Two adolescent cases showed both identity disturbance and difficulty with verbalization. Clear verbalization by the analyst of inchoate feelings removed intense anxiety and restored feelings of identity. Developmental considerations suggest that the two factors are closely related. The child first refers to himself in the third person and only as 'I' after a clear sense of himself apart from others is established. Descartes' 'I think, therefore I am' appears to refer to this connection and may be emended to read, 'I verbalize: and therefore I have a sense of personal identity'.