Identity often refers to a kind of desperate quest or a deliberately confused search through both mental and moral experience. However, Erikson approaches this idea as an experience that would almost be a surprise that surprises someone, rather than something that one can find. The process of identity formation lies at the heart of the individual, but also at the heart of community culture. This process is constantly changing and developing, but reaches a crisis during the adolescent phase. From the early stages of the identity crisis, there is a significant need for confidence in oneself and in others. At this stage, adolescents are passionately seeking ideas they can believe in and, furthermore, ideas that seem trustworthy. Erikson explains: “at the same time, the adolescent fears foolish, overconfident commitment, and, paradoxically, will express his need for faith through loud, cynical distrust” (Erikson, p. 252). This stage of identity formation is very confusing for young people because of the connection between childhood and adulthood. The adolescent experiences an internal struggle over whether to follow certain morals and beliefs, and the fear of committing to a specific identity. The second step establishes the need to define oneself by what one can freely will. The adolescent is now seeking an opportunity to freely decide on any of the available or inevitable duties and services, and is at the same time terrified of being forced to engage in activities that might expose him to ridicule . This further adds to the confusion of adolescents and identity formation. A teenage boy is torn between acting shamelessly in the eyes of his elders, out of free choice, or being forced into activities...... middle of paper ...... American men include: being seen as on the path to disappearance species or as criminals. Both of these cultural representations are rooted in real material conditions and reflect existing social conditions and relationships. Teachers use these two images to identify the classifications and decision-making of students, but particularly African American males. Through these societal views, children are placed into categories of “educability” as they gain a specific reputation in their classrooms. However, many teachers identify these students as "unsalvageable", which ends up being publicly shared by adults in the school, and are more likely to view these students as "at risk" (Ferguson, p. 326). Once reputations are established, the identities of these students are already shaped by the social constructions of schools and by the rules and reputations that govern students..