On Monday, Jacques announces to his parents that he wants to be called "Jack." On Wednesday, he says he wants to drop out of school. On Friday, he says he wants to get a tattoo and become an architect. Erikson would say that Jacques is experiencing __________.
A) a crisis of trust versus mistrust
B) a crisis of competence versus inferiority
C) identity confusion
D) a crisis of generativity versus stagnation

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Jacques' inconsistent and impulsive behaviors indicate a struggle with forming a stable sense of identity, which is the hallmark of identity confusion according to Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. The other options do not fit as well with Jacques' behaviors - trust versus mistrust pertains to early infancy, competence versus inferiority pertains to middle childhood, and generativity versus stagnation pertains to middle adulthood.

On Monday, Jacques Announces to His Parents That He Wants