A psychosocial moratorium is when a person takes a break from real life to actively search for their identity. It is a period of active searching for one's occupational, religious, ethnic or other form of identity. While this period may feel confusing and difficult to endure, many psychologists believe that an individual must go through a moratorium before he or she can form a true sense of identity. Erik Erikson, noted that it is a period of time “during which the individual defined and yet seems to be uniquely made for him” (Erikson, 1956). Erikson, like Freud, was largely concerned with how personality and behavior is influenced after birth - not before birth - and especially during childhood. The basic premise associated with Erikson's
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In the process the adolescent over identifies with and idolizes his heroes to the extent that he yields his own identity and presumes he has theirs. Without the direction and support of parents, teachers and other positive, realistic mentors, teens would have little to base a realistic view of life on. Some children and teens see these images of celebrity on T.V. and are heavily influenced, due to the fact that they have no real role model in their life. Many times these teens and children expect things to just be handed to them and expect that life is easy because of how it is portrayed in the media. Already working their way through a very confusing time in life, having influences that are less than realistic can be misguided and dangerous. Teens believing what they see and hear on T.V. can find themselves engaging in behaviors that are less than safe. Youth who admire celebrities who don’t give in to pressures such drugs and poor behavior, or choose someone who gives to charity, dresses appropriately, is on television or the news because of her good deeds, then the influence on your child is probably positive. However, negative impacts are pretty likely, too. In fact, some teens are more likely to listen to the words of their favorite celebrities than their own parents. This is why it is of such great importance that we as parents and teachers stay involved and try to be the solid foundation on which these teens and children can begin to build a life. Teachers and parents can instill the value of hard work, encourage intellectual curiosity and help shape a teen’s social development in a positive manner. The repeated support and praise teachers provide can also enhance a teen’s confidence and push him to reach his full potential. To leave a child to his own devices when deciding who to look up to is a risky
In the process the adolescent over identifies with and idolizes his heroes to the extent that he yields his own identity and presumes he has theirs. Without the direction and support of parents, teachers and other positive, realistic mentors, teens would have little to base a realistic view of life on. Some children and teens see these images of celebrity on T.V. and are heavily influenced, due to the fact that they have no real role model in their life. Many times these teens and children expect things to just be handed to them and expect that life is easy because of how it is portrayed in the media. Already working their way through a very confusing time in life, having influences that are less than realistic can be misguided and dangerous. Teens believing what they see and hear on T.V. can find themselves engaging in behaviors that are less than safe. Youth who admire celebrities who don’t give in to pressures such drugs and poor behavior, or choose someone who gives to charity, dresses appropriately, is on television or the news because of her good deeds, then the influence on your child is probably positive. However, negative impacts are pretty likely, too. In fact, some teens are more likely to listen to the words of their favorite celebrities than their own parents. This is why it is of such great importance that we as parents and teachers stay involved and try to be the solid foundation on which these teens and children can begin to build a life. Teachers and parents can instill the value of hard work, encourage intellectual curiosity and help shape a teen’s social development in a positive manner. The repeated support and praise teachers provide can also enhance a teen’s confidence and push him to reach his full potential. To leave a child to his own devices when deciding who to look up to is a risky