Marcia's Ego Identity Statuses

Marcia's Ego Identity Statuses is based in Erikson's theory of development, focusing on the identity versus identity diffusion stage of development. In Erikson's theory, identity versus identity diffusion usually occurs during the transition from childhood to adulthood.

 

Marcia's theory describes four states of working through crisis, also called exploration, and how students are able to develop themselves as a result. The four statuses are:

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Foreclosure [No Crisis | Commitment]

Moratorium [Crisis | No Commitment]

Identity Achievement [Crisis | Commitment]

Diffusion [No Crisis | No Commitment]

 

A summary can be seen in the image to the left. Note that the states are not linear, nor is it necessary to enter every state throughout each crisis process. 

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Marcia identified some identity development situations when these statuses might be present, and these include political, religious, and occupational decision-making.