Long Island University, C. W. Post
September , 2010
I believe James Marcia’s identity development stages present an interesting look at the experiences an adolescent goes through and process by which one gets to know who they are. The stage that I would most associate myself with during my middle and high school years is the identity diffusion phase. This segment of Marcia’s work represents someone who is a social chameleon and constantly changes their personality to fit in with the clique they are hanging out with.
When I was an adolescent, there were a variety of social roles that I fit into: I was an “athlete” who played baseball and football and I was a “smart kid” who took many AP classes. This situation was an awkward and confusing period for me, because I would truly act differently when I was around these two distinct groups. It was like two different worlds I was living in and I would literally speak and operate differently while I was in them. In the athletic world, I would conceal my intelligence in order to fit in, while in the academic field I would work hard to prove I was not some dumb jock. The difficulty came when these two lives intersected, my coaches did not approve of me missing practices for extra help or being late for a game when I had an AP test and my teachers did not see getting home late as an excuse to not complete assignments on time or studying for tests. I had to work very hard to overcome these challenges and excel in both arenas.
In my senior year, I made the decision to focus mainly on schoolwork and only play baseball in the spring. It was a difficult choice to not play football, a sport that I loved, but I knew it was in the best interest of my future to emphasize academics and the college application process.
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