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Ego integrity vs. despair
Bjartur (72 years old) is a biology professor at University of Alaska. Long time ago he chose to be a biologist and to leave his home country Iceland. He's happy from the choices he made, he's got a loving family and satisfying job that he loves. According to Erikson last stage the satisfaction of life and acceptance of choices and mistakes that were done in the past is the requirements to pass this stage. If that need is not satisfied it results in bitterness about the course of one's life. -
Intimacy vs. isolation
Kasia (25) and Bjorn got married in Alyeska resort because they decided they want to share their lives together and have a family. In this Erikson's stage people are seeking close and romantic relationships. If they fail to obtain at least one, they can face isolation and possible outcomes like depression and social isolation. -
Initiative vs. guilt
Eric (6yo) wants to surprise his mom and go and dressed himself in a nice shirt and buttons his shirt. Not all the buttons are in the right holes. When his mom sees him she drags him close and fix the buttons. Eric feels guilty that he did it wrong and next time he waits quietly until his mom comes and helps him to get dressed. In this stage it's very important to give children an opportunity to do things on their own. It's also important to give them the right response to avoid disappointment. -
Trust vs. mistrust
Isabella (1yo) was left alone in her crib in the evening to fall asleep on her own. Her parents think that this is a good way to teach Isabella to go to sleep on her own. The girl is learning that when she cries, there is nobody to come and comfort her. She learns to mistrust her caregivers and fails to pass to the next stage of Erikson's level. In this stage, which is also the first one , children learn to trust their caregivers and by that to also trust that they are needed and loved.
