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Erikson's Theory Of Identity And Confusion

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Erikson's theory of Identity Vs Confusion is significant when a young person is coming out, as the two outcomes can greatly affect their futures. A young person who is at "identity" will be confident on who they are as a person, they are more likely to have a positive experience, where as someone who is at "confusion", is more likely to be in denial or be unaware that they're LGBT+. A young person needs to have the appropriate level of preparation and support from those around them, whether this is from their peers or from their teachers. By having this theory, I believe that we are able to give the young person the corresponding support. For example, if a young person does come out, then we can direct them to organisations who might offer …show more content…

Also, there are only two end results, so it might be unclear as to where a young person ends up, as they might be somewhere in the middle, unable to be linked with either identity or confusion. They might have an idea that they’re LGBT+, however because they are not 100%, they might get classified in “confusion”, and so isn’t fully accurate. There is a theorist, James Marcia, who furthered Erikson's theory, and noticed that there was more to it than just "Identity" and …show more content…

Where as Erikson's has the age ranges, they achieve one or the other outcomes. So Erikson's might be harder to apply as it is age specific, and once a child has reached an outcome, you cant change it, and so it influences their lifestyles. To contradict this, a young person might not reach "Identity" before they turn 19. They might start to think they're LGBT+ in their 20's, but they still wont get "Identity", even though they have started to figure out their identity as they are out of the age range. Also, Erikson's theory was aimed towards the infancy and childhood stage, and doesn't take into much consideration of the affects into adulthood, so it can become unclear towards the later years of a lifespan. Marcia's theory will be able to influence practice easier, as there are no age ranges to be following, and instead, as a practitioner, we can provide support to reach "identity

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