-
April Wins the Spelling Bee: Industry vs Inferiority
April (age 10) practiced for weeks with her parents and competed in her class spelling bee. She loved school, and wanted to be the best in the class. All of her practice paid off, and she won and was proud of her accomplishment. In Erikson's fourth stage, Industry vs Inferiority, the challenge is to meet the rising demands of a person's culture and build valued skills, or fail to develop the necessary skills and feel a sense of inferiority. -
April Joins the Theatre Club: Identity vs Identity Confusion
April, age 15, decided to join the theatre club and was selected as an actress in the school's big show. She had watched as her friends thrived in school sports, academic events, and played in the school band, but she felt insecure and lost. She always had a desire to be on stage, and with encouragement from her parents auditioned and found her place. In Erikson's fifth stage, Identity vs Identity Confusion, the crisis is between developing a secure identity or being lost in identify confusion. -
April Marries Joe: Intimacy vs Isolation
April (age 26) and Joe decided they wanted to spend their lives together and raise a family, after having spent several years as young adults as friends before romance bloomed. They realized that their lives were richer and more fulfilled when they went through life together. Erikson's sixth stage is Intimacy vs Isolation, in which a person must be willing to share themselves with another in a close, committed relationship or risk loneliness and isolation.