Northfield Middle School and Identity Development

[Anonymous]

According to Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development, the middle schoolers that I have been observing and tutoring fall into the industry versus inferiority stage of development. They are faced with new independence and are expected to perform increasingly complex tasks. Depending on their level of success in tackling these new challenges, they will either feel pride in their accomplishments or will struggle with feelings of incompetency and inferiority. As children enter middle school, they may receive formal grades for the first time, which creates a new pressure to succeed academically. They also face challenges with navigating the social realities of middle school and the beginnings of puberty. As in the case of Piaget’s stage model, the middle schoolers are at the division between two stages: the industry versus inferiority stage and the identity versus role confusion stage. In addition to facing anxieties surrounding their ability to master new tasks, children in sixth grade are starting to explore their identity more fully through their friendship groups, hobbies, and appearances.

I think that the classroom atmosphere at the middle school primarily supports healthy identity development. When teaching children in the industry versus inferiority stage, it is especially important to provide feedback in a constructive and encouraging way. I think that Ms. Bloom does well to be gentle and supportive when she answers students’ questions or gives guidance on assignments. For example, the students are continuing to research their argumentative essay topics in the class, and if a student is relying on an untrustworthy source and pursuing a weak line of reasoning, she will redirect them to more helpful sources and ideas without saying anything like “no, you’re doing this wrong.” Instead, she will say something like “I think you’ll have more luck if you look at this,” or, “I think that your first argument is really strong, maybe look for more evidence on that.” I think that the idea of “sandwiching,” where you open with a positive comment, then provide a critique, and finish with another positive comment is helpful when addressing children in the industry versus inferiority stage of development.

I think that it can be challenging for teachers to provide honest feedback while also keeping their students motivated. Sometimes, teachers can be too harsh on students and not acknowledge their areas of improvement, which will leave them feeling discouraged and upset. One example that comes to mind is a 14-year-old girl who I tutored in English. She had done well in middle school English, but now was scoring in the low 70s in her first high school class and was very self-conscious about her performance. I read some of her essays and found that she wrote in a very wordy, overly complex style that was extremely difficult to follow. I encouraged her to write more concisely and simply and helped her edit several drafts of her next essay, which we transformed from near-incomprehensible to fairly well-written. However, when she submitted the essay, her teacher gave her another low 70s score and only commented to critique her analysis. He didn’t even acknowledge the significant improvement in her writing style, which I found frustrating because she had put in so much hard work and deserved to be rewarded for her effort. Because he was such a negative teacher, she was left feeling even more inferior and uncertain, which did nothing to help her learn English.

Marcia’s extension of Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development focuses on the establishment of identity through exploration and commitment. He identifies four identity statuses, which are illustrated in the image below, which depend on the extent to which a person has explored their identity and committed to particular values, goals, and relationships. I think that I fit best in the moratorium status because I am currently exploring a number of aspects of my identity, such as potential career paths, how to best live out my values in the world, and how to establish positive relationships. I think I am closer to identity achievement than I was in high school because I have become more self-assured and have decided on a major, but I certainly relate to the anxiety and uncertainty that comes with the constant questioning of the moratorium stage.

I was struck by Marcia’s discussion of the connection between different statuses and various life experiences and characteristics. For example, he describes that foreclosures are typically the most supportive of authoritarianism because they are comfortable not questioning their surroundings and will accept authority if it aligns with their narrow conception of morality. In contrast, moratoriums, the status I identify with, are much less willing to accept authoritarian control. I also liked how Marcia addressed how early life experiences (antecedents) could shape the identity status that a person develops later in life. It makes sense that a child who is raised in a very strict, controlling household would end up adopting the values and beliefs of their parents and would become foreclosed because they were never given the chance to explore. I appreciate that my parents gave me the freedom to explore different ideas and exposed me to different people and environments, which made me more open-minded.

• This topic was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by Tonja Clay.

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