Tips/Suggestion for the Signature
Assignment: Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory
Current Identity
This document is intended to provide my tips and suggestions on how to successfully complete this
assignment.
1. This assignment is intended to be a self-reflective experience and an opportunity for you to
apply what you have learned in the course to your life/real-world situations.
2. You MUST understand course concepts before you can properly apply them to real life
situations. Make sure you take time to review all concepts outlined in the assignment
instructions.
3. You are not writing a formal paper. You ARE answering a set of questions.
a. Each question has multiple parts that need to be addressed AND supported with course
concepts and ideas.
b. Each response should be a minimum of a paragraph. Responses that are well supported
will likely have 10-12 sentences in the paragraph.
4. You need to use a scholarly voice. While some of the questions ask you to provide advice to a
younger and older self, try to maintain your scholarly voice.
5. Overall Paper Formatting: Times New Roman/Arial 12 point/1 inch margins/Double spaced
6. You do NOT need a Title Page
7. You NEED to have a Reference Page at the end.
a. References should start on a new page. Listed in alphabetical order using APA formatting.
b. Help with APA: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/
apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html
c. You should have internal citations (in-text citations) and then external citations (full
reference in your reference section).
d. I expect to see you citing your textbook and at least one outside SCHOLARLY source (Peer
Reviewed).
e. I do NOT want to see Very Well Minded, Positive Psychology, or Wikipedia. These are
great sources to get a better understanding, but should not be your primary source for
your assignment.
8. AI can be a helpful tool to better understand concepts and ideas. You are DISCOURAGED from
using AI to write your assignment even partially. This is considered plagiarism and you may be
assigned a zero for the assignment.
9. If you need help or have any questions, please ASK in class OR email me.
Signature Assignment: Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development: Current
Identity
OBJECTIVE: Students will reflect upon their own identity and will apply evidence from
their own lives as well as theoretical perspectives to provide meaningful advice to
themselves
In this course, you have explored the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes
that many individuals undergo as they develop throughout their lifespan. For your
signature assignment in the course, you will turn the lens of the psychological
perspectives to reflect upon your own growth.
This assignment will include four paragraphs, in which you should answer several
questions. Your answers should focus on your development as it relates to your
future career.
1. According to Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, individuals will face
an identity crisis. Marcia further proposes that progress through this crisis can be
described by four potential identity statuses: diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium,
and achievement (for more, see page 294 in Chapter 10 of your textbook). As it
pertains to your future career, which identity status do you currently believe
yourself to be in? Identify at least two examples of evidence from either your
behavior or your thought processes that support your identification.
2. According to Erikson, four crises or stages precede identity formation (for more,
see page 20 in Chapter 1 of your textbook) and can set the stage for success or
failure during identity versus identity confusion. Select one of the four preceding
crises. Explain your chosen crisis from an academic perspective, including
success or failure according to Erikson. Then, provide your younger self with
advice as it relates to successfully preparing yourself for career identity
exploration. If you could go back in time, what would you tell yourself? Anchor
this advice to the theoretical framework for your chosen crisis.
3. Finally, in regards to your career, describe where you hope to see yourself in the
future. This can be vague or concrete, depending on your current identity status.
What is one piece of advice or suggestion you would give yourself today in order
to successfully achieve your future. Anchor your advice with theoretical support.
You may choose to use Erikson or Marcia’s theories or you may select another
theory or concept that we have learned in class.
4. At the end you must include a ‘Your Voice’ paragraph. This is an informal
paragraph describing your experience completing the assignment. Did you enjoy
the assignment? Did you learn anything about yourself or others? Did you
encounter any difficulties with the assignment? How will this information help you
in the future? You may include any other thoughts and/or feedback to the
instructor.
Scholarly writing is expected. Please write in complete sentences to avoid losing points.
Please check your post for errors related to spelling, grammar, punctuation,
capitalization, sentence structure, etc. Sentences should begin with a capital and must
include punctuation.
Please refer to the text to support your responses. When referring to the text, you must
include in-text citations. If you are referencing an outside resource other than your
textbook, please include an APA formatted reference for the source.
This assignment is worth 10% of your grade. (25 points)
The Rubric is available in BrightSpace.
Use my attachment for reference as to what my answers are to the questions my professor asked.
