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Exploring Erikson’S Final Four Stages Of Development .

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Exploring Erikson’s Final Four Stages of Development Erik Erikson is credited with being the first developmental theorists to cover development from birth to end of life (Robbins, Chatterjee, and Canda, 2012). His theory begins by addressing the early developing concepts of trust and autonomy. The theory wraps up by exploring the ideas of successful aging, including the concepts of generativity and integrity (Erikson Handouts, 2017). This paper will explore the last four stages of Erikson’s theory. Identity verses Role Confusion Erikson considers this phase of development to be primarily focused on figuring out who one is in the world. This stage is said to take place between the ages of twelve and eighteen with the focus on figuring out …show more content…

Greater access to higher education and the increased usage of social media could both play a major influence in the development of the sense of self and who one is. As twenty first century adolescents develop in a technological era, it is likely that path to identity development will be altered. Levy (2009) discussed another important influence on the path toward developing a sense of identity, sexual identity. Levy (2009) points out that most stage models focus on what is considered typical development. Robbins et al. (2012) report that an unsuccessful identify development could result in confusion and a sense of inferiority. It could be easily assumed that individuals who do not identify as heterosexual would struggle to successfully resolve their identity. Adolescence is well known to be a time when young adults start to sexually explore and establish their path in life. The political climate the last year and a half speak to the struggles that individual face when they do not identify as heteronormative. Stifling one’s sense of identity to meet the expectations of society could play a major role in developing a sense of identity. Intimacy verses Isolation The next stage of development is said to take place between the early and late 20’s. During this phase it is said that one develops a deeper sense of relationship with others around them. This is the stage when young adults develop a deeper concept of being loved (Erikson Handouts, 2017).

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