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Erikson Biographical Event
When Erikson graduated high school, he decided against attending medical school and instead attended an art school. This is representative of the Identity v. Identity Confusion stage, where one questions their role in the world and is met with choices that determine their place in society. Erikson committing to art school instead of medical school gave him a deeper sense of identity as an artist, even though his stepfather wanted him to go to medical school. -
Trust v. Mistrust
Angie, 4 months old, had burst into tears because she craved her parents' affection. Though her Mom was at work, her Dad quickly ran over to her and started cuddling her until they napped on the couch. The conflict at this stage is whether or not a caregiver is able to meet basic needs, which determines whether the infant has a foundation of trust (needs are met) or mistrust (needs are ignored). -
Autonomy v. Shame and Doubt
At 2 and a half, Angie had a strong preference for boy-oriented playing toys. When taken to the girl toy aisle, her Mom let her run to the boys aisle and pick the ones that she wanted all by herself. The conflict faced at this stage is autonomy (being able to make one's own decisions) versus shame and doubt (being denied of one's own choices). -
Initiative v. Guilt
Angie came home from summer camp at 5 years old with an ambitious idea to invite all of the girls to her house for a sleepover. Her Dad told her to come up with the colors, paper, and decorations so that she could make invitation cards. She also made a list of the sleepover activities and her Dad approved. The conflict at this stage is initiative versus guilt, where a child being able to follow through on their plans gives a sense of initiative whereas being denied would leave them with guilt. -
Industry v. Inferiority
Angie, 11 years old, got picked up from math camp and was very upset. She told her Mom that she got all of the problems wrong and was feeling bad about her lack of math skills. The conflict faced at this stage is feeling encouraged to learn new skills (industry) versus feeling discouraged and having a sense of inferiority. -
Identity v. Identity Confusion
When Angie was 14 years old, she discovered her new favorite pop band and realized that she wanted to become a musician. The conflict at this stage is identity versus identity confusion, where an adolescent is met with the opportunity to decide a part of who they are/will become which will leave them with identity, or they could deny this opportunity which would leave them with identity confusion. -
Intimacy v. Isolation
Angie, 18, was growing very close with her bandmate Nick. They started going on dates, putting Angie in a great mood and making her feel good about herself. Intimacy versus isolation is the conflict at this stage which means they are faced with growing close to a romantic interest (intimacy) or struggling to find this romantic interest (isolation). -
Generativity v. Stagnation
At 34 years old, Angie realized she had no kids and the only career she had pursued was her music career, leaving her feeling stuck. This leaves her with stagnation, where one has failed to make a contribution to their community in the way they would have liked. If she were to have had a family by this stage, she would have been left with generativity, which is when one successfully contributes to the people/communities around them. -
Ego Integrity v. Despair
In the summer of her 74th year, Angie sat on the beach with the love of her life Nick, and their only grandchild Emilia. She was thankful that she decided to have a child in her thirties, and she was appreciative of all of the venues she was able to play at in her band. Angie is happy with the way she chose to live her life, leaving her with ego integrity (feeling satisfied and prideful of one's own life) rather than despair (feeling unfulfilled and unhappy with one's life).