he enjoyed we came to realize a uniting bond among them. The bond is that all the activities are easy for him. He is successful at all the activities, and things seem to come pretty easily and naturally for him.
Currently, this senior feels like a freeloader on society. He will feel this way until he is out of school and makes his corner of the world a better place. He feels he will probably do this working with younger people. He feels more comfortable around younger people because he is more in charge that way. He finds it easier to be around people he can control. “Insecurity is a major problem with me. It stops me from acting as myself. I would have to describe myself as an easygoing, nice guy with a self-esteem problem.”
In 5 years, he would like to have a master’s in education, and would like to be working for a public school teaching history. As well as teach, he also would like to coach swimming. Although he does not think his path will be particularly easy, he has chosen it primarily because he is confident he will be successful at it and it builds on his talents and interests. The job of teaching to him is a very noble profession. He feels this future would suit his abilities best. He also has spent time working in a school and has found the job enjoyable.

Part 2:
Write down 10 responses to the question, “Who am I?” Then, next to those responses, put an “I” if it is important to you, “S” if somewhat important, and “N” if not important.
Next, discuss the different types of attributes listed, such as gender, role identification (e.g., sibling, friend, mother), ethnicity, personality (e.g., ambitious), physical appearance (e.g., fit, tall), and whether you noticed any patterns. Did folks tend to place importance on certain traits over others? then briefly summarize your conversation. In closing, mention 1-2 lessons learned from this brief exercise.

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