Conditions for Identity Crisis

From Erikson’s perspective, as discussed in a 1987 article by James Cote and
Charles Levine, four conditions are necessary for an identity crisis: Puberty
has been reached; the requisite cognitive development is present; physical
growth is nearing adult stature; and societal influences are guiding the person
toward an integration and resynthesis of identity. The dialectics of society
and personality, implicit in the last condition, are given the most attention
by Erikson, according to Cote and Levine, because the other three
conditions are part of normative development. Developmental levels of the
individual and societal pressures combine to elicit an identity crisis, but
Cote and Levine note that timing of this crisis is contingent on factors such
as ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and subculture, as well as personality
factors (for example, authoritarianism or neuroticism) and socialization
practices. The severity of the identity crisis is determined by the extent
to which one’s identity portrayal is interfered with by the uncertainty inherent
in moving toward self-definition and unexpected events.