Erik Erikson Black, Sharp, Shull

Trust vs. Mistrust Infants  Age: 0-18 months  Important Event: Feeding  Look to caregiver for stability & consistency for care  Success: Consistent, predictable, & reliable care will develop trust in other relationships  Hopeful for support during crisis  Failure: Harsh or inconsistent, unpredictable and unreliable care will lead to fear  Develop anxiety, heightened insecurities, overwhelming feelings of mistrust  Basic Virtue: Hope

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt Toddler  Age: 18 months-3 years  Important Event: Toilet Trainig  Begin to assert their independence  Walking away from mother, choosing what to wear and what toys to play with  Parents must encourage child to become more independent but protect them from constant failure  Success: child will become confident and secure in their ability to survive in the world  Failure: feel inadequate and become overly dependent upon others, lack of self-esteem, and feel a sense of shame or doubt in their abilities  Basic Virtue: Will

Application to Of Mice and Men  Lennie Small:  Lennie’s lack of autonomy results in his dependency of George Milton.  When Lennie was a toddler he did not experience independence from his parents like he should have.  He had no choice on what he wore, ate, or played with because his parents did not allow him to experience free-will.

Initiative vs. Guilt Pre-schooler  Age: 3-5  Important Event: Exploration  Playing: Allows kids to explore their personal skills through initiative activities with others.  Makes kids feel secure in the way they lead others and make decisions.  Not Playing: Kids develop a sense of guilt, begin to feel like a nuisance, remain a follower.  Questions: Children begin asking questions to adults, if they don’t answer seriously, the kids may feel like a nuisance.  Balance: Too much guilt will inhibit both creativity, and the ability to interact with others. Not enough guilt will hinder the development of a conscious, and self control.  Main Virtue: Purpose

Industry (competence) vs. Inferiority Grade-schooler  Age: 5-12  Important Event: School  Teachers: Teachers begin to take an important role in the child’s life as they teach them specific skills.  Peers: Peers become important, kids will try to win approval by doing things.  Pride: Develop pride in their hard work and accomplishments.  Parents should congratulate them on the good things they do, but not praise them for it.  Balance of industry: Too much industry and the child will have no modesty, but too little will cause low self-esteem, self doubt, and the child will feel inferior to others.  Main Virtue: competence

Identity vs. Role confusion Teenager  Age:  Important Event: Social Relationships Two identities involved: the sexual and occupational  Role: Teens begin to become independent and want to find their place in society.  If they do not find their own identity in society they can become role confused.  Body: During this stage the body image of the adolescent changes  adolescent may feel uncomfortable about their body for a while until they can adapt and “grow into” the changes.  Main virtue: Fidelity  Fidelity involves being able to commit one's self to others on the basis of accepting others, even when there may be ideological differences.

Application to The Giver  Children in this novel do not have the privilege of choosing their role in society because they are appointed to them by a higher authority,  This causes a rebellion in the main character, Jonas, in his attempt to choose his own identity.  The lack of self-identity results in his confusion of true role in society.

Intimacy vs. Isolation Young Adult  Age:  Important Events: Relationships  Individuals begin exploring relationships leading toward long term commitments with someone (spouse, friends)  Success of this stage can lead to: comfortable relationships, commitment, safety, and care  Failure of this stage can lead to: isolation, loneliness, depression, and promiscuity/exclusivity  Basic Virtue: Love

Application to The Stranger  Meursalt’s lack of ability to form truly intimate relationships is a good example of how he failed in this developmental stage in life.  He doesn’t label his relationship with Marie as a serious commitment therefore he lacks the basic virtue of love.

Generativity vs. Stagnation Middle-Aged Adult  Age:  Important Events: Work and Parenthood  Individuals establish their careers, become productive at work, become involved in community activities, develop a sense of being a part of a bigger picture  Success leads to: generativity  Attempting to produce something that makes a difference in society  Failure leads to: feeling stagnant, unproductive, rejection, and overextension  Basic Virtue: Care

Ego Integrity vs. Despair Older Adult  Age: 65+  Important Events: Reflection  Enables individual to look back on life with closure  Completeness, excepts death without fear  Slow down productivity, judge individual’s life  Success in this stage: having a sense that the individual accomplished a lot in their life  Failure in this stage: feel to have had an unproductive life, feel guilt about the past or not accomplishing their life goals, feel dissatisfied with life  Develop despair, depression/hopelessness  Basic Virtue: Wisdom

Application to Tuesdays with Morrie  Morrie’s ability to succeed in this stage shows he developed well in his reflection on life.  This proves that when Morrie looked back on his life, he was happy with what he accomplished.  If he was to fail this stage, he would have a sense of giving up on his life rather than embracing it.

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