identity crisis Hear it!

identity crisis definition

☆ identity crisis

the condition of being uncertain of one's feelings about oneself, esp. with regard to character, goals, and origins, occurring esp. in adolescence as a result of growing up under disruptive, fast-changing conditions

Etymology: coined by E. Erikson (1902-94), U.S. psychoanalyst

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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