In which stage of development do teenagers and young adults search for their true selves according to Erikson?

The stage of development in which teenagers and young adults search for their true selves is identified as "identity vs. role confusion." This concept is a central part of Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, which outlines eight stages that individuals go through from infancy to adulthood.

During this specific stage, which typically occurs between the ages of 12 and 18, individuals explore different identities and roles to establish a sense of self. They may experiment with various beliefs, behaviors, and social roles in order to gain clarity about who they are and what they value. Successfully navigating this stage leads to a strong sense of personal identity, while failure can result in confusion about one's role in society and a weakened sense of self.

The other options do not accurately capture the essence of this developmental stage. For example, "role confusion" is a part of the overarching theme of this stage; however, it does not encompass the entire identity exploration process that the correct answer includes. Meanwhile, "intuitive reasoning" and "inductive reasoning" refer to cognitive processes rather than psychosocial challenges related to identity formation.