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Erikson's first stage of development is trust verses mistrust. I think that this is a very important stage. This stage is about whether or not a baby has confidence around people and the world around them. I think it is very important because it shapes your views of the world as you continue to grow. "Baby develops sense of whether the world is a good and safe place." My mother told me that whenever she was hungry as a baby, she would cry in hopes that her mom would feed her, which she would. This shows that she developed trust because she knew her mom would come to help her whenever she cried. Because she developed trust over mistrust, she developed hope: she can fulfill her needs and desires.

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Erikson's Second Stage is autonomy verses shame and doubt. I believe this means that children are starting to want to do things on their own. They don't want anyone's help, but still need intervention. They have the desire to do things on their own. Toddlers need adults to say no when they can't do something completely by themselves, which is when shame and doubt set in. "As children are better able to make their wishes understood, they become more powerful and independent." My mother showed me a very funny picture from when she was little. Her mother let her get dressed by herself. She came out wearing mismatched socks, an orange shirt, light blue pants, and yellow flipflops. She insisted on dressing herself! Giving her the chance to perform something by herself developed her autonomy, not guilt or doubt for trying something and getting yelled at.

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Erikson's third stage of development is initiative verses guilt. This means that start to play with others and be more social. They start making more decisions that involve others around them. Parts of them continue to act like a child while at the same time, slowly starting to think about others and the decisions they make like an adult does. Guilt comes into play when a child is taking initiative but makes a mistake. "Children who learn how to regulate these opposing drives develop the virtue of purpose, the courage to envision, and pursue goals without being unduly inhibited by guilt or fear of punishment. My mom would tell me that I was just like her as a preschooler. She liked to make up games with other kids and create friends by making them play with her. For example, she loved playing "fake house" as a kid. She would pretend that she was the mom and have other kids pretend that they were her children, father, and friends. This is a great example of having initiative over guilt. She wanted to play with others by taking the lead and making a game happen with others around her. She didn't feel guilty for making them play with her because they ended up being great friends!

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Erikson's fourth stage of development is industry verses inferiority. This is when kids start to compare themselves to others. This stage makes or breaks their self-esteem. "If children are unable to obtain the praise of others or lack motivation or self-esteem, they may develop a feeling of low self-worth and thus develop a sense of inferiority. This stage is most vital when kids start to attend school because they are constantly interacting and comparing themselves with those around them. My mother said that when she was younger it was hard for her to have high self-esteem. She worked incredibly hard to raise it. She told me she tried her very best in school. She even has some of the report cards from when she was little. She had so many A's and compliments from her teachers. This shows me that she was more a part of the industry development than the inferiority development. She was able to succeed at school and have friends which did not give her a sense of inferiority.

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Erikson's fourth stage of development is identity verse role confusion. This is the stage where adolescents seek their true self. They are no longer relying on their parents to choose what they believe. It is about discovering who you are! "The effort to make sense of the self is part of a healthy process that builds on the achievements of earlier stages-on trust, autonomy, initiative, and industry-and lays the groundwork for coping with the challenges of adult life." As a teenager my mom had to figure out her identity. She solved that through being a Christian instead of a Lutheran like her parents. She also figured out that she wanted to be in love and get married. She ended up marrying her high school sweetheart when she almost 19 years old. She also figured out for herself that she wanted to go to school and get a business degree instead of a cooking degree. She was able to truly examine herself and find her own identity that was not her parents.

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Erikson's sixth stage of development is intimacy verses isolation. I think this means that as an adult you are deciding for yourself the future that you want. You are deciding if you want to spend the rest of your life with someone and have a family or, if you choose to be alone in total isolation from others. This stage is about forming intimate and committed relationships with others. Whether it's for someone you love or a friend, it is very important. "A man is not capable of real intimacy until after he has achieved a stable identity, whereas women define themselves through marriage and motherhood." This stage is what my mom's life is focused around. She focused on having children and a healthy marriage. She created that intimacy by having kids. She wanted relationships with all of us. She has never wanted to be alone.

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Erikson's seventh development stage is generativity verses stagnation. To me this means that adults are helping future generations learn and develop skills to help them live useful lives. When an individual feels like they haven't done anything to help the next generation then they are going to experience stagnation. "Teen are more likely to disclose information when parents maintain a warm, responsive family climate and provide clear expectations without being overcontrolling." As an adult it is very important to be in your child's life, but to also not be in it too much. My mom has taught me to per nurturing and caring. She may sometime be too pestering in my life, but I know she just wants what is best for me. Something that she has passed down is a good work ethic. No matter if it is school, work, house chores, you must always try your very best. So, she has generativity and no stagnation at all.

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Erikson's final development stage is integrity verses despair. To me this means when you look back on the life that you lived, do you have any regrets? This stage is about knowing if you really gave life your all. You tried your best to make the right decisions and don't ponder over the past wishing you could rewrite your history. If the previous stages have not developed in a positive way, then you will feel despair. Those who were successful should feel satisfaction with the life they lived. "Elderly person achieves acceptance of own life, allowing acceptance of death, or else despairs over inability to relive life." I believe my mom will have integrity because she has lived her life to the fullest. For example, she has had a long happy marriage with four beautiful children. She has also worked for the same company for over 20 years and the choices she has made have made her happy! As a result of making good choices ever since she was a child, she can evaluate her life as it was full of integrity, not despair.