The Selfie: A Window into

Identity

Selfie: a self-portrait photograph often taken with a digital handheld deviceTIME Magazine noted the word, “Selfie” as one of the top 10 buzzwords of 2012 The word “Selfie” now appears in the online version of Oxford Dictionary and was named “word of the year” in 2013

“SELFIE”

“A search on photo sharing app Instagram retrieves over 23 million photos uploaded

with the hashtag #selfie, and a whopping 51 million with the hashtag #me.”

(BBC, 2013, para 7)

This lesson will focus on one’s sense of identity as represented in a

“selfie.”

The Selfie: A Window into Identity

“Have you ever taken a ‘selfie’”?  

Think-Pair-Share

If “yes,” reflect on your most recent “selfie” experience:

If “no,” assume that you will be taking a selfie in the near future:

Where were you? Where would you take it?

To whom did you send the image?

To whom would you you send the image?

In what ways did the “selfie” reflect who you are as an individual?

In what ways may the “selfie” reflect who you are as an individual?

What does the word, “identity” mean to you?

 

Think-Pair-Share

•Changes in identity occur throughout the lifespan.

•Multiple changes occur during adolescence, (e.g.., physical, cognitive, and social changes)

•Identity development is multifaceted (i.e., self-conceptions, self-esteem, sense of identity)

Identity Development

• Lifespan model of development• Development is lifelong• Five stages up to the age of 18;

three stages in adulthood• Personality develops in a set

order, each stage building upon the previous  

• Emphasized the role of culture and society on identity development

• Identity vs. identity diffusion (also known as identity/role confusion)

Erikson's Psychosocial Development

Erik Erikson, Psychologist (1902-1994)

Identity vs. identity diffusion

Age 12 to 18

Major Question “Who am I”?

Basic Virtue Fidelity

Major Focus Social Relationships

5th stage in Erikson’s Psychosocial Development

• Adolescence does not consist of either identity resolution or confusion

• One’s exploration and commitment to an identity is key

• Four identity statuses: -Foreclosure-Identity diffusion-Moratorium-Identity achievement

• Not stages; not a sequential process

MARCIA'S IDENTITY STATUSES

James Marcia, Psychologist

1. Read the article: “Are You Having an Identity Crisis?: 4 Key Ways to Identify your Identity”2. Take the quiz based on Marcia’s identity statuses

Are you having an identity crisis?