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First time going to school
While my grandpa Bill encouraged six-year-old Dermot's reading and writing, Dermot struggled with math. Bill was not supportive of him learning math and thus Dermot lacked the confidence to overcome the struggle with arithmetic and felt inferior in that subject, while feeling a sense of industry with English. Erikson's fourth stage is industry versus inferiority. If a child is taught well, they will feel industrious. On the contrary, they may feel inferior if they do not succeed in a subject. -
College
When Dermot was 12, he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a farmer. When he was 18, he enrolled in agricultural engineering at Bozeman and failed all his classes. He quickly figured out he was not well suited for being a farmer. He began to identify as a writer shortly thereafter. Erikson's fifth stage is identity versus identity confusion. Adolescents must determine who and what they want to be. For those who can't figure out where they fit in, identity confusion can result. -
Marriage
Dermot, age 26, decided to marry his wife Debbie Carter, because he wanted to form a long-term, intimate, lasting relationship with another individual, whom he could share the rest of his life with. In Erikson's sixth stage, intimacy vs isolation, an individual must decide if they want to form intimate relationships with people and risk their identity. On the other hand, if they don't form intimate relationships, they are at risk of becoming isolated. -
Books
Dermot started writing books to pass on his knowledge to future generations. He is particularly focused on educating the next generation about Alaska politics and history. He believes education is the best way to look out for future generations. Erikson's seventh stage is generativity versus stagnation. Generativity refers to the lasting impact you leave on generations while stagnation is usually focused more on your own needs rather than others' during the period of midlife.
