Erik Erikson was expanded his life span development theory past childhood development to cover all of life’s stages. Although his life span development theory is well known and acknowledged today, there are many life factors that cause his theory to apply differently to specific individuals or populations. Beginning with adolescence and continuing through late adulthood, this paper will discuss several populations that are impacted by various factors, all of which may have a great impact on the successful resolution of each stage.
Identity vs. Role Confusion Erikson described the adolescent period, 12-18 years of age, as the stage of identity vs. role confusion. In this stage, teens work towards developing a lasting personal identity and …show more content…
stagnation stage may apply differently for is midlife women. McQuaide (1998) found that midlife women are able to develop generativity when they have a decent job and income, remain actively involved in the world, has a supportive social environment, and is not demeaning to oneself. However, if women are unable to feel fulfilled in any of these areas, they are prone to struggle and experience stagnation. In addition to women, social class may also impact Erikson’s generativity vs. stagnation stage of development. It is inevitably true that those who are financially stable are provided with more resources and opportunities than those who struggle financially. Therefore, as Miner-Rubino, Winter, and Stewart (2004) suggested, individuals from a more privileged background are more likely to “feel confident, powerful and certain about themselves from an early age compared to individuals from less privileged backgrounds (p. 1607).” Clinical social workers can do great things for the middle adulthood stage by utilizing their counseling services to help women build their self-esteem and generate goals for their future. Other strategies may include helping adults view their life in light of their strengths, instead of seeing themselves as a failure when measuring their life by their income, job, or …show more content…
despair. During this stage, individuals reflect on their life and seek to sense fulfillment. Successful feelings of integrity lead to feelings of wisdom, while failure results in remorse, resentment, and despair (Erikson Handout, 2017). The integrity vs. despair stage also impacts men and women differently. As Ardelt (1997) noted in her study, wisdom and life satisfaction in old age are highly correlated for both men and women. However, Ardelt also found that men and women experience objective life conditions in different ways, depending on their vulnerabilities and strengths, which differ between genders. Ultimately, these differences affect how adults would rate their life satisfaction, which may result in lower levels of achieved wisdom for each gender. Research has also proved that adversities in childhood increase the likelihood that individuals will engage in unhealthy behaviors later in life, causing both direct and indirect effects on physical and mental health (Ferraro & Shippee, 2009). Consequently, those in the late adulthood stage whose health has suffered because of misfortunes experienced during childhood may experience Erikson’s stage of integrity vs. despair differently than
Identity vs. Role Confusion Erikson described the adolescent period, 12-18 years of age, as the stage of identity vs. role confusion. In this stage, teens work towards developing a lasting personal identity and …show more content…
stagnation stage may apply differently for is midlife women. McQuaide (1998) found that midlife women are able to develop generativity when they have a decent job and income, remain actively involved in the world, has a supportive social environment, and is not demeaning to oneself. However, if women are unable to feel fulfilled in any of these areas, they are prone to struggle and experience stagnation. In addition to women, social class may also impact Erikson’s generativity vs. stagnation stage of development. It is inevitably true that those who are financially stable are provided with more resources and opportunities than those who struggle financially. Therefore, as Miner-Rubino, Winter, and Stewart (2004) suggested, individuals from a more privileged background are more likely to “feel confident, powerful and certain about themselves from an early age compared to individuals from less privileged backgrounds (p. 1607).” Clinical social workers can do great things for the middle adulthood stage by utilizing their counseling services to help women build their self-esteem and generate goals for their future. Other strategies may include helping adults view their life in light of their strengths, instead of seeing themselves as a failure when measuring their life by their income, job, or …show more content…
despair. During this stage, individuals reflect on their life and seek to sense fulfillment. Successful feelings of integrity lead to feelings of wisdom, while failure results in remorse, resentment, and despair (Erikson Handout, 2017). The integrity vs. despair stage also impacts men and women differently. As Ardelt (1997) noted in her study, wisdom and life satisfaction in old age are highly correlated for both men and women. However, Ardelt also found that men and women experience objective life conditions in different ways, depending on their vulnerabilities and strengths, which differ between genders. Ultimately, these differences affect how adults would rate their life satisfaction, which may result in lower levels of achieved wisdom for each gender. Research has also proved that adversities in childhood increase the likelihood that individuals will engage in unhealthy behaviors later in life, causing both direct and indirect effects on physical and mental health (Ferraro & Shippee, 2009). Consequently, those in the late adulthood stage whose health has suffered because of misfortunes experienced during childhood may experience Erikson’s stage of integrity vs. despair differently than