Analyzing Erikson's Eight Stages Of Life

Erik Erikson believed that there are eight stages to life. Surprisingly five of the eight occur from birth to age eighteen. The eight stages in order are trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, ego identity vs. role confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and ego integrity vs. despair. Trust vs. Mistrust occurs in children from birth to a year and a half. If the child receives constant care and intimacy it will develop trust. If the child is neglected this care it will develop mistrust. When a child develops mistrust it may affect how they react in social situations and relationships they have later in life. When I have children I will make sure to give them the attention needed to
At this age I was a leader. Industry vs. inferiority occurs in children from age five to twelve. During this stage kids make friends and their thoughts will have effects on the self esteem of the child. My little brother is eleven and I see him going through this stage and how it is effecting him. Identity vs. role confusion occurs in people from age twelve to eighteen. In this stage people start developing themselves as individuals. Since I am sixteen, I am currently in this stage. I have a strong identity and anyone who has met me knows this. Yet, I know many people my age who follow others and do just as them. Hopefully they will develop a stronger identity as they grow older. Intimacy vs. isolation has a much larger age range than the past five stages we have talked about, this stage ranges from age nineteen to forty. In this stage people look for longtime partners. Many people who fail to do so end up lonely and isolated from others. Generativity vs. stagnation occurs from age forty to sixty five. In this stage people begin to make changes to benefit people and things that will outlast them. In this stage many people care for children. Ego integrity