Psychological Moratorium

An integral part of the identity crisis is the psychological moratorium, a time
during which society permits the individual to work on crisis resolution.
During this moratorium, the adolescent/young adult has the opportunity to
examine societal roles, career possibilities, and values, free from the expectation
of commitments and long-term responsibilities. Although some individuals
choose to remain in a moratorium indefinitely, Erikson contends
that there is an absolute end to the recognizable moratorium. At its completion,
the adolescent/young adult should have attained the necessary restructuring
of self and identifications so that he or she can find a place in society
which fits this identity.

Based on Erikson’s writings, Cote and Levine identify two types of institutionalized
moratoria: the technological moratorium, which is highly structured,
and the humanistic moratorium, which is less highly structured. The
technological moratorium is the product of the educational system, which is
charged by society with socializing youth to fit in adult society. Individuals in
this moratorium option experience less difficulty in resolving the identity
crisis because they move into occupations and societal roles for which they
have been prepared with significantly less intrapsychic trauma in accepting
an ideology. The school takes an active role in easing this transition by providing
vocational and academic counseling for students, facilitating scheduling
so that students can gain work experience while enrolled in school,
and encouraging early decision making as to a future career.

The identity crisis for individuals in the humanistic moratorium is more
stressful and painful and of longer duration than for those in the technological moratorium. The focal concern of the adolescent/young adult in the
humanistic moratorium is humanistic values, which are largely missing from
the technological moratorium. There is more variability in this concern for
humanistic values, which is reflected in the moratorium that is chosen and
the commitments that are made. These conditions elicit an alternation between
progressive and regressive states, with the individual making commitments
at one time and disengaging at another. The character Holden Caulfield
in J. D. Salinger’s classic novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951) is an
example of this type of identity problem. More extreme identity confusion is
found among individuals in this moratorium. According to Cote and Levine,
social support is often lacking, which hinders formation of a stable
identity. Family and community support is especially important for these individuals.
Yet these are the adolescents/young adults who, because their lifestyle
departs from the societal mold, are often ostracized and denied support.
Individuals may promote a cause of some type. Those who choose a
humanistic moratorium are more likely to be intellectual, artistic, antiestablishment,
and ideologically nonconforming. After a time, some of these individuals
accept technological values and roles.

Individuals whose identity seeking is not influenced by technological or
humanistic moratoria face a rather different situation. Some remain in a
constant state of flux, in which choices are avoided and commitments are
lacking. Others take on a negative identity by accepting a deviant lifestyle
and value system (for example, delinquency or gang membership). In this
instance, the negative elements of an identity outweigh the positive elements.
This type of identity crisis resolution occurs in an environment which
precludes normative identity development (for example, excessively demanding
parents, absence of an adequate role model).