-
Diane's Decision To Move Out: Autonomy vs. Shame and Guilt
Diane has been working and is now thinking about moving out of her parent's house to live in her own apartment. Her parents don't let her make her own decisions and think it's best for her to stay with them. This is an example of Erikson's second stage "autonomy vs. shame and doubt. If denied to opportunity to be independent, one can become overly dependent on someone and doubt their abilities to succeed in life. -
Diane Drops Out Of School: Industry vs. Inferiority
Diane is pursuing a nursing degree and feels confident that she'll make it into the program and finish. When she gets her exam results, she finds out that she wasn't accepted into the nursing program but her best friends did. She then begins to feel inferior and decides to drop out because she no longer feels competent enough. This is an example of Erikson's fourth stage of Industry vs. Inferiority. The pressure of school made her doubt her abilities. -
Diane Gets a Divorce: Intimacy vs. Isolation
Diane and her husband were happily married but got a divorce after she found out that he was seeing someone else. Now he has a hard time trusting other people and that prevents her from creating healthy relationships. Fear of intimacy and commitment causes loneliness and isolation because one has failed to maintain a healthy and happy relationship. This is an example of Erikson's sixth stage of intimacy vs. isolation.
