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Trust Vs. Mistrust
Stanley was born in 1964 to young parents who lived in a tiny apartment where they frequently used heroin. Their drug use inhibited their ability to be loving parents and they were very unreliable. Stanley's mother was cold and unpredictable in the way she handled him when he would cry and his father was frequently in and out of jail. This inconsistency and inability to form a relationship with his parents as an infant led Stanley to develop a sense of mistrust that would stick with him forever. -
Industry Vs. Inferiority
Now six years old, Stanley is attending school in the first grade. In this stage, without encouragment at home or at school a child can have a lot of trouble with self-esteem. Stanley's lack of help with schoolwork at home has made it difficult for him to learn. His classmates are calling him stupid because he is behind on his studies and his teachers are making him feel like he is annoying because he has to ask a lot of questions in class. He now feels inferior because he lacks support. -
Identity Vs. Role Confusion
Stanley is now a senior in high school with his graduation right around the corner. His lack of understanding for healthy relationships made him promiscuous and unable to commit to a single person. Stanley's lack of identity has made him an outcast from his peers and has caused him to being experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Stanley is now a very unhappy person without goals or ambition because he is confused about who he is and who he wants to be. -
Intimacy Vs. Isolation
Stanley continued his promiscuous ways into adulthood, never settling down with one woman at a time. He never formed a serious commitment with anybody and now at 26 years old, he feels alone. He never went to college and now works at a fast food resaurant where he and his work buddies smoke marijuana out back on their breaks. Stanley's fear of commitment and failure to make anything with his life has left him feeling isolated and depressed. He feels that he regrets his whole life already.
