Leadership In Erik Erickson's Identity Vs. Role Confusion

Age
The table shows that 75 percent of the student leaders were 15 years old and older. This means that student-leaders were predominated by senior age of high school students.
The age group of student leaders belongs to the adolescent age where according to Erik Erickson’s theory of development, it is the stage where development occurs. In Erik Erikson’s Identity vs. Role Confusion, the teenager and young adult must achieve a sense of identity in occupation, sex roles, politics, and religion. This is one of the most complex and fascinating stages. A useful, stable sense of identity will not change significantly over time, but must be revised and tweaked regularly to reflect changes in the self and the world (Fisher and Lerner, 2005). According to Van Linden and Fertman (1998), “adolescence is a time of opportunity in which to awaken the leadership potential of individuals”. Adolescence is a critical time in which individuals form their identity, defining themselves and their place in the world. Consequently, these are optimal years for “developing future leaders whose decisions and actions will reflect universal human values”. The development of leadership abilities in youth, asserts Heath (2005), “should rank high on the agenda of school administrators, teachers, parents, and all who work with and on behalf of young people”.
Through instruction, guidance and practice, these skills, like any other, can be learned and developed by all. Gardner (1987) found that skills