填空题 Erikson makes the point of the critical {{U}}important{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}of identity formation during middle and late {{U}}adolescences{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 7 {{/U}} {{/U}}. He sees diffusion as a major setback. He often uses Biff, the son in Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, as an example. {{U}}Catching{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 8 {{/U}} {{/U}}in the midst of a series of confusing and {{U}}contradict{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}} {{/U}}expectations, Biff appears aimless and lost. "I just can't take hold, Mom, I can't take {{U}}holding{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}of some kind of life." Bewildered, he exemplifies a person who has no identity. His self-definition is {{U}}diffusing{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 11 {{/U}} {{/U}}—in deed, almost atomized.
Recently, a major study was conducted of college students in teacher training. Training programs require {{U}}for{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 12 {{/U}} {{/U}}both skill and commitment, since the student teacher must learn academic material and then be able to present it to {{U}}neither{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 13 {{/U}} {{/U}}high school or {{U}}elemental{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 14 {{/U}} {{/U}}school students in coherent and concise procedures. Student teacher regularly report how demanding and how {{U}}personal{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 15 {{/U}} {{/U}}stretching such a role is. Student teaching, {{U}}particular{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 16 {{/U}} {{/U}}in junior and senior high schools, can often come close to the chaos described in William Gording's novel Lord of the Flies if the teen-agers decide that it's {{U}}time{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 17 {{/U}} {{/U}}challenge a beginning teacher. Thus the stress factor is a major component of the student teacher's role.
If Erikson's theory has {{U}}validate{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 18 {{/U}} {{/U}}, then college students might perform in such a demanding role in accordance {{U}}to{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 19 {{/U}} {{/U}}their stage of identity formation. To test that hypothesis, Shirley Walter and Eugene Stivers sorted a large sample of student teachers (N=319) by Erikson's level of identity versus diffusion. They next {{U}}assess{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 20 {{/U}} {{/U}}the actual in-class teaching effectiveness on an important series of elements: responsiveness to pupil questions, open-ended questions, empathy, use of positive reinforcement, accuracy of content—{{U}}by{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 21 {{/U}} {{/U}}short, characteristics of what is often called higher-order teaching.
The results were almost exactly as we would predict from Erikson's theory. The teachers with {{U}}highest{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 22 {{/U}} {{/U}}scores on identity resolution were the most effective in {{U}}response{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 23 {{/U}} {{/U}}teaching and classroom management. The student teachers with high scores on identity diffusion were the least effective. Such student teachers had difficulty accepting pupil ideas, asked rote questions, and {{U}}exhibit{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 24 {{/U}} {{/U}}uneven classroom management. In fact, the Erikson identity score was the single most important {{U}}predict{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 25 {{/U}} {{/U}}variable. The study included variables such as college board score (SAT), the cumulative grade point average, and IQ. None of those cognitive elements were as powerful as the measure of identity status. The student teachers, particularly the males, who {{U}}was{{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 26 {{/U}} {{/U}}the most confused in the process of identity formation (i. e., who had the highest diffusion index scores) had the greatest difficulty in teaching. In Erikson's sense they apparently were still so far from resolving their identity conflicts that "they couldn't take hold."