Erik Erikson was born June 15, 1902 in Frankfurt, Germany.

He had a mother and a father that abandoned his family. Erikson was part Jewish and part Danish. His mother remarried to a Dr. Theodor Homberger, a physician who concealed Eriksons from his birth father by giving him his name and keeping Erikson concealed for many years of his life. Erikson later found out the truth of his past. He became very interested in identity formation which he reflected on during his life. In his school years, his peers taunted him about his heritage and where he really belonged. He had blonde hair, blue eyes and tall. When he went to grammar school they taunted him about his Jewish background. Knowing what the children did to him made him really reflect on what his identity really was at that time. When his parents told him, of his past he was ready to explore the world and find the truth of what his life was to become away from Germany. He became friends with Anna Freud and he received a diploma from Vienna Psychoanalysis Institute. He came to America in 1933, under the name of Homberger and immediately changed his name back to Erikson. He taught at many prestigious Universities. While teaching at Harvard, which at that time he started his own practice in Child Psychoanalysis. In later years, he taught in California at University of California Berkley, Yale, and San Francisco Psychoanalysis Institute. He wrote several books but one in particular Gandhis Truth received the Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award (Cherry, 2012). Erikson contributed time to understanding the Sioux Indians in South Dakota, and the Yurok Indians of Northern California to understand their way of life and how they showed many ways and aspects of trust and mistrust within the tribe. He utilized his knowledge he gained about culture, environmental and social influences so he could better himself on his

psychoanalytic theory. During his teaching life, he started to teach about a persons eight stages of personality development and how it shaped over the course of a persons lifespan. Even though through his life he helped people understand stages of life Erikson did not have a college degree but became a world renowned theorist and a well- known scholar of human development. In his theory he wanted people to experience eight crises in which he called psychosocial stages (Teresa M. McDevitt, 2010).

Stage 1 Trust versus Mistrust Erik Erikson first stage is that of Trust vs. Mistrust. In this stage it involves the age of infants and lasts to the age two years of age. The definition of trust means that one has learned to rely on sameness and continuity of other providers. But the infant may need to trust in themselves to cope with urges. Mistrust is defined as if the caregiver is not present at the time when needed and are not consistent with infants care or are abusive the infant learns mistrust in caregiver/parents (Teresa M. McDevitt, 2010). According to Morrison, Sensitive care of the babys individual needs and a firm sense of personal trustworthiness within the trusted framework of their cultures life-style is what is required (Morrison, 2009). Stage 1 of my trust and mistrust would have to be a lot of trust because I had great parents that cared for me a great deal. I was born on November 19, 1959 in Berea, Ohio. I lived with both of my parents and dog Spookie. I was very welcomed into the world and a lot of family around me. She was in labor with me for 24 hours. My father was not allowed in at that time and so it was just me and my mom. Babies did not stay in the same room with their mothers as they do now. She said that I was never a crier I would go days at a time without crying. She was a stay at home mom and she said that I loved to watch her do her chores. At eight months my parents noticed that many things were not growing or healing like they should so the doctor put me back into the hospital for three days and ran tests and found out that I had thyroid disease. They put me on medication and within three days I was as mom puts it, Popping teeth, growing like a weed and my soft spot healed. My dad worked for Allegany Airlines and when he was home in the evenings, he liked o roll on the floor with my dog Snookie and I. My grandparents were always coming up from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania to visit, and we always had a great time.

My grandfather (pap) would always walk me around the neighborhood with my mom and grandma in tow. I trusted everyone around me and knew that I was safe. My first birthday was an event since my mom was now due with my baby brother Danny. He was born a year and a week from me. He was going to be my new best friend, and mom said that I thought he was just another one of my baby dolls. My mom never had post-partum depression; they were not aware of that back then and if they had it my mom did not. She was always playing with us kids and we are still the best of friends. I feel I left this stage with a lot of trust. I have great parents and great brother. There is more to come.

Stage 2 Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt Age: One thru Three At this stage toddlers start to gain independence. They are starting to dress, wash, feed, and potty with little or no help from family members. When parents or caregivers encourage selfsufficient behavior, toddlers develop autonomy (being able to handle many things for themselves). If toddlers are ridiculed toddlers will develop shame and doubt that they cannot do what they set out to do need to develop of personal control over physical skills and develop a sense of independence (Teresa M. McDevitt, 2010). Stage 2 of my Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt was an adventurous one. My brother Dan was born a week after my first birthday so things were just about the same as any other day except mom was busy taking care of me and getting ready to go to the hospital to give birth to my brother. When talking with my mom about how I dealt with this she said I was calm and did everything for myself with brushing my teeth to dressing and washing myself in the tub, except the potty situation. This my parents tried everything they could to get me to start to use the potty on my own but of course with a little stubbornness that did not help them too much. Having a new sibling in the house was interesting she explained, but she said that I did everything which was a bit of a help for her. She could put me in my high chair and give me cheerios I was content. Mornings were easy because I could dress myself and do all the things toddlers do. When my brother became old enough to learn to potty he took me by the hand and took me into the bathroom and showed me what to do and poof I did it. My parents were thrilled and always encouraged us to do for ourselves as much as we could master. My brother and I became best of

buddies and did some fun things together. Diapers in the baby pool and dad hosing us down at playtimes was always fun and giggle time. I feel I left this stage with a lot of trust and Autonomy learning complete. There was never any shame or doubt in my life.

Stage 3 Initiative versus Guilt Age: Three thru Five Children need to begin to assert control and power over their environment. If they succeed in this stage it will give them a sense of purpose. Toddlers under take projects like art, making houses and roads in the sandbox using their imagination and share communication about superheroes or any other character they feel a need to tell peers about. When parents encourage such effort children develop energetic motivation skills and independence. If parents discourage this stage children develop guilt and have unacceptable feelings about doing activities (Teresa M. McDevitt, 2010). Stage 3 was an interesting stage for me since I had a big initiative on doing things for my mom. At the age of four, I had another baby brother by the name of Lee. Dan and I were still the best of buds and helped mom out a lot as she puts it. I showed great initiative in everything I did and my favorite part was trying to help her clean house. She gave me my own broom and dust pan and I went to work sweeping everything. My favorite part was that I loved to dust and help mom vacuum. She never made me feel guilt in anything I did, she just said to be careful and watch what I was doing. Never any harsh word or actions which made it fun to help her. Activities with her were fun like making cookies, painting, or just coloring she always put our pictures on the fridge and made them special for dad to look at when he got home. I feel I left this stage with a lot of initiative in doing things for myself. Never felt any guilt for doing things around the house.

Stage 4 Industry versus Inferiority Age: Six thru Ten When children reach this stage they are expected to master many new skills. They soon learn they can gain recognition from adults through academic, artistic and participating in community activities. When children accomplish these projects or activities and are praised for the good job that they did the demonstrate industry. This is a pattern of working hard , gaining mastery in tool use, and working at lengthy tasks (Teresa M. McDevitt, 2010). However, when the child is ridiculed and punished this gives way to an inferiority complex and they feel that they are not good at anything and at times regress into themselves. This stage would have to be industry. I had a lot going for myself with starting kindergarten and being able to leave the house and go to a new place to learn new things. I had a great teacher that took us on nature hikes around the school and praised us for all the great jobs we did with our projects. I do remember three great things that stick out. One was my dad drove the school bus on my first day of school and my mom was there to see me get on. The second was my kindergarten class had a huge play house inside the classroom and we played a lot in the house. When the teacher had us do projects or work she always hung up our work in an area labeled for just that kind of stuff. One great thing that Dan and I did when it came winter time was to get the largest box we had and we would slide down our hill and have al ball until we wore the bottom out. At the age of 7 my family moved to Arizona where I started a new school and made new friends. I never felt inferior even starting school in a new area and did not seem to have any problems. When I lost my front teeth on the playground the kids were all right there to

help me out. Even the little boy that accidently had his foot out and I was not watching what I was doing and poof there went the teeth. I feel I left this stage with a lot of learning and understanding. What they call Industry I call learning.

Stage 5 Identity versus Role confusion Age 10-20 Teens need to develop a sense of self and personal identity. Success leads to an ability to stay true to oneself (Cherry, 2012). When they transition from childhood to adulthood they have many questions. These questions are if they fit into the adult world or not. They experience sexual drive that they are not used to and desire to be true to oneself. Experimenting with role confusion and where they fit in with their peers and society. They also try to fit into sports or other organization that they want to learn about. Erikson says, Most adolescents achieve a sense of identity regarding who they are and where their lives are headed (Teresa M. McDevitt, 2010). Well another school and another new town, makes getting friends tough again. Finding my identity was one of those things that I really did not have to work hard for because my view was if you do not care for me I was not really worried about it. I was Kim and that was it. I had friends and did my own thing. By the time I was 18 I was in 3 different schools. I always told my mom we were on the 5 year plan. (Live in one place for 5 years and she was ready to move). When I hit the high school years this was a busy 4 years for me. I was a manager for the Archery team all 4 years and on pep squad for a little while since I was not part of the in-crowd I was basically sent packing. This hurt a little but still identity was not a big factor. I had close friends and we had great times but I just was one to go with the flow. After graduation I worked at the local hospital and identity was important there, however, I did what was ask of me and being super tech was not important. I was geared and set on going into the military and that was

where I found my true identity. Boot camp was not so bad had to prove to myself that I could do it and I did.

Stage 6 Intimacy versus Isolation Ages young adult 20-45 Once children become older, and are into young adulthood they establish their identities, and start to form commitments to one or more individuals. The young adult forms closer relationships with others (through marriage or close friends). The young adult needs to learn to make personal commitment to another as spouse, parent or partner. At this stage they are willing to make sacrifices and compromises to all that they are close to in their relationships. However, if they do not form these relationships or bonds the young adult have or get the sense of isolation from others in addition to loneliness which may result in depression (Teresa M. McDevitt, 2010). This can lead to sever character problems. My stage 6 would have to entail both intimacy and isolation. At the age of 20 I was in the military and on my own in a different part of the states for military boot camp and getting stationed is so many different areas of the country and overseas. I met a few military men but was not a big thing just friends and my work seemed to keep me busy. I had friends that I did things with like couples and roommates. After meeting Jim at a party we became good friends and kept in touch. He got transferred back to the states. After a 6 months of letter writing back and forth, Jim in Ft. Meade, Maryland and yours truly in Rota, Spain it made for a long distance friendship. He proposed by mail and two visits later we were married when I returned back to the states for military discharge from the Navy. We transferred to many military bases and we got to know other people briefly; due to school assignments not being full-time military orders. When we finally got stationed on a permanent military base, we got settled in, also meeting new people and making lots of friends within the military family. When I became

pregnant at 28, and had my son Randy this was a great time. We transferred 2 more times after randy was born and then got stationed back in Key West where he started kindergarten, it was a tough time because Jim was sent by the military to temporary duty areas in the country. This was a feeling of isolation even though I had neighbors it was not the same. When Jim returned and retired from the military I knew that he was not going to go anywhere without me and randy. We moved out of base housing and out on our own and started to get to know the area we lived in. I had a few jobs but ended up getting a great job with the local school district and I in turn stayed there for 7 years. Well, after living in Key West basically for18 years we moved yet again this time to Indiana. I feel I left this stage with lots of both intimacy and isolation. But there is more to come.

Stage 7 Generativity versus Stagnation Middle age 45-65 Well this is the stage where middle age sets in and people in this stage are in the need to contribute to society and guide future generations. This is also the stage people need to seek satisfaction through in career, family, and civic interest. This results in generativity. People will nurturing the objects that will outlast them. For instance, like their childrens lives or the persons life. This gives them a sense of accomplishment. However, failure in generativity makes a person self-centered and unwilling to help others and this develops into stagnation, which become the lack of production (Teresa M. McDevitt, 2010). In this stage my life is generativity and maybe in the future a little of stagnation. After moving to Indiana my family and I got randy into the local high school. We found that Randy had been miss-diagnosed with not having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) but Aspergers/ High Functioning Autism. This was a bit more understanding on what we had been dealing with, and I knew way back when Randy was little that he was having difficulty that I was going to do everything in my power to get him the help he may need to live a good life. After being a mom full time and not working after we moved up to Indiana and no jobs I set out to find my way in the town of Fairmount. This was a temporary home until we found our home in Summitville. I helped in the local library and senior activities within the library. With having my own home for the first time this gave me the feeling of ownership and comfort. But after 7 years of living there and giving back to the community with our apples and fruit trees donations we moved to Anderson, Indiana where we all downsized and moved into a townhouse where we all went back to school full time except for Randy he was doing in slowly. I finished

up my AAS degree and started to work at one of the local pre-schools as an assistant and Jim got his Bachelor of Science degree from Ball State and went on to be a very educated man and into a Fantastic job that took us to many interesting places in the world. Randy was with us awhile and finished off his cooking degree and he is now an assistant head chef at one of the exclusive restaurants in Phoenix, Arizona. Jim and I retired to a little town in Texas and having the time of our life and not a bit of stagnation in our bones. I feel I left this stage with a lot of generativity and not a lot of stagnation. Life is good and trying to keep it that way.

Stage 8 Ego Integrity versus Despair Retirement age 65 and Up This stage is the looking back and seeing what the person had accomplished in their lives. Believing that they have led a blissful and productive life, they are content with what they have taught others and also learned from them, too. The feeling of fulfillment and feeling of wisdom they have found in their lives. Although when a person feels no sense of worth they may become bitter, regretful and unachieved goals this causes despair. They have reviewed life accomplishments, deals with loss and preparation for death (Teresa M. McDevitt, 2010). This stage of my life is an interesting life that is filled with Integrity and little bit of Despair. After retiring to Texas and getting involved in so many activities it hardly seems that Jim and I are in our late 60s early 70s. We have had many visits from family and just a few years ago Randy became head chef at the number one Hilton Hotel in Hawaii, for Mr. Hilton himself. Jim and I have been traveling a lot also and plan in a few weeks to go visit Randy. He has learned so much and I have hoped that I have helped him get to that spot in his life. I had a scare about a year ago with my heart but the doctor said that I was okay and just to be careful. I personally thought that the throwing of the golf club pulled a muscle that caused my heart to hurt. I am not afraid of death just hoping that the guys can be okay if something happens to me. They are my life and will protect them even in death. This will not be for a while though. I feel I have left this stage in high Ego Integrity and little Despair. It has been a good life and it will continue to be a great one.

References Cherry, K. (2012). Biography of Erik Erikson. Retrieved February 10, 2012, from About.com: http://psychology.about.com . Psychosocial and emotional Development. In G. S. Morrison, Early Childhood Education Today (12 ed., pp. 244-245). Upper Saddle River: Pearson. Retrieved February 10, 2012. . Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development. In J. E. Teresa M. McDevitt, Child Development and Education (4 ed., p. 404). Upper Saddle River: Pearson. Retrieved February 10, 2012.