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Erikson's Eight Stages Of Psychosocial Development

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When I look back to my transition to college and how my family has supported me throughout my life, I realized that many developmental theories could apply. In Erikson’s Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development, he uses different ranges of age to portray one’s crises and dilemmas in various stages of life (Bjorklund, 2015). As an 18 year-old college student, I feel connected to the fifth stage of Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development: Identity versus Role Confusion. In the fifth stage, Erikson describes that during the ages 13-18, most teens are transitioning to young adults and this is the stage in human development where they are trying to find their identity in their occupation, gender/sex role, religion, and politics (Bjorklund, 2015). Either they have found their identity or they have failed to find their identity which leads into a role confusion. During my transition into college, I experienced an identity crisis for not knowing what I wanted to study or pursue as a career. Before I came to college, I was considering a career in Math and I thought I knew what I wanted to study. However, as I grew older and saw different perspectives of my intended career as a college student, I changed my mind. Although I have begun to answer some of these questions about gender roles, religion, and politics, I am still uncertain of my occupational identity. Although Erikson’s stages of human development might have fit with the expectations in his generation, I think his

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