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This is the first stage of Erikson's theory. During this time in a child's life, they are determining who they can trust. This last until they are about 18 months of age. After talking to my dad about how I was at this age, he said that he was the one to wake up in the middle of the night to take care of me when I woke up crying. He would hold me in the rocking chair until I fell back asleep. This was a key point during this time of my life that helped me build trust towards my dad.

"For example, the critical theme of infancy is basic trust versus basic mistrust. People need to trust the world and the people in it, but they also need to learn some mistrust to protect themselves from danger." (Page 35)

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"Autonomy versus shame and doubt Erikson’s second stage in psychosocial development, in which children achieve a balance between self-determination and control by others." (Page 135)

I was apparently a very stubborn child. I didn't listen very well, and according to my dad, he let me get away with a lot more than my mom would. This leads me into the next stage of Erikson's theory, Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt. During this stage, children began to show signs of independence and forming their own self-reliance. This will last to about 3 years of age.

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Unfortunately, I decided that when I was 4, I wouldn't listen to my parents while climbing the monkey bars. This resulted in me falling on my wrist and breaking it. I guess I wanted to see if I could do it by myself and that didn't end up well for me. During Initiative vs Guilt, up until about 5 years of age, like to push their limits and sometimes end up feeling guilty for it. They question if they are in the wrong. I definitely felt bad when I didn't listen to my parents and broke my own wrist because of it.

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"Industry versus inferiority Erikson’s fourth crisis of psychosocial development, in which children must learn the productive skills their culture requires or else face feelings of inferiority." (Page 220)

This was a time where patience was demanded of me, and I struggled greatly with it. I started an IEP program and was not able to accomplish a lot of my schoolwork appropriately. Children start to develop this stage around 6 until they are about 11 years of age. I became very irritable because I had no friends who were in the program with me and disliked the program all together. My dad recalls me being stubborn once again during this time.

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"Identity versus identity confusion Erikson’s fifth stage of psychosocial development in which an adolescent seeks to develop a coherent sense of self, including the role she or he is to play in society. Also called identity versus role confusion." (Page 264)

I can honestly say that this was a very difficult time for me. I suffered a lot with mental health and was in and out of stress centers. On top of that, I had started dating and chose partners that treated me poorly. I quit clubs and sports that I was involved in and didn't have many friends. I ended up isolating myself a lot during this time unfortunately. I guess that's where Erikson's 4th stage played a role in my life. I was suffering to figure out who I was and made some poor choices along the way. My insecurities got the best of me, and I let it control my life. Up until about 18 years of age, teens tend to struggle with self-identity. They may wonder how they fit into the world and their role in society.

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"According to Erikson, a man is not capable of real intimacy until after he has achieved a stable identity, whereas women define themselves through marriage and motherhood. Thus, said Erikson, women develop identity through intimacy, not before it." (Page 265)

This is a stage that I can only relate to a little bit because of the large age gap. This stage relates to people who are 18-40. Although I am only 21, I feel like I am at the starting point of this stage. You start to wonder where your future takes you and the experiences in your life may start to define you and where you take yourself. For example, because of past issues, I am in therapy to help resolve such issues from my past so that I can have a better future for myself. For the intimacy part of this stage, I am currently in a relationship with someone who I plan on having a happy future with. I have learned a lot from this relationship, and it has made me realize a lot of things about others and myself. We have been successful with our relationship growth.

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Since I am only 21 and cannot relate to this stage of Erikson's theory, I will give a brief description of this stage and what may occur for others during this stage of life. This stage takes place from ages 40-65. During this stage, people such as parents, make positive changes that will affect generations after them. People in general make changes as well and wonder how they can contribute to the world in a positive way.

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During ages 65 until death, people tend to wonder if they lived a meaningful life. This is the last and final stage of Erikson's developmental theory. They may start to have acceptance and/or regret towards many parts of their life. The despair part of this stage refers to feeling guilty or having shame towards events in their life, things they cannot change from their past. Integrity refers to acceptance and feeling at peace with life. They may feel some sort of fulfilment with their life and have faced death with acceptance.