September 26th, 2011

Erik Erikson

In today's class, we covered Erik Erikson's "eight stages of development". 

Which are as follows:

Towards the end of class we, the students, were invited to answer this question: 

"which one of Erik Erikson's eight stages do you think you most fit into at the moment?"

My Response

          I do not really think I fit into any of Erikson's stages; personally, I feel as though I am what one might call an "old soul". My mother calls me an "old bitty" because I do not usually act like others who are my age; in fact, I would much rather be playing bingo or taking a nap in the middle of the day. That is just who I am. 

          According to Erikson, I should be in the end years of the "identity vs. confusion" stage, and slowly transitioning into the "intimacy vs. isolation" stage. 

          I believe that I am, and have been for quite some time, set in my identity and am very comfortable with the young adult I have become. So.. that rules out "identity vs. confusion", because I have been very much the same person since about age 16 or 17, no identity crisis as of yet. At about age 14, or around there, I did have trouble fitting into the groups I was a part of, I tended to bounce back and forth from group to group... trying to find a spot where I would fit in. So I DID go through the stage, but as of now I feel as though I am out of it.

        As for the "intimacy vs. isolation" stage, I am not completely in it at the moment, according to my age, but I definitely do not see it causing me a problem in the near future because I have my life very meticulously planned out until about age 28. And I do not have much room for distraction, or veering off course. In case that intrigued you, here is my plan:

age 18-22: going to school for my BEd (RDC and U of A)

age 22: travel to Africa to teach

age 23-26: move to Vancouver, settle in and start working

age 26: adopt my first child from Africa

age 29: adopt my second child from Africa

        So, as you can see... it is not that I am planning to isolate myself from intimate experiences.. I simply do not have the time for that kind of thing until I am at least 24 or 25 and settled into my adult life. However, if someone does come along and proves to be my "soul mate", I guess some changes will have to be made to my plan to accommodate that. But... I absolutely DO NOT plan on going out and searching desperately for that "someone" if he does not come. I would be perfectly content being a single parent and an independent woman. 

And so, for the sixth time.. I would like to thank whoever has taken the time to view my post(s), it means a lot that you care enough about my opinions to spend your time reading this. 

Sincerely,

Natasha <3