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Growing up I was put into an environment with people who would show affection and make sure that my needs where met, and that I was never put into a neglectful situation. Due to that, I created a trusting bond with those people.

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Trust vs. Mistrust: Learning to Trust the World Around Us

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Trust vs. mistrust is the first stage of Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development. It determines whether a child learns to trust their environment or not.

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Though I grew up in environment with people would help me and make sure my needs were met, I also was expected to do things on my own. Things such as clean up my toys after I was done playing, to wash my hands after playing outside, and etc. Due to this I created a trait of self-control or autonomy.

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Learning How to Become Self-Reliant in Psychosocial Stage 2

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Dec 31, 2019 - Autonomy versus shame and doubt is the second stage of Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. Discover the important events of this stage.

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When playing games with other kids I would always let someone take control and set the rules, whether that was because I was shy, scared, or didn't know what to say is a mystery. Due to this I definitely was developing on the guilt side more than the initiative.

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As a kid I was always described as smart or intelligent, and I still am described that way. So after being identified as the "smart one" it created a type of academic validation, such as I needed good grades to be seen or I just need some type of good job or congratulations, but it always helped be stride to do better and achieve success. Due to this I lean more on the industry side.

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How to Reward Your Children for Their Good Grades in School

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Get a list of incentives to motivate your child to get good grades, plus see ideas for fun ways to celebrate your star student’s achievement.

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Stage 5: Identity Vs. Identity Confusion 

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Stage 5: Identity Vs. Identity Confusion 

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As a kid growing up seeing everyone in middle school in "relationships" or guys dating girls it always made me feel out of place. Due to my attraction always being towards men instead of women, I didn't fully come to the realization that I was gay until about 7th or 8th grade, but in the time I didn't know I was always worried about my sexuality. People around me would always use the word gay in harmful manner, or make fun of gay people. Even people such as my parents would make me worry, asking question like "Do you have a girlfriend yet" or "Do you find any girls cute." It always felt like I was being held to standard that I couldn't bring myself to come to terms with. Now as I'm older though I'm very comfortable with who I am, and the worries of being gay have seemed to almost disappear.

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7 Ways to Support a Friend Who's Questioning Their Sexuality

If you proudly identify as a member of the LGBT community, you may have a friend secretly tell you that they're questioning their sexuality. While your natural response is to scream "ONE OF US" and deploy the rainbow confetti from overhead, I'd recommend taking a step back.

Here are some positive ways to support a friend who's questioning their sexuality.
1. Don't use labels
Labels are fucking terrifying, especially for people who are questioning. Even if they say they're interested in someone of the same gender, there's still no need to use the word gay or bisexual. Let them be the one to use it when they're ready.
2. Avoid asking yes or no questions
"What type of thoughts have you been having?" "How have they affected you?" Try to get them to open up a little bit. Sometimes, the mere act of saying the words aloud is enough to clarify our hazy thoughts. Give them an opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings.
3. Listen, and then, if appropriate, advise
Yes, you've been there, and you're going to have a mighty urge to give advice. Hold back. Don't initially spew advice the moment they talk to you. Listen to them first. Then, after they're all out of words, ask if you can tell them what was helpful for you. If they say yes, then feel free to advise lightly.
4. Realize their path is different
But there are SO many similarities between you and them. You had identical thoughts when questioning. That might be the case, but they didn't grow up in your household. They didn't have the same friends. Their life is different. Treat it as such.
5. Don't hook up with them
This shouldn't need to be said, but I will still say it because I've seen it happen. Your friend is not coming to you to experiment. They're coming to you for help. Help is not taking advantage of a vulnerable and confused friend by shoving your lips on their face.
6. Don't push them in any direction
Encourage acceptance, open-mindedness, and exploration. Emphasize the importance of living without self-judgment. Do not push them in a "straighter" or "gayer" direction. That's not your job as a friend.
7. Expand your concept of "straightness"
A straight person can acknowledge that a gay person is cute. That doesn't mean they're gay or bi. Let's push the limits of what straight can be. I'd even go as far as to say that straight people can have a little crush on someone of the same sex and still consider themselves straight. A person's sexual identity shouldn't erupt because of a single thought. That doesn't do any good for straight OR LGBT folks.

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7 Ways to Support a Friend Who's Questioning Their Sexuality

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7 Ways to Support a Friend Who's Questioning Their Sexuality If you proudly identify as a member of the LGBT community, you may have a friend secretly tell you that they're questioning their sexuality. While your natural response is to scream "ONE OF US" and deploy the rainbow confetti from overhead, I'd recommend taking a step back.

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I believe myself to be more on the isolated side of things, I'm still pretty young. I would like to focus more on my school and my future instead of a relationship. I have thought about relationships though, and I feel as if I were to meet a person that felt right for me that I wouldn't say no. It's just not a top priority for me as of right now.

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Erik Erikson was a 20th century psychologist. He analyzed and divided the human experience into eight stages of development. Each stage has a unique conflict and a unique result.

One such stage - intimacy versus isolation - points out the struggle young adults have as they try to develop intimate, loving relationships. This is the sixth stage of development, according to Erikson.

As people pass through these stages, Erikson believed they gained skills that would help them succeed in future stages. However, if they had trouble attaining these skills, they might struggle.

In the intimacy versus isolation stage, according to Erikson, success means to have healthy, fulfilling relationships. Failure means experiencing loneliness or isolation.

While the word intimacy might evoke thoughts of a sexual relationship, that's not how Erikson described it.

According to him, intimacy is a loving relationship of any sort. It requires sharing yourself with others. It can help you develop deeply personal connections.

Yes, in some cases, this may be a romantic relationship. Erickson believed this stage of development happens between ages 19 and 40 - which is precisely when most individuals might be looking for a lifelong romantic partner.

However, he didn't think romance was the sole endeavor of building intimacy. Instead, it's a time when people can develop sustaining, fulfilling relationships with people who aren't family.

Those who were your "best friends" in high school may become cherished elements of your intimate circle. They might also fall out and become acquaintances. This is a time during which those distinctions are often made.

Isolation, on the other hand, is a person's attempt to avoid intimacy. This may be because you fear commitment or are hesitant to open yourself up in an intimate way to anyone.

Isolation may prevent you from developing healthy relationships. It may also be the result of relationships that fell apart, and can be a self-destructive cycle.

If you were harmed in an intimate relationship, you may fear intimacy in the future. That can lead you to avoid opening yourself up to others. In turn, that may cause loneliness - even eventual social isolation and depression.

Intimacy is a choice to open yourself up to others and share who you are and your experiences so that you can create lasting, strong connections. When you put yourself out there and have that trust returned, you develop intimacy.

If those efforts are rebuked, or you're rejected in some way, you may withdraw. Fears of being dismissed, spurned, or hurt may lead you to separate yourself from others.

Ultimately, this can lead to low self-esteem, which may make you even less likely to venture out to develop relationships or new friendships.

Erikson believed that in order to continue developing as a healthy individual, people need to successfully complete each stage of development. Otherwise, they'll be stuck and may be unable to complete future stages.

For this phase of development, that means you need to learn how to develop and maintain healthy relationships. Otherwise, the remaining two phases of development may be in jeopardy.

Isolation is often the result of a fear of rejection or dismissal. If you're afraid that you'll be turned down or pushed away from a friend or potential romantic partner, you may avoid interactions entirely.

This can ultimately lead you to avoid all future attempts at forming relationships.

Moving from isolation to intimacy requires you to resist the tendency to avoid others and skirt difficult relationship questions. It calls on you to be open and honest with yourself and others. That is often difficult for people who are prone to isolating themselves.

A therapist may be helpful at this point. They can help you understand behaviors that might be preventing intimacy, and help you develop strategies to move from isolation to intimate, fulfilling relationships.

Erikson believed that not fulfilling any stage of development would present problems in the future. If you weren't able to develop a strong sense of self-identity (stage five), you might have a hard time developing healthy relationships.

Trouble at this stage of development might prevent you from nurturing individuals or projects that will "leave your mark" on future generations.

What's more, long-term isolation can be detrimental to more than your mental health. shows that loneliness and social isolation can cause cardiovascular disease.

Some people may be able to have a relationship, despite not building strong, intimate bonds. But that might not be successful in the long run.

One found that women who were unable to develop strong intimacy skills were more likely to be divorced by midlife.

Healthy, successful relationships are the result of many elements of development - including having a sense of identity.

Building those relationships also depends on knowing how to communicate openly and honestly. Whether you ascribe your development to Erikson's philosophy or not, healthy relationships are beneficial for many reasons.

If you struggle to form or maintain relationships, a therapist may be able to help you.

A trained mental health expert can help you work through a tendency to isolate yourself. They can also help prepare you with the proper tools to form good, long-lasting relationships.

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Intimacy vs Isolation: The Importance of Relationships in Adulthood

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Erik Erikson was a 20th century psychologist. He analyzed and divided the human experience into eight stages of development. Each stage has a unique conflict and a unique result. One such stage - intimacy versus isolation - points out the struggle young adults have as they try to develop intimate, loving relationships.

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Though I haven't yet made it to my adulthood yet, I still believe that the way I treated others is considered caring and positive. I also strive and try to accomplish things not only that make a better person but as well as help the people around me make better choices. I feel as of right now, I lean more on the generativity side of things.

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I feel as if I keep the same attitude towards things and strive to always do better, or aim higher, or anything of that sort that I would lean on the integrity side more. I feel as if you know that death is coming upon you, and you think back on your life and can only think of good or positive things than accepting death can be easier. As of right now I feel as if I have done a lot more good than I have done bad, so when I do come to the end of my life than I'm sure accepting death will be not as bad as some might describe it to be.

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Older mixed race man smiling on beach Stock Photo

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Download Older mixed race man smiling on beach Stock Photo and explore similar images at Adobe Stock.