identity crisis
nounUK /aɪˈden.tɪ.ti ˈkraɪ.sɪs/
US /aɪˈden.tə.t̬i ˈkraɪ.sɪs/
A time when someone feels unsure about who they really are.
After moving to a new school, he went through an identity crisis and wasn't sure where he fit in.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A period of uncertainty about one's role, values, or purpose in life.
Midlife often brings an identity crisis about career and family.
3. A situation in which a group or organization loses a clear sense of its purpose.
The company faced an identity crisis after its founder left.
4. In psychology, a stage of development where a person struggles to form a stable sense of self.
Erikson described the identity crisis as common in the teenage years.