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188 PILLAR 2 Development and LearningDeveloping Identity During adolescence and into your early twenties, your primary task is to develop an identity, a strong, consistent sense of who and what you are. According to Erikson, the adolescent%u2019s task is to solidify this sense of self by testing and integrating various roles. As you try on different ways of thinking and behaving (What do I value in life? What are my priorities? Why did I act that way?), your goal is to generate an ever-stronger sense of self. The search for identity during adolescence has several characteristics: %u2022 Experimentation. Adolescents often experiment in healthy ways: exploring and taking advantage of a variety of school opportunities, observing various adult role models, or imagining life in a variety of careers. (What would it be like to be a physician? An artist? What about a schoolteacher, a nurse, or a software developer?) As adolescents sort out what is and isn%u2019t appealing, experimentation can become less healthy and productive, such as involvement with drugs or risky sexual behavior. %u2022 Rebellion. Healthy development includes building some independence. Most parents have an image of what their children should become, and most children maintain the same core values as their parents. Nevertheless, the search for identity during adolescence may involve testing the limits parents set or adopting styles of fashion and grooming that adults may not accept or understand. But the drive for independence becomes unhealthy when rebelling against society%u2019s standards takes the form of criminal or selfdestructive behavior. Healthy adolescents exercise their independence in ways that do not harm themselves or others. %u2022 %u201c Self%u201d-ishness. Relationships during adolescence tend to be %u201cself%u201d-ish. Teens increasingly learn about their unique selves as they move in and out of friendship cliques and romances. Each new relationship is a chance to try different ways of interacting. Teen friendships are genuine and important, but they tend to fade as we grow older. Time takes its toll on friendship, and so does distance. Those of us who remain in our home towns may remain closer to our high school friends than those who move away after high school. I graduated from high school with about 100 good friends in my hometown of Broken Bow, Nebraska, but I keep in touch with only a few of them now. As I%u2019ve grown older, most of these friendships gradually and naturally gave way to others that have lasted longer. %u2022 Optimism and energy. Most teenagers, armed with their new and more powerful cognitive skills, view the world with a fresh (and refreshing) perspective. They have trouble understanding why some children go to bed hungry and why adults tolerate pollution, discrimination, racism, or other injustices. Many adolescents are willing to tackle serious issues related to human rights, environmental concerns, political campaigns, and other causes. This willingness to contribute time and effort not only helps make the world a better place, but also helps teens develop a strong sense of their own priorities. (For more on the benefits of optimism, see Adolescence, Optimism, and Positive Psychology.) Some adolescents realize a strong sense of identity with little or no struggle. A few may remain confused throughout their lives. Meeting this psychosocial challenge is especially difficult for those individuals who have struggled with the developmental tasks of previous stages. As you might imagine, achieving a sense identity One%u2019s sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent%u2019s task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles. It will be interesting to see if technology makes it easier for your generation to maintain high school relationships than it was for me and my high school friends, who had to rely on letters, expensive longdistance phone calls, and pokey dial-up e-mails to stay in touch with our hometown friends. %u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.