Identity Crisis in Different Contexts

Identity crisis, coined by Erik Erikson in his research about psychosocial development, simply means "a feeling of unhappiness and confusion caused by not being sure about what type of person you really are or what the true purpose of your life is" (directly quoted from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). Teenagers (13-19 years old) are most likely to question identities when understanding their roles in society. However, like many problems, identity crisis occurs not only in adolescence but also later life stages with different contexts. When one steps into a new field (it could be working environment or relationship), one has to pick up new identity and responsibility, for example occupational, parental and social. We can see protagonists of different age, gender and social background in literary works from various genres share the same problem - identity crisis. Therefore, this analysis does not limit its scope to adolescence psychosocial development. ​

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Liminality gives rise to identity crisis, although not necessary. It is the in-between state like you are one foot stepping in the house. The following three works: American Born Chinese(2006), The Seal Wife(unknown) and The Hitchhiker(1941) will further shed light on identity crisis by showing the protagonists’ problem with liminality.