Final answer:
Adolescents in the identity achievement category address their identity crisis by exploring various options and making committed decisions about their life goals, leading to a strong sense of self.
Step-by-step explanation:
Adolescents in the identity achievement category solve the adolescent identity crisis by exploring options and committing to life goals. This is the stage of development described by psychosocial theorist Erik Erikson’s model, where the central challenge for adolescents is identity versus role confusion. In this stage, adolescents are asking themselves the quintessential questions, "Who am I?" and "What do I want to do with my life?" Successful navigation of this stage leads to a strong sense of self.
Adolescents engaging in this process tend to reflect on their abilities and beliefs, testing various roles and potential futures, sometimes adopting values and roles aligned with their parents and sometimes in opposition to them, aligning with peers instead. This period of exploration is crucial for adolescents to gain a clear understanding of their personal identities and to make conscious choices about their life paths. Adolescents who effectively resolve this identity crisis tend to emerge with a strong sense of personal identity and a direction for their future. On the other hand, those who fail to actively seek and define their identity may experience confusion about who they are and their role in society.