n for the identity crises of adolescents? Born in 1844, G. Stanley Hall, a pious man, is known as the father of adolescent psychology. He wanted to study the different stages in human development and, most importantly, the adolescence stage. Even though Hall was a religious man, he was fascinated with Darwin's theory of evolution. Thus, it affected his theory of human development. He believed that adolescence was a transitional stage between savagery and civilization. An adolescent was considered to be a primitive person who was more conscious of culture and social beliefs. Because of their new consciousness of civilization, adolescents were more emotional and responsive to the different parts of society than young children. According to Hall, adolescents' emotional sensitivity and primitive impulses caused them to experience "storm and stress" in life. Adolescents were in a constant conflict between their primitive impulses and more humane ones; thus, Hall believed in the phrase, "the forces of sin and those of virtue never struggle so hotly for possession of the youthful soul." Most importantly, adolescents had a sense of individuality, and they were capable of having higher feelings. Through these self-developments, adolescents were able to sort out their life perspectives, and they began to find their place in society and culture.
             Hall's theory was mostly discredited because of the lack of organization in his developmental theory. However, Hall paved the way for many other psychologists concerning adolescent psychology. Advancing from Hall's study, the psychologist Erik Erikson developed a psychosocial theory. He regarded adolescence as a period of special significance. Erikson developed eight stages which made up the human life cycle. Most critically important, the sixth stage is the main concern in the adolescence stage. He called this stage the pivotal stage which deals with the adolescents' identity vs. identity confusion. E...