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James's Need to Choose His Own Food: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
James has the ability to tell his parents when he is full, but they always make him finish his plate because they believe he needs more food. This causes James to not believe what he is feeling and leads him to not listen to his body, which means he eats much more than is required. Instead of being taught when to listen to his hunger cues, he is unintentionally taught to doubt what he is feeling, and not listen to his body. -
James Feels Accomplished in Woodworking: Industry vs Inferiority
James begins to experiment whittling little figurines out of sticks he found in his yard. His mom praises him at how good they are and sets them in her window for everyone to see. This praise causes him to develop a liking for whittling, and he begins to do it all the time and make progressively more elaborate carvings. This praise is the incentive for him to get better at whittling. If he hadn't had this praise or had negative feedback, he most likely would have stopped pursuing it. -
James Decides What He Wants to Do: Identity vs Identity Confusion
James has just graduated from High School and is trying to decide what he is going to do with his life. All of his friends are going to college but he doesn't feel like that path is for him. School was never his favorite, and he wants to go into a hands on career. He is going to be true to what he feels like he should do and go to trade school to become a welder. If he went along with all of his friends, James might have ended up in a career that wasn't a good fit for him and left him unhappy.