ABSTRACT
The physical and hormonal changes that come with adolescence essentially demand that young people take a long, intense look in the mirror and ask, “Who am I?” In addition to changes in the way they look and feel, teenagers develop increased cognitive abilities that allow them to see and understand the world in new ways, capabilities that may ultimately compel them to ask, “Where do I belong?” Answers to such questions provide the opportunity for young people to develop a new sense of identity that can be quite different from the self they knew in childhood. Although it continually changes over the life span, identity is likely to undergo a particularly rigorous “renovation” during adolescence. Indeed, according to Erikson (1968), developing a clear idea of who one is and how one fits into the culture of a particular time and place is the chief developmental task of adolescence. Without that development, youth may fail to achieve their potential as they move into adulthood. Or if the task is accomplished in socially unacceptable ways, adolescents may develop a negative, rather than a positive, identity. Either outcome represents a loss to the community, as well as to the individual.
