identity crisis

noun

1. a period or episode of psychological distress, often occurring in adolescence but sometimes in adulthood, when a person seeks a clearer sense of self and an acceptable role in society.

2. confusion as to goals and priorities.

   The company is undergoing an identity crisis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of identity crisis¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Some shoppers say the brand is having an identity crisis.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Struggling with depression, an identity crisis and unresolved childhood wounds, he retreated to a bedroom in a rented New Jersey house to confront it all.

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The album began at a low point in Minus’ life, where she seems to be going through an identity crisis.

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For a restaurant better known for cornbread and checkerboards than market volatility, the whole thing had the air of an identity crisis unfolding in real time.

Read more on Salon

Their decades-long friendship, now strained, reflects a wider identity crisis for the industry they helped build: What is a mushroom, really, and who gets to decide?

Read more on Los Angeles Times