YOUTH IS A TIME SANCTIONED BY SOCIETY for one to experiment and find one’s purposive place in the society, so as to curve a nourishing niche. As such, a ‘Youth’, who cannot find a MEANINGFUL adult role run the risk of an ‘Identity Crisis’, a ‘transitory failure to establish a stable identity’. This may result in unfortunate consequences – social pathology, crime or expression of prejudice. It is therefore, apparently clear that, during this period you must establish a sense of personal IDENTITY in order to avoid the dangers of ROLE CONFUSION confusion.

SEVEN therapeautic tonics to loftily LOCATE your LIFE’s BASIC BEARING:

1. BAD feelings of being lost, confused, lack of conviction, and experiencing emptiness are a natural reaction to having been born into times of great change and chaos.
2. EVENTUALLY, old support systems — religions, universal causes to follow, elaborate conventions, rules, and taboos that once channeled behaviour — are disappearing.
3. APPARENTLY craving a sense of direction, we are all cast adrift, and it is no wonder that so many people lose themselves in addictions, casual sex and depression.
4. REALLY, the human mind is a bottomless pit—it provides us with endless mental spaces to explore. Our imagination can take us anywhere and conjure up anything.
5. IN the absence of belief systems or conventions in place, we seem to have no obvious compass points to guide our behaviour and decisions, and this can be maddening.
6. NATURALLY there is a way out of this predicament, and it is available to all of us; no need to look for gurus or to grow nostalgic for the past and its certainties.
7. GUIDANCE system exist: it is a compass that comes from discovering the PURPOSE to our lives. It is the path taken by the greatest contributors to the human culture.

‘YOUTH’ is a time of upheaval where old values or choices are being actively reexamined and new alternatives explored. As a time of ‘Identity Crisis’, it is an outcome of whether or not one explores identity alternatives, besides making a commitment to chosen alternatives. Consequently, two criteria can be used to establish if an identity has been achieved or not. These are ‘Exploration’ and ‘Commitment’. Exploration refers to a process of active questioning of, and searching for adult roles and values in the various domains of ‘YOUTH’ LIFE, while Commitment refers to firm decisions regarding the above domains which will include strategies for achieving personal goals along a desired LIFE path. At this point, As a ‘Youth’ you are required to evaluate personal assets and liabilities and come up with a clear concept of who you are and what you would like to become.

There are four identity statuses: identity foreclosure, identity diffusion, identity moratorium, and identity achievement.

In ‘Identity Diffusion’, you are neither exploring nor committed to any adult role or value in your society. In ‘Identity Foreclosure’, you are already committed to certain roles and values which you did not choose by will. In ‘Identity Moratorium’, you are involved in a continuous crisis; actively trying out the many options available. In ‘Identity Achievement’, you have explored different alternatives, and made your choices and commitments.

Once an identity crisis has been experienced, returning to the foreclosure status is no longer a possibility. Identity status is not specifically limited to an age group. Individuals may explore elements tied to their identity throughout LIFE, such as faith, ideology, and occupational preference to name a few.

Here is BEYONDISM FORMIDABLE FORMULA for SELF-ACTUALIZATION
(The ‘head’ and ‘tail’ of Activating your SELFHOOD) in regard to:
Moving toward being self-contained in ideals and in motives.

1. FALSIFYING any fact about your LIFE makes you feel ridiculous, and undermined by your own hand.
   Core Choice #42: Zestfulness is what makes a young person do what older people says is impossible.
   Sure Score #42: At each developmental stage of LIFE you will arrive as a novice. Take that positively.
2. ONLY after walking down many roads, will you qualify to be called a grown-up, self-contained person.
   Solid Stance #42: You will slowly learn how to be amused by issues rather than be shocked.
   Catalysing Consideration #42: You will be able to reconcile dullness with a sense of remorse.
3. REGARDING yourself as a grown-up person you must learn to put away childish and immature things.
   Mighty Mission #42: Shun self-idealisation and the search for absolutes in world affairs.
   Vivid Vision #42: Abscond qest for absolute security, absolute amity, or absolute harmony.
4. MOVEMENT from the tender years of YOUTH into harsh and embittered adulthood, is irreversible.
   Gaining Ground #42: Make sure you take with you on your journey all the human emotions!
   Capturing Clouds #42: Do not leave them on the road, for you will not pick them up afterwards!
5. USUALLY the time of the psychological passing over from YOUTH to adulthood is a movable feast.
   Lofty Leap #42: The legal date fixed on the twenty-first birthday has little or no connection with it.
   Merry Momentum #42: There are men or women in their teens, and there are boys or girls in their forties.
6. LIVING well at this age is being responsible for your actions. No wise man ever wished to be younger.
   Holy Hearken #42: Now there is that part of the brain reliably devoted to hedonism.
   Divine Distinction #42: Soon or later that whole part of your brain will be freed up.
7. AS you approach old age the only improvement detectable in your situation is to make sound decisions.
   Prudent Planting #42: The older you get the more you should admire and crave competence.
   Hoped Harvest #42: What is required is just critical competence, in important fields of LIFE.

#42. To the extent I indulge in EXPLORATION and COMMITMENT,
Which are the levers to propel me towards my IDENTITY?

Your assignment is to strive to be a mature and well-adjusted person.
Seek to possess a well-defined and individually determined identity.
Always cultivate an implicit set of values vital in making you desirable.
Put supreme value on your individual needs, rights, and freedoms.
Maturity is basically a highly evolved sense of an individual sense of self.
Never subjugate individual pursuits and desires in the service of others.
Your coherent sense of individual identity is an indication of maturity.

#42. I, ___________________________, concerned with answering the question “WHO AM I” satisfactorily, do DECISIVELY DECLARE that, emotional maturity is indicated by my ability to identify and express emotions appropriately, and the ability to demonstrate a repertoire of positive coping responses to stress. Because emotional maturity requires the ability to understand and reflect upon myself, it is closely related to the parallel development of self-identity and self-esteem. Self-identity refers to the descriptive characteristics, qualities, and abilities that I use to define myself. Self-esteem is a concept very similar to self-identity but includes a value judgment about my identity. While self-esteem is a judgment made about myself, it is strongly influenced by a number of factors, particularly the perceived judgments of other influential people.

In this reference, as a BLESSED BEYONDIST, I hereby, make an ABSOLUTE AFFIRMATION that, the physical changes of my puberty or young adulthood, coupled with newly emerging mental abilities, may cause me to become self-conscious about my body and concerned with how others perceive me. As a result, self-esteem seems to be at an all-time low during early adolescence. However, during middle to late adolescence, my self-esteem begins to improve because my increased maturity may enable me to enjoy many new experiences. For example, I may be able to maintain and enjoy lasting friendships; attract romantic partners; and meet scholastic goals such as graduating from high school, or getting admitted into college or university. I realise that self-esteem begins to improve as I begin to understand the difference between performance outcomes resulting from inherent, natural talent and ability; versus, performance outcomes resulting from hard work and perseverance. This means, I will recognise that even though I may not possess the natural talent of a star athlete, or the intellectual abilities of an honour student, I will still take pride and personal satisfaction in achieving my goals particularly when I have worked hard and to the best of my ability.