Psych Test Tonight!

I've been reading my psych getting ready for tonight's test. I love this stuff because I have always been enthralled my human behavior of all kinds. I have always been interested in how people get to be the way they are and why. Tonight I read about Erikson's (1950) Psychosocial Stages Model and I think they are very interesting... I'll skip over the young ones that are pretty basic. For example, when you are born you develop the ability to either trust or not trust based on your parents abilities to look after you.

In young adulthood we deal with intimacy vs. Isolation. This determined if you isolate yourself from intimate relationships. I have seen how far this can go and I flirted with isolation before I left for Italy and again after I returned. I am so happy I found Kent (and likewise he found me) because I think we were both on the path to isolation.

During middle adulthood you have generatively vs. Self-absorption. Here people need to decide what they can "give back" to the world. The alternative is possible meaninglessness in life.

In later age, humans major conflict is Integrity vs. Despair. This one really spoke to me as my fiance was just fired by our boss who is now entering this stage of his life. It is a time in life when one must reflect back on their life. The choices they make in life with contribute to a worthwhile sense of existence or feelings of despair and fear of death.