Educational Psychology / Unit 3 EDP 0250 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Classifying Identity Status
The idea
To classify a student's identity status, ask two questions in order. Has the student explored alternatives, genuinely considering options? Has the student committed to one? No exploration and no commitment is identity diffusion. Commitment without exploration is foreclosure, often adopted from parents' expectations or out of anxiety. Exploration without commitment yet is moratorium. Exploration followed by commitment is identity achievement. The answer comes from the student's history of choosing, not from how certain the student sounds.
In practice
Worked example: a student is sure he will be a dentist like his father and sees no reason to consider anything else. Commitment without exploration: foreclosure.
Where people slip
Certainty is not achievement: a foreclosed student can sound more settled than one who has explored. Statuses are also domain-specific, so a student can be foreclosed on religion and in moratorium on career at the same time.
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