Stage 1 is the stage of trust vs mistrust, and it starts when we are born. The closest relationship associated to this stage would be the mother of the infant. If the baby isn’t sure or uncertain about their surroundings, they will look to their caregiver for that …show more content…
The closest relationships for this stage are society, the world and life. During this stage we tend to slow things down and enjoy life as we retire from our careers and explore the world. We develop a sense of integrity as we perceive our accomplishments as successful. If we view our lives as unproductive, or feel guilty about anything. We will feel like we were unsuccessful and end up depressed and have the feeling of hopelessness. The further we delve deep into hopelessness, we will fall into despair. Success during this stage leads to wisdom, and lets the individual look back on life and have a sense of completeness with the ability to accept death.
In conclusion, the 8 stages of development are all about our experiences of life and how they affect us every day. Going from stage 1 affecting us as we are infants to stage 8 affecting us as we are lying on our deathbeds. I believe Eric Erikson has a great theory on how we develop as human beings. We are not perfect, and it takes a balance of success and failure to make us better