IDENTITY CRISES IN ADOLESCENCE
“Nobody understands me, I don't enjoy anything, I constantly make mistakes, I hate myself, nobody knows what I am going through” summarizes the identity crisis of adolescents.

Identity is the use and development of the self to understand and make sense of one's perceptions of oneself. Different identities are created by society, people, beliefs, values, goals and roles. The adolescent period includes adolescents making physical, social and psychological transitions. They evaluate the characteristics they want to have in adulthood and in their future life and try to create an identity as a result of their own analysis. The more obvious the difference between the person they want to be and the person they are, the more problems arise. The problems that occur in the process of identity formation are called 'identity crisis'.
Adolescents' uncertainty about how they want to be, uncertainty about which of the behaviors of childhood and adulthood to choose, the desire to experience different lives, conflicts in parental and friend relationships, anxiety about the future and questioning everything can result in seeing themselves as inadequate. Adolescents who have an identity crisis fall into emptiness, do not know what to do, cannot find their interests and cannot maintain continuity.
The reasons for identity crisis are seen as pressures created by parents, psychological problems, stressful events, traumatic experiences, losses and health problems. The identity crisis in adolescence affects everyone around the child. Parents worry about their child's changing behavior. They look for the way they were before puberty and are constantly in conflict with them.
In order for identity formation to occur in a healthy way, parents should try to contribute to the search for a new identity by keeping calm against changing attitudes. They should not react harshly to children who exhibit behavior that does not suit them and want to experience it. Identity crisis can manifest itself as problems in psychological, social and academic areas during adolescence. Psychological symptoms such as low self-esteem, depression and anxiety are common. Academic failure, uncertainty in career choice and relationship problems are also common. CBT, group therapy, psychodynamic therapy and art therapy are involved in the solution of identity crisis. A healthy process of identity search can support self-discovery and acceptance.
The identity crisis in adolescence contributes greatly to the development of adolescents. Understanding and supporting the feelings of worthlessness, helplessness, indifference, exhaustion and exhaustion experienced during the identity crisis constitutes a turning point for the individual. Enabling the individual to discover himself/herself, reminding him/her of the things he/she likes and is interested in, and emphasizing that his/her self is important will contribute positively to his/her adult life.
REFERANCE:
Demir, H. K., Dereboy, F. ve Dereboy, Ç. (2009). Gençlerde Kimlik Bocalaması ve Psikopatoloji. Turk Psikiyatri Dergisi, 20(3), 227-235.
Özgüngör, S. ve Kapıkıran, N. A. (2016). Erikson’un psikososyal gelişim dönemleri ölçeklerinin Türk kültürüne uygunluğunun karşılaştırmalı olarak incelenmesi: ön bulgular. Türk Psikolojik Danışma ve Rehberlik Dergisi, 4(36), 114-126.
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