An identity crisis is a situation where a young person or an adult is not aware of whom he or she is and is lost in the process of trying to develop an identity. In most cases, this situation is challenging, as some of the young people are not aware of how to deal with it. This following study focuses on Talia as a biracial teen struggling with the challenge of an identity crisis.
Based on Erickson's theory of psychosocial development, the first crisis occurs during early to middle adolescence. This crisis is the crisis of identity versus the identity confusion. This crisis is characterized by the struggle to balance between the aspects of having a unique identity and being able to fit in the society. The implication is that the youths should be able to determine whom they want to be. In this case, Talia is trying to create an identity based on her cultural background of her father. She feels alienated from her perceived identity because she does not have the support of her father who is more conversant with the Asian heritage. Talia cannot be able to navigate the crisis successfully, which means that she cannot get a clear understanding of her identity as an individual. She is uncertain about her identity hence the reason for her disconnection the rest of the society. The risk is that if Talia is not able to get out of this stage and is stuck, she may not be able to become an emotionally mature adult. She may live in a world of confusion where she is not aware of who she is. Such aspects might negatively affect her development as a person.
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Culture and Cultural Identity
Culture and cultural identity play a significant role in understanding Talia’s situation. For example, her self-esteem is low because she feels that she has lost a sense of identity through the absence of the father. She seems torn between her Caucasian identity and her Asian one without being able to get out. As seen from the theory of psychosocial development, Talia is arguably stuck in her social world. From her case, her confusion and lack of emotional stability come from the feeling that she has lost a part of her identity. She feels that she may not be able to fit in the society without feeling complete. The art of being complete can only be achieved through a construction of an identity that will combine both the Caucasian and the Asian cultural settings. The cultural differences that exist between the two groups have combined to make her feel alienated and not part of the society ( Nair, James, & Santhosh, 2015) .
Interventions to Deal with the Crisis
One of the interventions would be to advise Talia to explore her identity. Therefore, she should think about the qualities and the characteristics that define who she is. The other thing would be to examine her values and assess whether those values and qualities have changed throughout life.
Talia also needs to define her interests and the way she spends her free time. In this case, she should be encouraged to identify the important things, focus on them, relate to them, and take part in those allowing her to escape from her thoughts. Parenting also plays a significant role in the solving of the identity crisis. Most importantly, the mother and the father must take charge of her development by making her appreciate her identity both as a Caucasian and as an Asian ( Hammack, 2015) .
Conclusion
An identity crisis is one of the challenging experiences of adolescence. Failure to get out of the crisis means that that one may never develop emotional stability in future. This calls for interventions to deal with them. Talia should be shown how to explore her identity through parental guidance to get out of the crisis.
References
Hammack, P. L. (2015). Theoretical Foundations of Identity. The Oxford Handbook of identity development , 11-30.
Nair, K. R., James, J. K., & Santhosh, K. R. (2015). Identity Crisis among Early Adolescents in Relations to Abusive Experiences in the Childhood, Social Support, and Parental Support. Journal of Psychosocial Research , 10 (1), 167.
