Erikson´s Theory of Development: Story of My Life

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No matter who you are I believe that everyone will go through stages in their life that will get them to where they are on today. I am a person who has a very interesting story; this is the first time it will be told in full. We were asked to use Erik Erikson’s theory of development as a guideline to telling the story of our lives. At first I was very nervous; however, I soon realized that this would be a fun task. Erik Erikson has eight stages of Development (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman). I will be walking you though my life using each one of his stages drawing out the map of my life. Within my life I have had some very interesting encounters. I have been through foster care, abuse, rape, molestation, starvation, adoption, depression, and success. Although my life may not be perfect, I believe that I have overcome these battles and become the person that I am on today. I will be talking about a few crises, milestones, and some of the people that were set in place to help me and or hurt me.
At a young age I was put into foster care. This was something that I would have to say has both its ups and downs. I saw good days and there are other times that I would not see the day at all. I was subjected to abuse, neglect, and even love while in foster care. The reason I was but here is because my mother had too many children and was very abusive. My mother, Rose Brown, was hit by a car at a young age causing her to have several different mental health issues. By the time I was seven my mother had nineteen children. Because of her lack of ability to take care of her children my mother had to put us all in foster care.
As time went on, being in foster care didn’t seem that bad. I thought that it would never end; however, it ended for me ...

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...care. I say this because I was trying to figure out who I could trust (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman). I have been through the second stage as well; this stage is Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt” (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman). This happened the most when I was very young and in foster care. I have seen myself go through several other stages as well. Now that I am looking back on my life I would have to say that I never gave up. I always pushed through everything that I had to. I am now at the point where I am trying to find love and success. I now believe that I am in the “Intimacy Versus Isolation Stage” (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman). My life may not have been perfect; however, I did experience the stages that I was supposed to according to Erickson.

Works Cited

Zastrow, C., and K. Kirst-Ashman. Understanding human behavior and the social environment. Brooks/Cole, print.

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