James Marcia - Applicability and Criticism

Applicability and Criticism

While Marcia primarily focused on the late adolescent years, his theory is applicable in later adulthood, when identity crises may reoccur.One study, exploring correlations between the identity statuses of Marcia's model and social behaviors, focused on young adults ranging in age from 19 to 35. People's 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.

Using Marcia's semi-structured interview approach enables research to be flexibly adapted to different cultures. There has been a good deal of cross-cultural validation of the Identity Statuses.

Critical research has suggested however that '(a) The four statuses do not operate in a developmental sequence...(b) conscious exploration is not required for and often does not occur in identity achievement; and (c) numerous studies conducted in support of the statuses focus less on developmental issues and more on classification issues (Cote 2006)'.