-
Identity or Confused Identity
For much of his adolescent life, 17 year old Dwayne had never fit in with any sort of group throughout both middle and high school. However, during his senior year, he discovered an unknown passion and talent for painting. He now identifies himself as a modern day artist.
This event illustrates Erikson's 5th stage, which is "Identity V.S. Identity Confusion."
Dwayne now understands that artistry is what he wants to be recognized for in society. -
Trust VS Mistrust
Jonas, an 8 month old baby, was born to parents who had little time to spend with their child. Jonas was forced to cope with this frequent loneliness and lack of attention.
This is Erikson's Trust V.S. Mistrust stage one.
Consequently, Jonas now thinks he can only count on himself in addition to having very little confidence in others as he goes into toddlerhood. -
Industry VS Inferiority
9 year old Yavorsky was an innovative child with supportive parents. His excellent math and science skills allowed him to succeed over all other students his age in science fair projects and he even competed on the national level. This is Erikson's 4th stage, "Industry V.S. Inferiority." Yavorsky's parent's were supportive to him at this age, and as a result, he did well in all the projects he took on, better than any of his other peers.