Adolescent Identity Development: An Erikson & Piaget Case Study

Introduction: Renegade's Adolescent Environment

The subject interviewed is a 17-year-old Hispanic male from Cleveland, Ohio. Although his legal name has been withheld, this adolescent chooses to call himself "Renegade." Renegade lives in a loft with 12 other boys ranging in age from 15 to 27, located above a rare bookstore in a historic and impoverished section of the city. Renegade was either orphaned or abandoned at a young age and spent many years moving between foster homes and group homes as a ward of the state of California. Since leaving the care of the state, he was able to uncover many details about his past that had been officially sealed regarding his biological family.

Renegade was not given any information about his ethnic background as a child, but his mocha-colored skin and dark, striking hair clearly set him apart as an ethnic minority. There were Latino and Mexican boys in most of the group homes he spent time in as a child, but his skin tone was noticeably different from theirs, as were his facial structure and body build. This led Renegade to believe that his ethnicity must differ from that of his peers. Influenced by a deep fascination with a local bookstore owner, he concluded that he must be of Native American descent.

At the age of 15, he walked out of an abusive foster home in search of his heritage. With the assistance of his "pack" — the group of homeless punks on the streets of San Francisco who took him in — he managed to uncover information about his biological family. Although the whereabouts of his mother remain unknown, Renegade discovered that he has no traceable Native American heritage and is instead of Hispanic origins. Surprised by this revelation and now facing a decision about the direction of his life, Renegade finds himself in a rather unusual adolescent environment.

Renegade revealed himself as a sexually charged adolescent. While his body appears largely developed into its mature form, his physical reactions are more akin to those seen in younger teenagers just on the brink of puberty. A youthfulness surrounds him physically and emotionally, making one wonder whether he could be a physically advanced twelve or thirteen-year-old. When asked to name the best and worst aspects of being seventeen, his answer was the same for both: "Sex."

Sexual Identity and Emotional Isolation

Renegade quickly realized after leaving the structure of his last foster home that he was of an alternative sexual orientation. Of all the places to arrive at such a realization, the streets of San Francisco are not entirely poor ones. He found a supportive group of peers relatively quickly, yet still struggled. "I felt isolated. No matter how many really great friends I had, no matter how much support there was — I felt separated and alone." Renegade had a series of sexual relationships during his first summer away from home that ranged from the exciting and fun to deeply painful experiences. Realizing that he needed to understand himself before he could truly connect with others, he decided it was vital to discover more about his past. "I had my tribe on the streets. But until I knew what Indian tribe I was from, I didn't think I could be a part of it completely."

Looking at Renegade's situation through the lens of Erikson's developmental theory, it is easy to understand why he felt this way. According to Erikson, there are eight distinct developmental stages through which each person must pass throughout the course of his or her life (Aranel et al., 2005). These stages progress from infancy through several childhood phases, then through the adolescent, young adult, middle-aged adult, and older adult stages.

Erikson's Psychosocial Stages and Delayed Development

Renegade, as a 15-year-old who first entered life on the streets, should have been squarely in the adolescent stage of development. The psychosocial crisis of this stage is ego identity versus role confusion. The significant relations of this stage are peer groups and role models, and its psychosocial modalities are to be oneself and to share oneself. The psychosocial virtues are fidelity and loyalty, while the maladaptations are fanaticism and repudiation (Karp, 2004).

However, instead of being able to devote himself fully to the normal adolescent stage, parts of Renegade's psychosocial self were still working through the infant crisis of trust versus mistrust — likely due to the failed relationship with his mother. He had never been able to develop fully through the toddler crisis of autonomy versus shame and doubt, the preschool crisis of initiative versus guilt, or the school-age crisis of industry versus inferiority. Renegade felt withdrawn and stalled in many ways. He held high hopes that confronting the unresolved questions from his past would help guide his future. According to developmental theorists like Erikson, Renegade was on the right track.