DEVELOPMENTAL CRISIS IN EARLY ADULTHOOD: A ...

“So I was being active in those three critical areas, which allowed me to put the
pieces of the jigsaw back together again, but constructed in the way that I wanted it
constructed, and not the official, smarmy, chocolate box picture that was on the box
originally.” (Interview 2, p.8)
The “official, smarmy, chocolate box picture” mentioned here seems to refer to the
persona, with its conventional, impression-focused and unoriginal nature. Guy is
unequivocal that the self that emerges after the crisis is more “authentic” (p.9). Guy’s
definition of authenticity shows that for him it is about having the courage to buck
convention, and so to prevent the formulation of a sterile persona:
“Authenticity for me is a state whereby senses, emotions, and thoughts are all in
sync with one another. It is a state of "being" not "doing". It is a sense of drawing
from the innate wisdom to know that what I am doing is right for me in any
particular setting and not just attempting to please others. It is not being afraid
to reject the collective behaviours and not feel isolated.” (Emails, p.3)
The transformation over the period of crisis leads to a sense of a new identity. After
the crisis Guy no longer feels role-defined, and so can explore and evolve his sense of
self fluidly, without the need for an institutional role to define it. This evolving sense
of self is the keystone of his new identity and life structure:
“The new Guy is constantly evolving, I know that I am not defined by what I do. I
went through one stage where I would meet new people and they would ask what do
you do? And I would say I breathe, I fart and lots of other bodily functions, is that
the answer you really want to this question? I was putting the pieces together and
was happy being in this exploratory mode. To a certain extent that is the definition of
myself, because I am an explorer.” (Interview 1, p.8)
He further says that as a result of the crisis he has stopped allowing himself to be
hijacked by other’s expectations, and this leads to a feeling that he is in control again,
because he is acting in accordance with his own motives, not those of others:
“I’ve stopped allowing myself to be hijacked, so I feel in control of what’s going on.”
(Interview 2, p.10)
7.5 Unlocking the Mind: Developing Self-Reflection
Concurrent with the above change in identity is a change in mindset from a
narrow, automatic, task-focused mindset, in which work tasks are accepted
unquestioningly and robotically, to a more reflective and open mindset, in which
actions and thoughts are monitored and observed to assess whether or not they are in
tune with emotions, with self and with the needs of others. There is evidence that
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