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Jackson Trusts His Mother: Trust versus Mistrust
Jackson (4 months old) trusts his mother to provide nourishment and protection. This is Erickson's first stage, trust versus mistrust. The crisis is that an infant is completely dependent and must trust a caregiver to provide love and nourishment in order to develop basic trust. Alternatively, lack of these could lead to mistrust in caregiver and others around them. -
Jackson Attends Trade School: Identity versus Identity Confusion
Jackson (age 19), a car enthusiast and son of an automotive mechanic, attends a trade school in order to pursue his interests professionally. This is Erickson's fifth stage, identity versus identity confusion. The crisis in this stage is to identify a sense of self and one's placement in their environment or fail to do this and form an unstable and insecure identity. -
Jackson Has His First Child: Generativity versus Stagnation
Jackson (age 26) has a child and decides to raise the child to the best of his ability in order to make a lasting imprint and be fondly remembered by his child and future generations. This is Erickson's seventh stage, generativity versus stagnation. The crisis in this stage is the realization of one's own mortality and the desire to either assist the younger generations in order to "live on" past death or dedicate their time to more selfish desires.