Erikson Role Confusion

Erikson proposes that eight “inner” drives motivates us to do certain things at certain points in life. Regardless of me being twenty-two years old, I do believe that I match with Erikson’s perspective of being in the stage of intimacy versus isolation. In the text, “Erkison says, It is only after reasonable sense of identity has been established that real intimacy with the other sex is possible” (Bee, 2000). I feel as if during this time in my life I have established myself and learned and achieved a sense of identity. I believe I have identified and understood myself through my sexuality, what career I want to be in, my political views, and religion. I have tried to date during what is called the “identity versus role confusion,” but it was …show more content…
This early stage has the potential of influencing one’s interactions and relationships with others. This stage is important because it is the foundation for all the other stages in life. According to Erikson, “The infant must form a first, loving, trusting relationship with the caregiver or risk a persisting sense of mistrust” (Bee, 2000). There is the potential of hope at this stage. It is important that the quality of care given is high so there could be trust built. This also builds the trust or mistrust one could have with others. If this stage is successful, there would be a sense of security and a sense of being safe in the world. An example of a positive outcome of this stage is that one can feel that they can turn to the person that has given them care. If the stage is not successful, one could go on not being able to develop trust and could go through life in fear. There are many negatives that could affect the person for the rest of their life if this stage is poorly done. Also, there could be a sense of anxiety and insecurity that may develop. For example, there could be a sense of frustration because the needs are not met due to the lack of trust built. Also another example of a negative outcome if trust is not established is that love and care from the most important person in one’s life is not …show more content…
“First, there are a number of important roles totally omitted from the model, such as the role of a grandparent, or the role of caregiver to one’s own aging parents” (Bee, 2000). There are definite changes once the children have left the house and are not relying on their parents. The more evidence and studies done, there are major differences in life structures and roles. “The second and even more telling problem with family life-size stages as a theory of adult life is that in today’s industrialized societies, a great many people simple do not move through this sequence of roles in the order given” (Bee, 2000). Many people today do no marry or even have children. There could also be different complex children and martial situations where one would remarry or marry someone who is not the biological parent. The dynamics of step-parent and step-children were not included in this model. Many adults in America are not able to relate to the Duvall’s