not one thing but another

Sarah Helen Whitman

not Brightman,

I had been researching someone named Brightman and that was one too many -mans for my brain.

And then my fffffffff key is sticking, not sticking but often not showing up at all.

I am having to dip back in and refamiliarize myself with Erickson's psychosocial development phases for some of the things I am working on and I forgot how interesting, and how simple they basically are:

Hope: Trust vs. Mistrust

(Infants, 0 to 1 year)

Psychosocial Crisis: Trust vs. Mistrust

Virtue: Hope

Will: Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt

(Toddlers, 2 to 3 years)

Psychosocial Crisis: Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt

Main Question: "Can I do things myself or must I always rely on others?"

Virtue: Will

Purpose: Initiative vs. Guilt

(Preschool, 4 to 6 years)

Psychosocial Crisis: Initiative vs. Guilt

Main Question: "Am I good or am I bad?"

Virtue: Purpose

Related Elements in Society: ideal prototypes/roles

Competence: Industry vs. Inferiority

(Childhood, 7 to 12 years)

Psychosocial Crisis: Industry vs. Inferiority

Main Question: "Am I successful or worthless?"

Virtue: Competence

Related Elements in Society: division of labour

Fidelity: Identity vs. Role Confusion

(Adolescents, 13 to 19 years)

Psychosocial Crisis: Identity vs. Role Confusion

Main Question: "Who am I and where am I going?"

Ego quality: Fidelity

Related Elements in Society: ideology

Love: Intimacy vs. Isolation

(Young Adults, 20 to 34 years)

Main Question: "Am I loved and wanted?" or "Shall I share my life with someone or live alone?"

Virtue: Love

Related Elements in Society: patterns of cooperation (often marriage)

Care: Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood, 35 to 65 years)

Psychosocial Crisis: Generativity vs. Stagnation

Main Question: "Will I produce something of real value?"

Virtue: Care

Related Elements in Society: parenting, educating, or other productive social involvement

Wisdom: Ego Integrity vs. Despair

(Seniors, 65 years onwards)

Psychosocial Crisis: Ego Integrity vs. Despair

Main Question: "Have I lived a full life?"

Virtue: Wisdom

Now - the actually age ranges listed are guidelines only. They suggest when, in a person's life, this devlopement should occur for a person to develop in a balanced manner and they are linear in progress.

If the progress gets disruptive, you can still keep going on but then you have unresolved development issues.

Tied to the concept of the age ranges is the physical development and then deterioration of the body.

Its all nice and good, but reality is this is a very unlinear process but the stages that are recognized are very accurate. I think I know more 28 year olds who touch on the wisdom question now then ever before, only it is phrased as "Am I making choices that will lead to a full life?" and more 40 year olds who are asking themselves the question about Intimacy and Isolation.

Its odd to read the list and pick out where the majority of your questions lie at this point in your life, then wander around and see what your unfinished bits are or the advanced bits.

c.2010 Cassandra Tribe. All Rights Reserved.