Erikson Page 1 of 2 Stage Infancy (0-1 yr.) Crisis to Be Resolved Trust vs. Mistrust Early Childhood (2-3 yrs.) Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt Childhood (4-5 yrs.) Initiative vs. Guilt School Age (6-12 yrs.) Industry vs. Inferiority Puberty and Adolescence 13-Adult.) Identity vs. Identity Confusion Young Adulthood Intimacy vs. Isolation Successful Resolution Identity Formulation A belief in the fundamental goodness of people, the predictability and reliability of the behavior of those around us; a basic sense of trust and faith. The relationship between mother and infant is the cornerstone of an individual's personality. The basic modality or approach is incorporation: receiving, taking in, being recognized by others. Successful resolution culminates in trust of the self, of the child's universe, of the future Differentiation between the child and the world around him or her. The behavioral modality can be characterized as holding on and letting go, retention and elimination which begins with potty training and extends to other areas of life.11 This results in the beginning of a sense of choice, and thus to the possibility of autonomy. A sense of free will involves the development of self-control, of separateness from parents, without a loss of self-esteem. Increased mobility or locomotion and the development of facility with the language. These new found skills allow for the possibility of imagination, exploration and curiosity, all of which are related to a sense of initiative. Behavioral modality is intrusion: into space by vigorous movement; into the unknown by consuming curiosity; into other people's ears and minds by the aggressive use of the voice; upon or into other bodies by physical attack. Mastery of those skills which will make the individual a productive member of society. Sense of initiative becomes a sense of industry focused on becoming a potential worker, provider, parent. The primary skills requiring mastery in our culture are the rudimentary technological and information handling skills: reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as the interpersonal skills necessary in a complex society. Adolescence provides the coincidence of physiological, cognitive and social maturation necessary to synthesize each of these elements into a whole, at least tentative formation of identity. School and occupational choices loom large, pressing adolescents to act adult--meaning to accept the societal definitions of success--when they are quite unsure of themselves in many ways. ``Banding together'' is an alternative way of finding an identity. If adolescents are portrayed or portray themselves as losers, because they cannot obtain consistent recognition for achievements valued by society, then they can ironically assume an identity by losing themselves further--that is, by identifying with gangs, cliques, cults, or certain lifestyles Once people are comfortable with their identities, they are ready to go beyond identity to intimacy. This implies a sharing, or fusing, of identities with another I am what I am given I am what I will I am what I imagine I can be I am what I learn or can make work I am the role(s) that I assume We are what we love Erikson, E.H. (1968). Identity: Youth and Crisis. NewYork: Norton. Erikson, E.H. (1980) Identity and the Life Cycle. W.W. Norton & Company, New York. Erikson Page 2 of 2 Middle Age Generativity vs. Stagnation Old Age Integrity vs. Despair person in a long-term ``mutual psychosocial intimacy,'' which in some ways allows the abandoning of ``me'' to become ``we.'' What is needed in this stage is a balance of the person's identity through achievements in the world with the opportunity to share and care deeply with someone else. Generativity is the concern for teaching the next generation, including your own offspring or those of others. It therefore includes professions, like teaching, in which the guidance of young people is the primary concern. But it also includes less formal teaching, such as helping of all sorts. Does not assume, however, that just because people have, or even want children, they have achieved generativity. If they have not resolved the problems of the earlier stages, they may be trying to achieve through a relationship with a child what they failed at achieving with another adult. Contentment and acceptance of one's life as having been worthwhile and, indeed, even necessarily lived the way it was. It means acceptance of people, despite imperfections, for their own integrity--one's own parents or people of different cultures, for example. Once the past has been so forgiven and ordered, the present and future--even death--can be faced without fear. To the extent that people have earned ego integrity, they have a legacy of a life well-lived, a meaningful existence. This, better than any legacy of possessions, contributes to the very cultural institutions and interpersonal relations from which it had taken sustenance. I am What (whom) I can teach I am what survives me Erickson (1968, 1980,). Erikson, E.H. (1968). Identity: Youth and Crisis. NewYork: Norton. Erikson, E.H. (1980) Identity and the Life Cycle. W.W. Norton & Company, New York.
