erik erikson, who coined the term identity crisis, presented his understanding of identity as an ongoing process:

The wholeness to be achieved at this stage I have called a sense of inner identity. The young person, in order to experience wholeness, must feel a progressive continuity between that which he has come to be during the long years of childhood and that which he promises to become in the anticipated future; between that which he conceives himself to be and that which he perceives others to see in him and to expect of him.

identity – if we assume it is {1.1} self-definition – relies on establishing a link between one’s past and future, which necessarily threads through one’s present; this link creates an unbroken narrative which can explain your current position in the world. continuity is a compass.

consider naomi klien’s explanation of shock:

A state of shock is what happens to us – individually or as a society – when we experience a sudden and unprecedented event for which we do not yet have an adequate explanation. At its essence, a shock is the gap that opens up between event and existing narratives to explain that event. (pg. 7-8)

what is adolescence – the experience of life, even – other than an onslaught of disorienting, unprecedented events you cannot explain, or which constantly challenge and collapse your understanding of the world?

(see, too, boyd: “Nothing can radicalize someone more than feeling like you’re being lied to. Or when the world order you’ve adopted comes crumbling down.”)

creating a link between one’s past / present / future is necessary, in part, to reestablish a cohesive narrative of the world and one’s history – to find a state of continuity between what one may have believed to be true before and what one knows to be true now.

while erikson’s focus was on this continuity as a stage of psychosocial development in adolescence, i view this as a lifelong circuitous process. it’s part of the research and contemplation that develops one’s sense of self.

[!trailhead]- trails ⬆️{1.1} identity as self-definition

⬇️ {1.1c1} a sense of continuity comes from the integration of experiences, evolving senses-of-self, and identity elements over time

⬅️ {1.1b} a strong sense of identity comes from a well-developed self-definition