This paper provides an overview of Erikson's psychosocial identity development theory, identifies prominent theorists who extended his work, examines the limitations of the theory and explains how this theory can be applied to student affairs practices. Furthermore, two different studies that clarify the relationship between psychosocial factors and college outcomes are summarized. Finally, a framework that illustrates the process of international students' psychosocial identity development in U.S. universities is proposed. The following sections describe the stages of identity development identified by Erikson (1963), Marcia's (1966) ego identity statuses, and Josselson's (1991) theory of women identity development. Psychosocial identity theories suggest that identity development is the outcome of different states and experiences that individuals encounter throughout their life (Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn, 2010). Identity theories state that identity development is the process through which individuals make sense of their cultural environment in order to strengthen their self-confidence and achieve self-realization (Kim, 2012). Scholars argue that identity reflects the culture in which the self is immersed and different societies have different cultures that uniquely shape their citizens' identity (Hoare, 1991). Hoare (1991) concluded that a fully achieved identity is one that reflects the individual's personal cultural values while still being open to other people of different cultures.