GI $
4
Goal Setting
One of the major goals of the col-
lege experience is for students to
develop a coherent sense of iden-
tity. This development begins in
adolescence and usually ends by
the time an individual graduates
from college (around 21 years of
age). According to Erikson (1968),
identity involves the search for a
consistent image of who one is and
what one wants to become.
Marcia (1980) has provided infor-
mation about the development of
identity by distinguishing four dif-
ferent patterns and common issues
that college students experience.
According to Marcia, the criteria
for the attainment of a mature
identity are based on two factors:
crisis and commitment. “Crisis refers
to times during adolescence when
the individual seems to be actively
involved in choosing among alter-
native occupations and beliefs.
Commitment refers to the degree
of personal investment the individ-
ual expresses in an occupation or
belief” (Marcia, 1967, p. 119).
The following is a brief discus-
sion of the four identity statuses
(see Fig. 4.1). Adolescents begin in
a state of identity diffusion (or
confusion)—a situation in which
the individual has not made any
firm commitments to any ideol-
ogy, occupation, or interpersonal93