P9

• Stage 5, identity versus role confusion, is the central task of adolescence and those in the early 20s.
• In achieving identity in stage V, identity vs role confusion, the young person must develop a set of personal values and goals. This is a shift to a future orientation where teenagers must not only consider what or who they are but also what or who they will be.
• The teenager or young adult must develop several linked identities: an occupational, a gender or gender-role identity, and political and religious identities. If these identities are not developed, the young person suffers from a sense of confusion, a sense of not knowing what or who one is.
• Stage 6, intimacy versus isolation, builds on the newly formed identity of adolescence.
• Intimacy is the ability to fuse your identity with somebody else’s without fear that you’re going to lose something yourself. For those whose identities are weak or unformed, relationships will remain shallow, and the young person will experience a sense of isolation or loneliness.
• Many young people make the mistake of thinking they will find their identity in a relationship, but it is only those who have already formed (or are well on the way to forming) a clear identity who can successfully enter the fusion of identities that he calls intimacy.
• Erikson's Stage Theory has been tested with mixed results. The Loyola Generativity Scale (LGS) is a tool consisting of 20 statements that participants rate to assess their level of generativity. Questions cover aspects like passing along knowledge, making a difference, creativity, and contributing to society. The scale aims to measure how well individuals express generativity in their lives.
• Myth that older adults are isolated and depressed is falsified as one’s level of social involvement earlier in life is likely mirrored later in life as found in a longitudinal study and replacement of friends is a dynamic process that does not change much with age
• Age is a significant risk factor for neurocognitive impairment; however, it is not part of the normal aging process and many older people do not have significant impairment in memory and functioning
• Stage 8 is ego integrity versus despair. Ego integrity is achieved when people look back over their lives and decide: if  they find meaning and integration in their life review or  if their life is full of meaninglessness and unproductivity. If they see that they have resolved well the conflicts that arose in each previous stage, they are able to reap the fruit of a well-lived life, which Erikson labels “wisdom.”
• Stage 7, is generativity versus self-absorption and stagnation. Generativity is concerned with establishing and guiding the next generation and includes procreation, productivity, and creativity. Adults who do successfully express generativity may become self-absorbed or experience a sense of stagnation. The strength that can emerge from this stage is care
• The bearing and rearing of children is a key element in Erikson’s view of generativity, but it is not the only element as serving as a mentor for younger colleagues, doing charitable work in society, and the like are also expressions of generativity