Integrity versus despair is the eighth and final stage of Erik Erikson’s stage theory of psychosocial development. This stage begins at approximately age 65 and ends at death. Psychologists, counselors, and nurses today use the concepts of Erikson's stages when providing care for aging patients. Show
Erikson’s theory suggests that people pass through eight distinctive developmental stages as they grow and change through life. While many developmental theories tend to focus purely on childhood events, Erikson was one of the few theorists to look at development across the entire course of the lifespan. He was also one of the first to view the aging process itself as part of human development. At each stage of psychosocial development, people are faced with a crisis that acts as a turning point in development. Successfully resolving the crisis leads to developing a psychological virtue that contributes to overall psychological well-being. At the integrity versus despair stage, the key conflict centers on questioning whether or not the individual has led a meaningful, satisfying life. What to Know
What Are Integrity and Despair?Integrity refers to a person's ability to look back on their life with a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Characteristics of integrity include:
Despair refers to looking back on life with feelings of regret, shame, or disappointment. Characteristics of despair include:
The integrity versus despair stage begins as the aging adult begins to tackle the problem of his or her mortality. The onset of this stage is often triggered by life events such as retirement, the loss of a spouse, the loss of friends and acquaintances, facing a terminal illness, and other changes to major roles in life. During the integrity versus despair stage, people reflect back on the life they have lived and come away with either a sense of fulfillment from a life well lived or a sense of regret and despair over a life misspent. Benefits of IntegrityThere are a number of benefits to successfully achieving feelings of integrity at this stage of life. These benefits include:
Those who feel proud of their accomplishments will feel a sense of integrity. Successfully completing this phase means looking back with few regrets and a general feeling of satisfaction. These individuals will attain wisdom, even when confronting death. CausesThere are a number of different factors that can influence the integrity versus despair stage of psychosocial development. Some factors that influence the outcome of this stage include:
Consequences of DespairDespair can have serious consequences for a person's health and well-being as they face the end of life. Research suggests that ego integrity and despair are important life-space development indicators of well-being. Some of the consequences of despair include:
Those who are unsuccessful during this phase will feel that their life has been wasted and will experience many regrets. The individual will be left with feelings of bitterness and despair. How to Improve IntegrityThis stage of psychosocial development often depends on many of the events that occurred during earlier periods of life. However, there are things that you can do to help develop a greater sense of ego integrity as you age.
How to Decrease DespairIf you find yourself experiencing a sense of despair as you age, there are steps that you can take to improve your well-being. Some of the steps you can take include:
A Word From VerywellAccording to Erikson's theory, individuals don't experience integrity or despair all the time. Instead, most healthy individuals experience a balance between each as they begin to make sense of their lives. Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Additional Reading
Thanks for your feedback! Which theorist examined personality in the ego integrity versus despair stage?Ego integrity versus despair is the eighth and final stage of Erik Erikson's stage theory of psychosocial development. This stage begins at approximately age 65 and ends at death. It is during this time that we contemplate our accomplishments and can develop integrity if we see ourselves as leading a successful life.
How does Erikson define the ego integrity versus despair stage of psychosocial development quizlet?personality traits. ego integrity vs. despair. According to Erikson, the eighth and final stage psychosocial development, in which people in late adulthood either achieve a sense of integrity of the self by accepting the lives they have lived, and thus accept death, or yield to despair that their lives cannot be ...
What is Erik Erikson's theory quizlet?Erikson's Theory. Considered a psychodynamic theory; posits that personality development is determined by the interaction of an internal maturational plan and external societal demands. Argues that there are eight stages in the human life cycle and that the order of the stages is biologically fixed.
What is an important characteristic of Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development quizlet?Erikson believe that learning to control one's bodily functions leads to a feeling of control and a sense of independence. Other important events include gaining more control over food choices, toy preferences, and clothing selection.
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