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Punishment
Ciara Lyn (Age 3) whose parents are divorced, lives with her mother who drinks heavily. Ciara was punished constantly for little things she did incorrectly. She always felt that she couldn’t do anything right. In Erikson’s second stage, Autonomy versus shame and doubt, the crisis is between being able to experience toddlerhood with making mistakes and learning from them (autonomy) and always being told that what she was doing was wrong (shame and doubt). -
Peer Pressure
Ciara (Age 14) now living with her grandparents, goes to a party with her friends and is offered alcohol. She turns down the offer and is proud of her choice which gives her a strong sense of self. In Erikson’s fifth stage, identity versus identity confusion, the crisis is between being encouraged by her grandparents to make the right decision and choose who you want to be (indemnity) or being unsure of beliefs and desires (identity confusion). -
Buying a House
Ciara (Age 22) and her boyfriend David decide to move in and buy a house together. They have chosen to work on building their relationship further and only want to be with each other. In Erikson’s sixth stage, intimacy versus isolation, the crisis is between deciding to enter into a committed relationship that only each other share (intimacy) or deciding to stay alone in fear of commitment (isolation). -
Disaster Relief
Ciara (Age 45) decides to join the American Red Cross Association to travel and help those in need. She has always wanted to be a part of a cause and finds great joy in helping others. In Erikson’s seventh stage, generativity versus stagnation, the crisis is between the satisfaction one feels when contributing to the world or society (generativity) or being uninvolved and continuing with busy life (stagnation).
