James Marcia’s Identity Development Statuses: Implications for Career Counselors in Louisiana Dwayne Jacobs, MS Doctoral Student University of New Orleans Louisiana Career Development Association Spring 2013 Annual Conference

Presentation Description Louisiana’s Career Options Law has significant influence on the career development of its workforce. Louisiana career counselors’ awareness of James Marcia’s Identity Development Statuses could improve career development facilitation.

Erik Erikson’s “Identity vs. Role Confusion” Erik Erikson developed a model of human development that spans from infancy to late adulthood. His model consists of eight stages, each presenting the individual with a new challenge to be mastered, and building on the completion of the previous stage. In the stage “identity versus role confusion”, the primary task is the individual reaching identity achievement. (Erikson, 1950)

Erik Erikson’s “Identity vs. Role Confusion” Erikson stated that individuals in this stage experience a necessity to establish who one is and one’s place in the larger social order. He believed that individuals that have not successfully progressed through this stage might experience difficulties choosing and maintaining an occupational identity. (Erikson, 1950)

James Marcia’s “Identity Development Statuses” Later, James Marcia would build on Erikson’s theory of ‘identity achievement’ by identifying four distinct identity statuses as part of identity development. He states that an individual who has reached ‘identity achievement’ has experienced a crisis and has made a commitment to one identity. Marcia (1966) states: “Crisis refers to the adolescent’s period of engagement in choosing among meaningful alternatives; commitment refers to the degree of personal investment the individual exhibits.” (Marcia, 1966)

James Marcia’s “Identity Development Statuses” Identity foreclosure status is when an individual has committed to an identity absent of identity exploration (may result from parental expectations or those of other social authorities). Identity diffusion status is when an individual has neither experienced a period of identity exploration nor made an identity commitment (may experience non-discriminatory changes in occupational choice). The identity moratorium status can be described as a period in which an individual is actively exploring different identities, but has not made a commitment to one. (Marcia, 1966)

Pilot Study While the primary research involves exploring the identity moratorium status; this pilot test explored the identity statuses foreclosure and diffusion in an attempt to create backdrop for the primary research. The researcher sought to examine participant responses through the perspective of Erikson’s assertion that individuals that have not successfully progressed through the stage of “identity versus role-confusion” might experience difficulties choosing and maintaining an occupational identity. (Erikson, 1950)

Conceptual Model Identity Foreclosure Absence of an Identity Exploration Commitment to an Identity Identity Diffusion Absence of an Identity Commitment Individuals in identity statuses foreclosure or diffusion during their transition period from high-school to college may experience difficulties choosing and or maintaining an occupational identity.

Data Collection Stratified Purposeful Sampling Foreclosure and Diffusion Statuses Three Individuals w/Characteristics Semi-Structured Interviews Two In-Person Interviews One Phone Interview Interview Notes Audio Recordings

Pilot Results All interviews exhibited experiences of difficulties choosing or maintaining an occupational identity as described by Erikson: "It wasn't really until after I graduated from college and started working as a lawyer that I wasn't very happy working as a lawyer.” “Well my first thought, I wanted to be a veterinarian. And so I went off to college for my first year of prerequisites; did not like it.”

Pilot Results The foreclosure interview exhibited experiences of the social influence described by Marcia: “I enrolled in college after high school because it had always been the expectation of my family that I would attend college.”

Pilot Results The diffusion interviews exhibited experiences of non- discriminatory changes in occupational choices as described by Marcia: “I didn’t have an idea of what I really wanted to do, so business administration I figured any business I could get into.”

Pilot Results All interviews exhibited experiences of a time period of a year or more after high school graduation before experiencing assurance about occupational choice: “Whereas if I had postponed college a year and a half, two years, or been a little more mature…I would have been fine.” 

Louisiana’s Career Options Law Beginning in the 1998-1999 school year, by the end of the eighth grade, each student shall develop, with the input of his/her family, a Five Year Educational Plan. Such a plan shall include a sequence of courses which is consistent with the student's stated goals for one year after graduation. Each student's Five Year Educational Plan shall be reviewed annually thereafter by the student, parents, and school advisor and revised as needed. (Act 1124, 1997)

Louisiana’s Career Options Law By the end of the eighth grade, each student shall develop, with the input of his/her family, an Individual Graduation Plan (IGP). The purposes of the IGP document and related activities are: Explore educational and career possibilities Make appropriate secondary/postsecondary decisions as part of an overall career plan Plan based on the student’s talents and interests Consider graduation requirements relevant to the student’s chosen area of concentration and postsecondary entrance requirements (Act 257, 2009)

Implications for Louisiana Career Counselors Individuals who were in identity foreclosure status at the time of their career choice, may have committed to a career based on parental expectations or those of other social authorities. Individuals who were in identity diffusion status experienced non-discriminatory changes in career.

Considerations for Louisiana Career Counselors Explore with the client the rationale and or reasoning behind previous career choices. Explore with the client the experiences of past careers as they relate to interest and aptitude. Ensure utilization of mental assessments (mental-measurement yrbk). Encourage individuals to explore different career options. Explain to clients the rationale for making such recommendations.

References State of Louisiana, Act 1124 (1997). Retrieved April 15, 2013, from www.doe.state.la.us/lde/uploads/11667.doc State of Louisiana, Act 257 (2009). Retrieved April 15, 2013, from www.vrml.k12.la.us/khs/olddefaults/core4-basic-core-req.pdf Creswell, J.W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd Edition). California: Sage Erikson, E. (1950). Childhood and society. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. Marcia, J.E. (1966). Development and validation of ego-identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3 (5). 551-558.