Describe the primary issues of adolescence according to Erikson. Be sure to comment on issues like adolescent egocentrism, the imaginary audience, personal fables, and an illusion of vulnerability

What will be an ideal response?

Erikson believed that adolescents face a crisis between identity and role confusion. This crisis involves balancing the desire to try out many possible selves and the need to select a single self. Adolescents experiment with different selves to learn more about possible identities. During the search for identity, adolescents reveal a number of characteristic ways of thinking. Adolescent egocentrism is a self-absorption with their own feelings and experiences. Imaginary audience is the belief that they are being watched constantly by their peers. Personal fables are the tendency to believe that their experiences and feelings are unique and that no one has ever felt or thought as they do. An illusion of invulnerability is they believe that misfortune happens only to others. As adolescents progress toward achieving an identity, adolescent egocentrism, imaginary audiences, personal fables, and the illusion of invulnerability become less common.