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Adolescence MODULE 11 189of who you are is a lot easier if you%u2019re already trusting, autonomous, full of initiative, and industrious. Erikson believed that adolescents who had not achieved the developmental goals of their younger years could experience profound confusion about their place in the world. But even if developmental goals do not come easily, they are always within reach. Most of us hit some rough patches before the pieces settle into place in our late teens or twenties.Adolescence, Optimism, and Positive PsychologyErik Erikson and contemporary researchers like Martin Seligman and Hayami Kogo teach us that optimism is an important characteristic of adolescent identity.40 But how do you measure optimism? And does optimism really provide benefits? According to research done by positive psychologists, optimism truly is an important ingredient for happy, productive lives. Before we take a look at some of the benefits of optimism, answer this brief survey to see how you measure up on optimism.Life Orientation Test: How Optimistic Are You?Respond to each statement using the following scale:0%u2014strongly disagree; 1%u2014disagree; 2%u2014neutral; 3%u2014agree; 4%u2014strongly agree1. In uncertain times, I usually expect the best.2. If something can go wrong for me, it will.3. I%u2019m always optimistic about my future.4. I hardly ever expect things to go my way.5. I rarely count on good things happening to me.6. Overall, I expect more good things to happen to me than bad.To score yourself, first reverse the scores you gave for statements 2, 4, and 5. That is, for each of these items, change 0 to 4, 1 to 3, 3 to 1, and 4 to 0 (a 2 remains a 2). Leave the scores for the rest of the statements unchanged. Then add up the scores for all the items to obtain a final score. Final scores range from 0 to 24, with higher scores reflecting greater optimism. The average (mean) score is between 14 and 15.41Rubberball/Mike Kemp/Getty Images VH-studio/Shutterstock.com Westend61/Getty ImagesWho Am I?As adolescents search for a strong sense of identity, they may experiment with a variety of different looks.pixelrain/Shutterstock%u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.