The Mind of the Moratorium: A psychosocial exploration of the concept of self in Irish male adolescents
Authors
Barclay, Fiona
Issue Date
2025.16.12
Degree
MA in Pscyhotherapy
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
Open Access
Abstract
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man(Shaw, 1903). Erikson (1968, p. 143) discusses George Bernard Shaw granting himself a psychosocial moratorium, a time, he describes between childhood and adulthood for identity and role experimentation. A time to find a defined section of society uniquely made for him. Erikson refers to self as evolving. The self evolves as an individual negotiates and resolves psychosocial crises and integrates life experiences and relationships into a sense of who they are. In his theory of psychosocial development, Erikson discusses the fifth stage as Identity v Role Confusion where he links the concept of self and identity during adolescence. He believed the social and psychological outcome of adolescence is critical for forming a coherent identity based on an evolving sense of self. Shaw suggests that the courage to resist conformity, to question and be unreasonable creates change. For Erikson, the unreasonable individual who actively explores and experiments with roles and beliefs, not just discovers identity but creates it through resistance, reflection and action. During his exploration, Shaw was drawn to the Socialist revival of the 1880s and eventually settled down to study and write extraordinary work. This study aims to explore the concept of self in Irish male adolescents today. The study is rooted in theories of development from Erikson and the discussion is supported by contemporary research and writings. The researcher employed a qualitative approach within the context of the psychotherapeutic relationship and interviewed seven psychotherapists working with male adolescents in Ireland. The qualitative data gathered was analysed using Thematic Analysis. From the perspective of psychotherapeutic theory, three major themes were identified and discussed: 1. Role exploration; 2. The therapeutic relationship, and 3. Messages to leaders. The study concluded with recommendations for further exploration.