Where the basic needs such as nourishment and affection are met or not.

I experienced my first bit of a crisis around this age when I had a huge nosebleed. My crib was completely covered in blood when my parents checked on me. They rushed me to the hospital and provided me with the care I needed.

At this stage of my life, my result was trust. I received love and the basic needs.

According to Erikson "The critical element in developing trust is sensitive, responsive, consistent caregiving."

Where one develops a sense of independence or lacks thereof.

My older brother is five years older than me and was not interested in playing with me. I had toys to play with that my brother and I shared, so I was able to find things to do on my own.

At this stage of my life, my result was autonomy. I did not have many people to play with, so I learned how to entertain myself.

According to Erikson "The strength that emerges during this stage is will."

Where one learns to take initiative but may also develop guilt if something goes wrong or seems incorrect.

Many times, growing up with a brother who was five years older than me, he would influence me to partake in bad behavior. I would eventually tell my parents on us because things did not seem right.

At this stage of my life, my result was guilt. I feared that something bad would happen if I continued doing something that I felt was bad.

"The growth of self-regulation parallels the development of the self-conscious and evaluative emotions, such as empathy, shame, and guilt (Lewis, 1995)."

Where one develops the ability to be confident in their self or develops a sense of inferiority.

I was a small kid who did not like the way I looked. I often talked down on myself.

At this stage of my life, my result was inferiority. I lacked confidence and held this with me into adolescence.

According to Erikson (1998), "A major determinant of self-esteem is children’s view of their capacity for productive work."

Where one is developing identity and experiments different styles.

My father passed away at this age. I had to decide many things after this happened, like where I wanted to live.

At this stage in my life, my result was identity. I decided for myself that I wanted to live with my brother in Indiana, instead of moving to another state with my uncle.

According to Erikson (1982), "The psychosocial moratorium, the time-out period that adolescence provides, allows young people to search for commitments to which they can be faithful."

Where one becomes isolated or finds love and forms relationships.

I had a falling out with my brother and decided I needed to move out of his house. I decided to move in with my best friend, then found love with my children's mother.

At this stage of my life, my result was intimacy. I found true love for the first time and decided to start a family.

According to Erikson, "A man is not capable of real intimacy until after he has achieved a stable identity."

Where one begins to contribute to society, starts a family or does not and is stagnant.

I found myself becoming stagnant and decided I needed to change the way I was living.

At this point in my life, my result was generativity. I changed my career and found something that will benefit myself, my family and others around me.

Where one looks back on their life and decides if they have regrets or are happy with the decisions they made.

At this point in my life, I believe my result will be integrity. I am happy with all of the decisions I have made in my life to this point and do not think I will change my mind.