#21: Challenging the Perception of Identity: Kelly Landry

(Looking back on what I've written this feels almost more like a sophisticated journal entry so please disregard how unfocused this is.)

Identity- a challenge every single person faces at some point in their lives. As community, knowledge and security-craving individuals, our desire to definitively define who we and others are is extensive. I think it's the root of why we have concepts such as "teenage angst" and a "midlife crisis." The desire to label ourselves and others in order to understand and cope with life is ingrained in us. There is always some level of existential turbulence within everyone. According to Erik Erikson (a great name by the way) in his theory on psychosocial development there are eight stages of such development. All of the stages involve the discovery of identity. In stage 2 (autonomy vs doubt) toddlers try to learn how to independently take action or face doubting their own abilities (eating, walking, etc.), in stage 5 (identity vs confusion) adolescents work to refine their sense of self by testing and integrating different roles (occupation, politics, religion, etc.), and in stages 6-8 adults struggle with finding fulfillment and a sense of community and accomplishment. Finding our identity is a struggle we all face literally from birth, so why haven't we found a solution? Isn't there something that will fulfill this desire? I don't think it's as simple as that. Change is the really the only constant in  everyone's lives, so to have a definition that fits every aspect of our lives is impossible.