CHAPTER TWO

I’VE GOT TO BE ME-

SELF-DISCOVERY AND
IDENTITY
Prepared by: Rebecca Rabe-Galano
SELF-DISCOVERY

Life is an
endless
process of
self-discovery.
If someone ask you to describe yourself….

Where do you begin?

How are you going to start this

query, “Who am I?”
 SELF-DISCOVERY

•An essential personal task.

•Keystone to personal development
SELF-DISCOVERY

CHANGE
 UNDERSTANDING THE MIDDLE AND
LATE ADOLESCENCE
Adolescence
-crucial stage
-marks the major transition stage that bridge
childhood to adulthood
-A time of one’s life filled with excitement
and challenges
UNDERSTANDING THE MIDDLE AND
LATE ADOLESCENCE
For an adolescent the world is……

- Expanding
- Exciting
- Demanding energy
UNDERSTANDING THE MIDDLE AND
LATE ADOLESCENCE

Know yourself!
Interest?

Skills?

Abilities?

Preferences?
 CHANGES AND TRANSITIONS
• Physiological
-hormones
-sexual maturation
• Physical
-growth spurt
-Body hair
-boy’s voice deeper
• Psychological
-consciousness
-body image focus
UNDERSTANDING THE MIDDLE AND
LATE ADOLESCENCE
Adolescents are on quest of….

-Identity independence

Exercise of personal
-individuality decision
Establishing
relationships
 How to deal with body issues?
Page 18

1. Prioritize health over beauty.

2. Get help for a healthy body, if necessary
3. Avoid being critical of how you look
4. Be yourself. Accept the God-given gifts you have.
5. Look into yourself and be your own inspiration.
6. Love yourself.
7. Appreciate your beauty and others’ beauty, inside and out.
Our bodies are amazing and we often forget to appreciate all they do
for us when we are struggling with negative body image thoughts.
Sometimes we focus on our perceived flaws, instead of seeing our own
beauty. I have found it is a challenge to live in a society where diet
culture thrives and tells us we need to look a certain way to be
considered beautiful.

However when I looked in the Bible, I found that all of our bodies are
beautiful because they are made in God’s image. I encourage you to
meditate on the verses below and challenge those critical thoughts in
your mind. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. I want you to know
that you are beautiful, and your body is perfect just the way you are
right now.
Psalm 139:14 – “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted
me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created

us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned
for us long ago.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Do you not know that your
bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom
you have received from God? You are not your own; you
were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your
bodies.”

1 Samuel 16:7 – “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man
looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on
the heart.’
Genesis 1:26-27 – “Then God said, “Let us make man in
our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens
and over the livestock and over all the earth and over
every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God he
created him; male and female he created them.”
 SELF-IDENTITY
Adolescence is the point
in life you ask who you
are!
Two prominent developmental theorist on
self-identity
1. Erik Erikson’s Self-Identity

2. James Marcia’s
Development of Self-Identity
Two prominent developmental theorist on
self-identity
1. Erik Erikson’s Self-Identity
Two Crisis of in adolescence:
2. Establishing identity
3. Too much conformity with
peers
 Identity Achievement is an
active process!

Work for it!

Always reflect on yourself!

Join Bible camp and retreats!

 Two prominent developmental theorist on self-
identity

2. James Marcia’s Development of Self-

Identity
-an expert in identity formation
-defines identity as an internal, self-
constructed, dynamic organization of drives,
abilities, beliefs, and individual history.
 Two prominent developmental theorist on self-
identity

2. James Marcia’s Development of Self-

Identity
Key elements in achieving a mature identity:

3. Crisis

4. Commitment
 Four Statuses of youth:

1. Identity diffused

- not experienced identity crisis

-have not made commitments
-no focus or no occupational direction
-unclear identity
 Four Statuses of youth:

2. Foreclosed

-little evidence of identity crisis

-commitment is clear
-choices are parentally chosen
-peers have influenced your choices
 Four Statuses of youth:

3. Moratorium
- going through identity crisis
-struggling and establishing your
identity
-explore roles
-testing your beliefs
-not committed on a particular
endeavor
 Four Statuses of youth:

4. Identity achieved
-clearly understand who you are
-you know what to pursue in life
-established goals
-know the exact career path to take
 Social Interest, Emotional Stability, and
Maturity Level
• Meet people
• Relate with people
• Expand your interest

Maturity and emotional stability are important especially when dealing

with people and handling stress.
 Freedom and Independence
Independence is one of the hallmarks of maturity when carried out
positively and with great sense of responsibility.

“ with power come

responsibility”
 How to be independent?

1, Be responsible
-Learn to manage time and money
-Develop planning skills.
2. Know your limitations
3. Remain respectful of adults and authorities
4. Believe in yourself.
 Career Interest and Inclinations
1. What do you want to become?
2. What activities are interesting to you?
3. In your free time, what do you usually do?
4. In school, what subjects are you good at?
5. Have you put any though in your future career?