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Jane's Interest in Nursing: Identity vs. Role Confusion
Jane (14) has recently taken an anatomy class in high school and is interested in how this applies to the medical field. She has decided that she wants to become a nurse in the future. During Erikson's fifth stage, Identity vs. Role Confusion, the crisis arises from an adolescent's need to explore different areas and partake in various activities to figure out how they fit into society. If they tend to conform to other people's expectations of who they are, then identity confusion occurs. -
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Erikson's Psychosocial Theory of Development Timeline
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Jane's Struggle with Emotional Balance: Intimacy vs. Isolation
Jane (25) has graduated with a Master of Science in Nursing degree and recently started her career at a hospital specializing in neonatology. Because she wants to make an impact in healthcare and is excited to help care for newborns, she has dedicated a considerable amount of time to her career and has neglected to maintain a steady social life. In Erikson's sixth stage, young and middle-aged adults confront maintaining healthy and close relationships with fear of intimacy, leading to isolation. -
Jane's Perspective on Her Career Legacy: Generativity vs. Stagnation
Jane, now 46, has improved on balancing her social life and career since her early 20s, but now she's worried that she didn't do enough to advance her career to make a difference. To resolve this, she volunteers on the weekends at a shelter that mainly helps pregnant people. During Erikson's seventh stage, generativity becomes an issue with middle-aged adults, where they discover if they've contributed to their community or if they've remained distant (stagnant) in terms of leaving a legacy.