-
Generativity vs. Stagnation -- Carol Becomes a Teacher
Carol decided to change careers in the middle of her life, and become a teacher. She went back to college to get the necessary certification. She is 50 years old, in middle adulthood. The crisis in this stage is called Generativity vs. Stagnation. A person working through this crisis will start to place more attention on caring for the next generation vs. caring for themselves primarily, and they will begin to do things to prevent themselves from feeling stagnant, such as helping others. -
Trust vs. Mistrust -- Carlos Learns to Trust His Nanny
Carlos's mom is going back to work after 6 weeks of maternity leave. He is being left with a caretaker who is a professional nanny named Lulu. He is an infant (6 weeks old) so his crisis now is called Trust vs. Mistrust. His main focus as he works through this crisis will be to develop trust with his main adult people who are for him. In this case, he is focusing on loving his new caregiver and trusting her so that he can be happy and calm during the daytime when he is away from his Mom. -
Industry vs. Inferiority -- Fiona Gets a Puppy
Fiona got a new puppy and is learning to raise it. She is 10 years old, in the stage of middle childhood. Right now she is working through the crisis of industry vs. inferiority and she is learning new knowledge and skills about her community, culture, and herself. Learning to care for a pet the way that she "should" (based on agreed-upon practices in her home and town), is helping her to move through this crisis and grow as a person.
