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Emma's decision to go to college: Identity vs. Role Confusion
Emma has decided to go to college right out of high school at 18 years old. She has made this decision because she has a good sense of identity and what she wants to do in life. This is a very important step in development in Erikson's stages. The stage of identity vs. role confusion is when a person can either develop a sense of identity and move on to the next stage or they get stuck in this stage very confused about themselves and what they want to do in life. -
Emma is having a hard time finding intimacy: Intimacy vs. Isolation
Emma is out of college now and is having a hard time finding intimacy in her life. She can't seem to be intimate with anyone and feels isolated in her life. She has recently become a psychologist, which takes up most of her time. According to Erikson, if Emma does not find intimacy she could feel isolated for most of her life and wouldn't continue onto having a family. This could affect her long term and leave her feeling empty on the relationship side of things. -
Emma is reflecting upon her life as she her life is coming to an end: Ego Integrity vs Despair
Emma is reflecting upon her life and is thinking about what she could have done differently in different areas. She feels very fulfilled in the career area as she became a very successful psychologist and did a lot of important research. She was lacking in the relationship part but she has a very close relationship with her family which made up for a lot of it. Overall, she thought her life was very fulfilling and she did not feel despair while reflecting. She was at ease of mind about her life.