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The Loss of A Close Friend
On January 1st, 2010 when James freshly turned 18, he decided to get a dog. He had moved away from his home state and wanted to start fresh but didn't want to be alone yet. His parents never let animals in the house and he believed he had to capacity to take care of another being. During this stage, James was in Identity vs. Role confusion. This stage is when teenagers and young adults question who they want to be, and what they are capable of. -
The Loss of A Close Friend
After a couple of years, James had finally gotten into a secure rhythm of balancing work, college, and taking good care of his dog. He soon found himself more focused on finding a partner to settle down with after he became sick of hook up culture. He met someone who he spent the next three years with and decided to ask her to marry him. In this stage, James is in Intimacy vs isolation. Jame's is now focusing on who he is going to share intimate moments of his life with. -
The Loss of A Close Friend
While James and his wife realize Hugo (the dog) is getting quite old and is in almost constant pain, they decide to take him to the vet so he will not be able to suffer much longer. He feels as though he is losing a part of him as he takes Hugo to be put down. This is part of losing something that was with you for an entire portion of one's developmental stage and can be very hard. James is now reflecting back upon both of Erikson's psychosocial stages he had been through thus far.