self-formation

noun

self-for·​ma·​tion ˌself-fȯr-ˈmā-shən 

: the act or process of forming or developing oneself or itself

… discussing how, during this vulnerable time of self-formation and raging emotions, teenagers actually have no idea how to read social cues.

—Katy Waldman

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1713, in the meaning defined above