Eriksons Identity vs Despair Stage

Eriksons Identity vs Despair StageBy: Brandon Johnson

What is the Identity vs Despair Stage?Eighth and final stage of Eriksons theory of psychosocial development.Present in older adults from age 65 through to the rest of their life.During this stage, older adults look back on their life and decide whether they are satisfied with their life which causes fulfillment or if their life was not lived ideally, the latter of which causes dispair.

Effects An individual who is satisfied with how they lived their life would naturally feel a sense of integrity, which would allow the individual to attain a degree of wisdom leading up to death.On the other hand, an individual who is not satisfied will have regrets and feel like they didnt live their life to the fullest. Feelings of bitterness and despair accompany this.

Example#1Mary is 68 years old. She starts reflecting on her life and if she is satisfied with her accomplishments or if she could have accomplished more. Mary raised five children and was well educated, having a career in the medical field as a nurse. However two of her children turned out to live a life of crime, frequently getting in trouble with the law. Mary wonders if this was her fault. Could she have raised her children better? Where did she go wrong? She feels like she probably didnt discipline her children as strictly as she should have. This causes feelings of despair as she reaches the endpoint of her life.

Example #270-year old Gerald ponders on his life and determines whether he is satisfied with how he lived his life. He had a decent career as a chef and two sons. He frequently participated in fun activities with his sons, travelling frequently and established a strong bond with his sons. His sons Thomas and Chris respected him and turned out to be a lawyer and psychologist respectively. When Gerald was an adolescent he had fun, always going to parties, and experimented with drugs and alcohol occasionally. However as Gerald ponders on his life, he has no regrets about experimenting with drugs and alcohol and is more reminiscent about the fact that he enjoyed himself during those times. The fact that Gerald enjoyed his younger years, had sons that respected him and were successful allows Gerald to establish a peace of mind about his life. He is satisfied about his life.

My Personal ThoughtsIn the future, I think that there should be an increase in the amount of older adults who are happy with their lives. This is due to the fact that there are many more technological innovations such as amazing roller coaster rides, and many other things that allow people to really have fun. Also, there are programs for people who may need a second chance in life to improve their life such as programs for felons to get a career and programs for adults who failed in high school. These factors, if utilized could improve the outlook on older adults lives as they have more opportunities to achieve more in their life.

Thanks for your time.