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Johnny's Life Stages
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Infancy: Trust vs. Mistrust
At seven weeks old Johnny developed a serious ear infection which caused him to become distressed. His mother made her best efforts to soothe him, but nothing seemed to be working. Worried something was wrong, Johnny's mother rushed to the emergency room where they discovered the ear infection and began treatment. Erikson's proposes that infancy is the trust versus mistrust stage where infants learn who and how to trust based on how well they are loved. -
Toddlerhood: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Johnny went to the park and played all morning. When he got home I was very tired so he grabbed his blanket and favorite teddy bear and curled up on the couch to take a nap all by himself. Stage two of Erikson's psychosocial theory is when a child develops a sense of autonomy versus shame and doubt. Johnny expresses autonomy by making the choice to take a nap on his own accord. -
Adolescence: Identity vs. Identity Confusion
Thirteen year old Johnny is hanging out with his friends at the mall. His friends are bullying a younger boy and go as far as pulling down the boys pants in the middle of the mall. Johnny does not agree with what his friends did and hurries to help the boy before others can see. Johnny decides he does not want to be like his friends--a bully. He is choosing who he is. Erikson's fifth stage is identity versus identity confusion where adolescents began sculpting who they want to be in life. -
Late Adulthood: Ego Integrity vs. Despair
Now elderly, Johnny has experienced much throughout life and he is reflecting back on it all. One thing he cannot shake away from is how regretful he is that he and his brother have not spoken for 20 years. Johnny is in despair. During this final stage of Erikson's theory one's life has been long and experienced much, this is the time where reflection is done and either a person is accepting of what life was like or whether life could have been better.
