Adolescence - Understanding Teenage Angst

Why do adolescents strive to forge a sense of identity? How do they do it?


Think back to your youth. Many of us would have fond memories of experimenting with various fashion styles, trying new activities somewhat fearlessly, making new friends that just seem different, among many others.

It is also in this period that some of us might remember "teenage angst", where everything just seems to go wrong. Our body changes awkwardly in puberty, and adults are constantly telling us what not to do.

The teenage adolescent years can be seen as a time for finding oneself among a multitude of possibilities, trying to establish the self in various circumstances.

Here's how we can understand, and hopefully help to support your child's journey in this stage of growth. Who Am I? Identity versus confusion is the fifth stage of ego according to psychologist Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development.

This stage occurs during adolescence between the ages of approximately 12 and 18. During this stage, adolescents explore their independence and develop a sense of self. According to Erikson, people progress through a series of stages as they grow and change throughout life. Erikson's Psychosocial Developmental Stages. Stages of Psychosocial Development. Biological and Neurological. Cognition. The Self. Adolescent Change Chart. Identity Formation. Identity Statuses. The Four Identity Statuses. Parents - How can you help? Friends - The Chosen Family. Social Networking - Bane or Boon?