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Erika’s Confusion: identity vs confusion
Erika (age 18) just recently finished high school. She is confused on what she wants to do for the rest of her life. She is undecided between working or going to college to study for a career she does not even know yet. In Erickson’s stage, Identity vs identity confusion, the crisis is between what is the next step for her in life. This is the challenging time where she needs to develop her own identity. -
Maria despairing: Ego integrity vs despair
Maria’s husband passed away at the age of 84. Soon after, Maria started having consequences with her memory such as forgetting faces of her own family members. Thankfully, she finds a way to explore her spirituality which helps bring a feeling of peace remembering all the good memories she had with her husband. In Erikson’s last stage of ego integrity vs despair, the crisis is between the satisfaction of remembering the good times with her husband (ego integrity) and losing her memory(despair).