Adolescence and Erikson's Identity Stage: Counseling Challenges

Erikson's Fifth Stage: Identity vs. Role Confusion

According to the developmental theorist Erik Erikson, the fifth stage of human development is that of adolescence: identity versus role confusion. During this critical phase, adolescents must define who they are as people. They may wrestle with the pressures of academic success, personal priorities, and which peer groups to identify with in school. This period may include a substantial period of so-called acting out on the adolescent's part (Erikson's eight stages of development, 2018). Culturally speaking, within Western culture, there is often a great deal of leeway granted to adolescents during this period, and a certain amount of rebellion and acting out is considered normal.

Adolescents have their own distinct culture, music, and critical defining milestones — such as going to high school, attending prom, and leaving for college. Because of the need to define a separate identity and the social pressures of this stage, adolescents may be vulnerable to anxiety and depression. Erikson believed that if any stage's essential conflict remained unresolved, it would be impossible for the individual to move on to the next phase of development.

Social Pressures and Vulnerabilities in Adolescence

Given the extent to which critical choices regarding sexuality, career, and education occur during this phase, adolescence becomes particularly difficult to navigate. Some adolescents may struggle with defining an independent identity due to conflicts about sexuality, peer or parental pressure, or unresolved mental health issues that come to the forefront as the adolescent becomes more independent.

Adolescents may feel pressure to conform to certain peer group expectations — such as using drugs, neglecting schoolwork, or excelling in sports — while simultaneously facing parental pressures to focus on academics, postpone sexual activity, or conform to specific gendered norms. These competing forces can create significant internal conflict during an already turbulent developmental period. Research on adolescent mental health consistently highlights the importance of early intervention when these pressures become overwhelming.

Counseling Adolescents: Trust and Confidentiality

Because of the fraught nature of this period of life, many adolescents may benefit from counseling. Even experienced counselors, however, may face challenges when working with adolescent clients. One common concern is the question of how much the counselor can keep confidential from the adolescent's parents. Technically, minors do not have the same rights to confidentiality as adult clients. However, an honest and productive therapeutic relationship with a minor client requires a certain level of openness and trust. Individuals in this stage of life may have a heightened desire for privacy, which the therapist should accept as normal, particularly within our current cultural context (Brooks et al., 2011).

Adolescents from cultures where parents feel they have a right to greater influence over their children may experience heightened anxiety if they are struggling with their sexuality or engaging in prohibited — but not dangerous — behaviors. The therapist must weigh the adolescent's right to privacy against the parent's right to know what their child is doing, making this a deeply situational ethical judgment.