<P> Egocentrism in adolescents forms a self - conscious desire to feel important in their peer groups and enjoy social acceptance . Unlike the conflicting aspects of self - concept, identity represents a coherent sense of self stable across circumstances and including past experiences and future goals . Everyone has a self - concept, whereas Erik Erikson argued that not everyone fully achieves identity . Erikson's theory of stages of development includes the identity crisis in which adolescents must explore different possibilities and integrate different parts of themselves before committing to their beliefs . He described the resolution of this process as a stage of "identity achievement" but also stressed that the identity challenge "is never fully resolved once and for all at one point in time". Adolescents begin by defining themselves based on their crowd membership . "Clothes help teens explore new identities, separate from parents, and bond with peers ." Fashion has played a major role when it comes to teenagers "finding their selves"; Fashion is always evolving, which corresponds with the evolution of change in the personality of teenagers . Adolescents attempt to define their identity by consciously styling themselves in different manners to find what best suits them . Trial and error in matching both their perceived image and the image others respond to and see, allows for the adolescent to grasp an understanding of who they are Just as fashion is evolving to influence adolescents so is the media . "Modern life takes place amidst a never - ending barrage of flesh on screens, pages, and billboards ." This barrage consciously or subconsciously registers into the mind causing issues with self - image a factor that contributes to an adolescence sense of identity . Researcher James Marcia developed the current method for testing an individual's progress along these stages . His questions are divided into three categories: occupation, ideology, and interpersonal relationships . Answers are scored based on extent to which the individual has explored and the degree to which he has made commitments . The result is classification of the individual into a) identity diffusion in which all children begin, b) Identity Foreclosure in which commitments are made without the exploration of alternatives, c) Moratorium, or the process of exploration, or d) Identity Achievement in which Moratorium has occurred and resulted in commitments . </P> <P> Research since reveals self - examination beginning early in adolescence, but identity achievement rarely occurring before age 18 . The freshman year of college influences identity development significantly, but may actually prolong psychosocial moratorium by encouraging reexamination of previous commitments and further exploration of alternate possibilities without encouraging resolution . For the most part, evidence has supported Erikson's stages: each correlates with the personality traits he originally predicted . Studies also confirm the impermanence of the stages; there is no final endpoint in identity development . </P> <P> An adolescent's environment plays a huge role in their identity development . While most adolescent studies are conducted on white, middle class children, studies show that the more privileged upbringing people have, the more successfully they develop their identity . The forming of an adolescent's identity is a crucial time in their life . It has been recently found that demographic patterns suggest that the transition to adulthood is now occurring over a longer span of years than was the case during the middle of the 20th century . Accordingly, youth, a period that spans late adolescence and early adulthood, has become a more prominent stage of the life course . This therefore has caused various factors to become important during this development . So many factors contribute to the developing social identity of an adolescent from commitment, to coping devices, to social media . All of these factors are affected by the environment an adolescent grows up in . A child from a more privileged upbringing is exposed to more opportunities and better situations in general . An adolescent from an inner city or a crime - driven neighborhood is more likely to be exposed to an environment that can be detrimental to their development . Adolescence is a sensitive period in the development process, and exposure to the wrong things at that time can have a major effect on future decisions . While children that grow up in nice suburban communities are not exposed to bad environments they are more likely to participate in activities that can benefit their identity and contribute to a more successful identity development . </P> <P> Sexual orientation has been defined as "an erotic inclination toward people of one or more genders, most often described as sexual or erotic attractions". In recent years, psychologists have sought to understand how sexual orientation develops during adolescence . Some theorists believe that there are many different possible developmental paths one could take, and that the specific path an individual follows may be determined by their sex, orientation, and when they reached the onset of puberty . </P>

How does media impact positive formation of human development