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First Day of Kindergarten
Jenny brings a babydoll with her to her first day of school to help her calm her nervousness of being left. This is an example of Erikson's 3rd stage, Initiative vs. Guilt. Her crisis is to effectively use her doll to provide emotional control (initiative), without having the strict monitoring/ presence of her parents with her (guilt). -
Wedding Day
Jennifer, age 28, and her husband David get married. They are marrying because they love each other and are choosing to share intimate, important parts of their lives together. This is an example of Erikson's 5th stage, Intimacy vs. Isolation. The crisis of this stage is whether to let someone in or stay to yourself, moving through life. -
Passing
Jennifer is age 86 and on her deathbed. She is reminiscing on all her life's impact and is proud she became a great doctor and mother. In the 8th stage of Erikson's theory, Ego Integrity vs. Despair, the crisis is how a person views their life overall. If they're generally content with how things went, that's Ego Integrity. On the flip-side if a person is wishing they could have changed a few steps along the way at the end of their life this is Despair.
