My Identity Research Paper

As I reflect on life, my identity status has changed a few times. During the beginning of my adolescent years, my identity could be described as foreclosed. I initially thought pursing a career in vocal performance would be ideal, as my choir director stated this would be very successful. He pushed this direction and I did not want to disappoint him so I thought this might be best. When I auditioned for a vocal scholarship and was not chosen, I immediately changed my direction and began to pursue a career in law because I was doing well in my business law class. Upon graduation from high school, I was determined to be an intellectual properties attorney. After being in college for three semesters and taking business courses, I realized I was going in a direction that was very uninteresting to me. At that time, I was also working at a bank and found the work to be very boring. I was working full time and taking 18 hours in school and felt my life was mundane and …show more content…
I classify this period of my life as an identity moratorium. I realized the two classes I particularly enjoyed in college were Abnormal Psychology and Criminal Justice, so I began pursing positions in the field of human services. Through researching, I became excited when I learned there was a career helping individuals with disabilities find employment. In watching my mom struggle to hold a job, I realized this was an area of great need. I began working for The Arc of the Ozarks in 1998 and returned to school to pursue a degree in Social Work. I set and achieved personal and professional goals and consider this to be an era of identity achievement. I received several promotions, was given many opportunities to develop my leadership skills, and felt I had found my niche. I got married and decided instead of continuing to pursue my degree, I would focus on my position and my