YOUTH: WHO'S ME
Caught in a whirlpool of conflicting forces. In both internal and external an era wherein the self and society frequently appear to be antagonists, youth must develop life-styles of sufficient strength to enhance their chances of attaining personal goals. The major task facing youth is self- identity, or ego-identification; answering question. 'who am I?' All other takes come after.
One factor underlies the entire process of ego-identification: an individual develops through the continuous interaction between a growing, changing biological organism and its physical. Psychological and sociocultural environment. Developmental adaptation continues throughout life, with many people never really answering the question 'Who am I?' since adolescence is also the period of rapid biological and psychosocial change, the problem of adaptation throughout this period is complex. No wonder youth is so frequently unpredictable.
"Hiatus status" is a term frequently applied in literature to a condition of youth in general, and of college students in particular . It denotes the existence of a twilight zone, a state in which the individual is neither here not there, but in a state of suspend animation, caught in a pointless existence, bewildered and rootless. Depending to some extent upon financial and living conditions, the fresh college student may experience for the first time a real feeling of independence from the family. Clearly the human relationship is changed and the young person's first day on campus is a landmark in the developmental process. Whereas a few months earlier the student might have experienced a conservative life styles, in the college he is presented with numerous opportunities, real or imagined, to get engaged in virtually any activity, ranging from sex to religion, from drug-taking to starvation, from athletics to pure intellectualism.
College students tend to depend more and more on their companions, and parental relationships begin to change. Comrade influence increases, as such students progress from the first year through the senior year. various contacts create occasional conflicts and simultaneously pull the unsuspecting individual in different directions. Cast in an environment in which 'others' always seem to have the answers, appear to be more experienced, more knowledgeable and more confident, the students seek comfort in any number of behaviours, ranging from complete withdrawal to overzealous participation.
Caught in the cross pull of forces, the college student faces the classic tasks of growth ego-identity, sex-role identity, independence and vocational choice-in a setting where the family, college, peer pal group, and other associates continue to expect certain behaviours with or without consideration for the individual student.
Although the problem of self-identity is likely to be most critical during adolescence, it neither begins nor ends there. The less democractic a society, the easier the task of self identity. The dilemma in our society is the range of choices available to us. The greater one's awareness of the alternatives, the greater the insecurity in the decision, the more fragile one's ego-identification with respect to that choice.
Self-identity is a life-long search. Decisions affecting career commitments and interpersonal involvements are made daily. Yet the problem of ego-identification seems to be the most acute in youth. When the individual is confronted with what is virtually a physical, psychological revolution within himself, he must also consider how he is going to deal with the varied intellctual, social and vocational demands of adulthood that lie directly a head.
To extent that the individual is able to complete the task at each stage successfully, that person moves on to complete the task with increased self confidence. successful dealings with earlier stages, however make the resolution of later tasks easier. The evolution of self-identity is not an all-or-nothing phenomenon. some persons achieve it relatively early in life, some later in life, and others not at all.
The patterns of identity formation vary widely and may be influenced by many forces positive or negative, including social change itself. Premature and frequently unstable, identities may be formed by persons trying to avoid the anxiety of seeking an identity, such as the youngster who identifies as the teacher's pet. His sense of identity can become permanently fixed on being nothing but a good little worker or a good little helper, which may or may not be all that he could be. Some people never really achieve a self-identity. They wander aimlessly year to year, always in a hurry, getting now where.
One's self-identity once established is not completely fixed though change is more apparent than real. The inner core remains relatively constant, and it may or may not affect the character. People do not change much with age. A stubborn fool is usually the same old stubborn fool twenty years later.
Situation obviously plays a major role in altering images. Many young people seek self-identity through 'mind-expanding' experiences, including the use of drugs. Some people never achieve self identity. Perhaps most people never achieve identity entirely, but many don't even come close. They are life long adolescents who "cannot find themselves, who keep themselves, loose and unattached, committed to a bachelorhood of pre-identity." There is a natural period of uprootedness in human life: adolescence. The young person in the middle of vigorous emotion must let go of his safe hold on childhood and reach out for a firm grasp on adulthood.
Young people are often heard to say, "I am going to burn around for a year or so and you know, try to put it all together; get a grip on myself." Unfortunately, unless that person has sufficient material for the synthesis of self-identity, it is more likely that the period will just decay the resolution of any current confusion.
Perhaps it is unfortunate that we have so loudly proclaimed adolescence as the most critical stage in identity-seeking. Would some of our youth act as openly confused and confusing if they were supposed to have an identity crisis? Inadvertently, we have given the adolescent licence to behave in joyous, random, abandoned, disorder, and frequently we see him take full advantage of that licence! Occasionally, in their confusion, young people do or say things quite different from what they intend. Youth are not sinning; they are sinned by the circumstances prevailing at home as well. as in the college.
Young people seek independence via communes, drugs, promiscuity, travel or simply dropping out find that freely chosen, non directive behaviour is frustrating. shortsighted and brief. Even if virtually every other criterion for freedom is met, most of us depend on others for social support.
Total independence is, of course, impossible. Absolute freedom destroys freedom. We do seek a level of independence, a degree of freedom compatible with our entire bioecosystem. We want to feel capable of controlling our own destinies within the general limitations of our personal, ecological and sociocultural surroundings. Without the achievement of some autonomy, the adolescent can hardly be expected to develop mature relationships, pursue self directed vocational interests, or develop a true sense of worth. Ego identity is possible without independence, but in its absence, the evolution of a positive self image that will stand up under pressure over time is doubtful.
