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22-year-old Nemo has completed his undergraduate work and is unsure if he should stay where he's at with his girlfriend, has a job, and can work on their functioning relationship. Nemo decides to pack his truck and travel. In this stage of Erikson's timeline, the major conflict in focused on building intimate loving relationships with others. Erikson believed having strong committed relationships with others leads to success and the loneliness from isolation leads to failure. -
Nemo has since relocated, built substantial finances, and successfully led the company he has worked with for the last 12 years. He married his life partner and together have been raising a son and a daughter. Erikson believed in this stage of life that adults strive to create something which outlasts them, often by having children and contributing changes that benefit others. Generativity refers to making one's mark on the world and stagnation refers to failing to find a way to contribute. -
Nemo is passing into death, looking back at it to see the life he has lived. Nemo feels that he has fulfilled a life well-lived. Erikson believed this stage of life is about going away with a sense of fulfillment from a life well-lived or a sense of regret and despair from a life misspent. Those unsuccessful in completing this stage fear their life was wasted and feel regret. Those successful in completing this stage look back with few regrets and a feeling of satisfaction.