VARIABLES: Identity, Role, Commitment, Exploration
DOMAINS: Education, Psychology, Games
Contributors: C. Araki
School of Information Studies
Syracuse University
DEVELOPERS
Erik Erikson
BACKGROUND
"Moratorium is the status of a person who is actively involved in exploring different identities, but has not made a commitment." (source)
Moratorium: a legally authorized period of delay in the performance of a legal obligation or the payment of a debt; a waiting period set by an authority; a suspension of activity (“Moratorium”)
A psychosocial moratorium is when a person takes a break from “real life” to actively search for their identity. The developer, Erik Erikson, noted that it is a period of time “during which the individual through free role experimentation may find a niche in some section of his society, a niche which is firmly defined and yet seems to be uniquely made for him” (Erikson, 1956). During a psychosocial moratorium, a person has the opportunity to try on multiple identities and/or roles before firmly committing to one. They also finalize their sense of ethics and morals in this stage. Erikson intended for it to be the final stage of identity development, which takes place in late adolescence. People going through a psychosocial moratorium are said to be having an “identity crisis.” Erikson postulated that identity development facilitated personal functioning and well-being. If a person does not make a commitment to an identity or role after taking a moratorium, or if they don’t have a chance to take a moratorium, the person has a high risk for developing confusion about their identity and their role in society. (Erikson, 1956; Erikson, 1988)
REFERENCES ~ Coding Spreadsheet - Web View