In my own life, I have no doubt that this conflict was resolved favorably, because I have always had very loving and attentive parents. Now, I am a very trusting person who always strives to see the good in others. According to the text, a “mistrustful baby cannot count on the kindness and compassion of others, so she protects herself by withdrawing from people and things around her.” This description does not match my personality in the slightest. I am involved with people and I trust people almost to a fault.

I was not immune to the “terrible two’s” stereotype. I definitely went through a phase of craving independence, and I often hear from family how comical it was that I would frustratedly yell, “I do it myself!” I spoke to my parents about this phase, and they ensure me that when appropriate, I was always to permitted to make my own choices and do things myself, and my parents met my “assertions of independence with tolerance and understanding.”

When I was this age, my little brother was born. I had to step up to be a good big sister and help my parents. I had to take a lot of initiative to meet their expectations. I have a vivid memory of my brother crying because he needed his diaper changed. My parents were not in the room and I was tired of hearing my brother cry, so I climbed into his Pack-and-Play and changed his diaper myself. This clearly aligns with initiative vs. guilt. I displayed just what is described in the text with, “ children act out family scenes…” I had seen my parents change my brother’s diaper countless times, so I was confident that I could do it too.,

For the most part, I always did very well in school. My parents were supportive and often helped me with my homework and encouraged me to read lots of books. This instilled many positive experiences with education, and I am sure that much of my academic success can be attributed to that. Like described in the text, achieving my academic goals as a child allowed my to develop “a positive but realistic self-concept [and] pride in accomplishment” necessary to tackle the rest of my academic career with confidence. The positive emotions I had from being successful in school prompted me to be productive in other areas, too, when I was not doing schoolwork.

I think that identity is something that evolves constantly throughout someone’s life, although there is no debate that it is an especially complex issue for adolescents. I’ve always been someone who gets along well with anyone, so when I was young and trying to base my identity on those of my friends’, that made identity development especially difficult. I wasn’t until my late teen years, when I left high school band and spent less time my long-term group of friends, that I was able to focus on myself, and I started to form a better understanding of my own identity. According to the text, “The process of identity formation typically involves exploring a range of alternatives, making provisional commitments, engaging in in-depth evaluation of one’s choices, and—if those choices fit poorly with one’s capacities and potentials—refocusing on possible alternative commitments.” As a teenager, I often associate with many different kinds of people. It could be said that I was “trying on” numerous different interests and identities to find what felt right. 

 As a teacher, generativity is practically in the job description. I am very excited for the opportunity to work closely with students and help them attain their goals. 

I have lots of life left to live, and I plan on living it to the fullest so that I can resolve this crisis. If I work hard and keep my values, I believe that I will look back on my life with great satisfaction.