Erick Erikson stage theory of psychosocial development comprises of eight stages that are ordered in a hierarchy. The theory is widely used by psychologists, nurses, and counselors when providing aging patients with care. The last stage is referred to as integrity versus despair which commences at the age of 65 and ends at death ("Erikson's Stage 8", 2019). The stage is marked by a psychosocial conflict with the main question being “was my life meaningful?” lingering in the mind of the aging individual. Wisdom is the fundamental virtue that this stage requires so that one can reflect back on their life’s important events.
The aging adult starts tackling the mortality problem usually elicited by the events of life including a terminal illness, retirement, a spouse’s or friends’ loss and other changes that impact major roles in life. It is from this reflection that a sense of fulfillment or despair and regret results if one feels that their life was misspent. Ego integrity is what develops after the crisis in this stage is successfully resolved. When the aging adults look back at their spent lives and feels contented, they face their end of life with wisdom and devoid of regrets. This wisdom is “informed and detached concern with life itself in the face of death itself” as defined by Erikson (McAdams et al., 2017).
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Individuals who experience a sense of integrity happen to be those that feel proud of what they accomplished (Scheck, 2014). Additionally, those who complete this phase successfully reflect at their past life and derive a sense of satisfaction and few regrets. Thus, these individuals attain wisdom even when they facing death. On the other hand, the individual who feel that their lives were unsuccessful and wasted experience immense regrets and overwhelming feelings of despair and bitterness. The despair marks the final dystonic element in Erikson stage theory.
References
Erikson's Stage 8. (2019). Retrieved from http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/ERIK/stage8.HTML
Scheck, S. (2014). The Stages of Psychosocial Development According to Erik H. Erikson .
München: GRIN Verlag GmbH.
Westerhof, G. J., Bohlmeijer, E. T., & McAdams, D. P. (2017;2015;). The relation of ego
integrity and despair to personality traits and mental health. Journals of Gerontology. Series B: Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences, 72 (3), 400-407. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbv062
