Identity development is said to be a defining process of adolescence, a time when a teen is grappling with the multiple roles they play in terms of culture, ethnicity, gender, peer group, and family structure

Identity development is said to be a defining process of adolescence, a time when a teen is grappling with the multiple roles they play in terms of culture, ethnicity, gender, peer group, and family structure. However, it does have roots earlier. In infancy and childhood, children first recognize that they are individuals, distinct from caregivers and others. They learn that they have their own desires, likes, and dislikes and gain a self-concept. This self-concept, then, is tested against the social bonds they have formed with family and the emerging relationships with playmates and friends.