During the phase of exploration in adolescents and young adults, one’s self concept and self esteem substantially change. Erik Erikson, developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst is recognized for his theory on psychosocial development divided in 8 stages of human development. Erikson claims that adolescents face a substantial psychological turmoil as they encounter an identity crisis (Feldman, 385). Identity vs. identity confusion stage is the phase of discovery and exploration. In this stage adolescents eventually make choices about their personal, occupational, sexual, and political commitments. Erikson’s claims that teenagers struggle in this stage because teenagers are making efforts to successfully choose …show more content…
My father had brain cancer and he was not able to make it for much time. During his last moments of his life, Maria, my father’s nurse, who ironically shared the same name as I, became my hero for being there during a nightmare that later became my reality. His death made me appreciate and respect a nurse’s job at a young age. Moreover, I have maintained a place in my heart for nurses since my childhood experience and through my adolescent years after my mother had an aneurism. Having the experience of caring for my mother was rewarding. Being useful for others is necessary, but being there physically, emotionally and psychologically is a choice that I chose to make. Having these experiences made me mentally stronger and built me up to be more confident about wanting to pursue a major in psychology and become a registered …show more content…
I am working on being better than I was yesterday, because the future can be overwhelming. Overall, I still identify myself in the moratorium category but still committed in my career. I am still very open-minded about subjects that are unfamiliar to me and things that are not what I consider normal. My goal is to travel outside of the country to gain more experience of what is out there. Erik Erikson is correct when stating that this is the age of exploration or commitment. Furthermore, Marcia’s theory of development also fit with my changes as an adolescent. My college experience and life experiences have led me to where I am now. I have learned the most from family and friends. Friends have impacted me the most because of their different views on life and knowledge in which I have yet to understand. Moreover, my boyfriend has influenced my spiritual journey helping me explore different religions around the world. These important people in my life combined with my adolescent experiences have led me to define my self-identity and become content with who I am