Please help me Respond to the post below regarding their thoughts on ethnic identity development. Do you agree with their thoughts about the theories in use? Why or why not? please use 7th edition a p a format. please add references that you used.
Erickson’s theory of identity formation is one of the central tasks of adolescents. He believes in identity development, men have to attain a stable identity before being intimate, whereas a woman’s identity is defined through their roles of wives and mothers (Appleby, 2010). The identity that is discovered in adolescence will continue to develop across their lifespan and their sense of self and their evaluation of life accomplishments when reaching adulthood. Erickson also believed that identity is compromised by the internal process of discovering their inner self and external processes when deciding societal roles. Erickson stated each of his 8 stages have a unique role and the process of achieving these stages involves a crisis that can help mobilize potentials (2010).
-James Marica, like Erickson, believes that for an individual to develop into their full identity, they must experience some crisis to guide them to their desired endeavors. Contrary to Erickson, Marcia believed identity is an internal organization of drives, beliefs and history. Marica also did not have different stages of development that each adolescent must go through, he has 4 categories of statuses that an adolescent could be in when going through a crisis (2010) .
-Phinney, on the other hand, believed that there are three primary aspects of ethnicity. She believed that ethnicity as an identity involves strengths of identification with an individual’s ethnic group. She believes the concept of ethnic identity is a developmental process made up of many components such as self-labeling, sense of belonging, positive evaluation of ethnic group, preference for group, ethnic interest and knowledge and involvement in activities associated with the group(2010).
Which theory or theories do you find most useful in helping to understand how ethnic identity development occurs. How do these theories apply to a client who is multi-racial? How will this understanding of ethnic identity development help you in your own practice?
– I do feel that Phinney’s theory is the most helpful in understanding how ethnic identity develops. I feel it truly encompasses the different factors of fully accepting one’s ethnic identity and also how it may be difficult at times to fully accept one’s ethnicity. This may apply to a client who is multi-racial This will allow me to become self-aware and utilize cultural competence when working with someone who may be multi-racial. It’s important to know, as an agent of change, the backgrounds of our clients and how that may affect their day to day lives. These theories can allow us to understand more of people’s backgrounds and how it has affected their development and life decisions thus far.
References:
Appleby, G. A., Colon, E., & Hamilton, J. (2010). Diversity, Oppression, and Social Functioning: Person-In-Environment Assessment and Intervention (3rd ed.). Pearson Learning Solutions. https://capella.vitalsource.com/books/9781323264515