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Caitie Wins the Science Fair: Industry vs Inferiority
Due to the ongoing support and encouragement from the adults in her life, Caitie (8 years old) took the initiative to enter the science fair and won 1st place. She was very proud of herself and enthusiastic about next year's science fair. In Erikson's fourth stage, Industry vs Inferiority, the conflict is between a child becoming able to do useful, self-directed work and developing a sense of industry or developing a sense of inferiority due to adults being too critical of them. -
Caitie's First Job: Identity vs Confusion
Caitie (14 years old) begins working her first job in an attempt to assess how her strengths, interests, and abilities may lead to future opportunities. In Erikson's fifth stage, Identity vs Confusion, the conflict is between establishing a solid sense of identity in love, work, and ideology, or being insecure in one's identity and not knowing how to fit in to the world. -
Caitie Gets Divorced: Intimacy vs Isolation
Caitie chooses to leave her marriage at the age of 31, becoming "isolated" in an effort to refocus on identity that may not have been established in adolescence. In Erikson's sixth stage, Intimacy vs Isolation, the conflict is between being vulnerable and entering a committed intimate relationship or being unable to form an intimate relationship and becoming isolated.