As a teenager, I remember religion was something which wasn’t forced upon me, nor was it something I was actively seeking for.
Identity diffusion refers to a period when an individual does not have an established identity, nor is actively searching for one. In other words, individuals do not have firm commitments, and do not feel the need to actively form them. They may never have been in crisis, or they may have had a period of questioning and been unable to resolve it, subsequently emerging without having made a decision.
We may not think of an identity until we face a crisis or are otherwise compelled to adopt an identity. For instance, when a boy in his teens begins thinking about what he would like to pursue as a career, he realizes that it’s a question he has not given much thought, and one that doesn’t really interest him. He decides not to commit himself to a particular career choice at the moment since he really doesn’t know what he wants to be.
Do you know people who don’t have any favourites? No favourite sports teams or hobbies? How about people who don’t affiliate with political parties because they claim they don’t care?
Are you one?