Summary Of Erikson's Four Stages Of Psychosocial Development

Erikson 's sixth stage of psychosocial development is Intimacy vs. Isolation. This stage of development often occurs between the ages of 20-25 years or what is commonly referred to as early adulthood. During this stage of development individuals often have a strong desire to share their personal life with someone else. Individuals have now developed their own sense of identity and so they are now eager to fuse their identity with that of others. Individuals are often ready for intimacy or "the capacity to commit [themselves] to concrete affiliations and partnerships and to develop the ethical strength to abide by such commitments, even though they call for significant sacrifices and compromises (Berger, 2016). Adults during this stage of development often ask themselves "Who can I share my life with?". A conflict often arises during this stage of development between one 's desire for intimacy in a long term-term relationship and one 's commitment to not losing their sense of self in the process. Adults who master this stage of development, often develop the

Stagnation. This stage of development often occurs between the ages of 26 to 64 years or what is referred to as middle adulthood. Generativity often means establishing and guiding the next generation. During this stage of development, adults often seek to be productive in a caring way, often as parents. Adults may also satisfy their need to be generative through caregiving and employment (Berger, 2016). Adults often ask themselves during this stage of development "Whom or What can I care for?". Adults often feel the need to needed and so they often try to create, care for what has been created, and try to contribute to the next generation. Adults who master this stage of development, often develop the virtue of care or the "widening commitment to take care of the persons, the products, and the ideas one has learned to care for" (Poole,