Comparing Erikson's Integrity Vs. Despair
Erikson has been hailed as one of the greatest psychologist ever. His work has been studied by tens of thousands. However, as with all psychologists he has had his critics. During his work, Erik Erikson developed eight psychological stages spanning a person's lifetime. Each stage occurs during a certain time and ends in certain outcome.
Erikson's last stage, "Integrity Vs. Despair", occurs in older (65 years or older) individuals. During this stage, individuals look back on their lives and either develop integrity or depression and hopelessness. Successe in this final stage can lead to wisdom.
An example of someone succeeding in Erikson's final stage would be mother Teresa. When mother Teresa was only eight years old, her father died, a traumatic experience for any age. Surprisingly, by the tender age of twelve, she had already decided what she wanted to do with her life, she wanted to commit to the religious life. By the age of 18, she left her home to join the "Sisters of Loreto". Sadly, she never saw her sister or mother again. The …show more content…
Born in 1889, he moved to Germany in 1913. He soon joined a party calling themselves the German Workers Party, and became the leader of the NSDAP in 1921. He was imprisoned in 1923 when he led a coup to seize power. Later released in 1924, he regained popularity by criticizing the "Treaty of Versailles." In 1933 Hitler was elected chancellor. Initiating world war 2, Hitler murdered millions of people he deemed lower than himself (not to mention the millions that died in the fighting).
To conclude, while the eight stages proposed by Erik Erikson are a nice starting point, they do have their critics. Finally, the last stage proposed by Erikson can be seen in the lives of a plethora of people today. The importance of leaving behind a legacy of joy and integrity is of the utmost
Erikson's last stage, "Integrity Vs. Despair", occurs in older (65 years or older) individuals. During this stage, individuals look back on their lives and either develop integrity or depression and hopelessness. Successe in this final stage can lead to wisdom.
An example of someone succeeding in Erikson's final stage would be mother Teresa. When mother Teresa was only eight years old, her father died, a traumatic experience for any age. Surprisingly, by the tender age of twelve, she had already decided what she wanted to do with her life, she wanted to commit to the religious life. By the age of 18, she left her home to join the "Sisters of Loreto". Sadly, she never saw her sister or mother again. The …show more content…
Born in 1889, he moved to Germany in 1913. He soon joined a party calling themselves the German Workers Party, and became the leader of the NSDAP in 1921. He was imprisoned in 1923 when he led a coup to seize power. Later released in 1924, he regained popularity by criticizing the "Treaty of Versailles." In 1933 Hitler was elected chancellor. Initiating world war 2, Hitler murdered millions of people he deemed lower than himself (not to mention the millions that died in the fighting).
To conclude, while the eight stages proposed by Erik Erikson are a nice starting point, they do have their critics. Finally, the last stage proposed by Erikson can be seen in the lives of a plethora of people today. The importance of leaving behind a legacy of joy and integrity is of the utmost