Complete 3 page APA formatted essay: Erikson's theory.Download file to see previous pages... In order for a person to make a transition from one stage to the other he has to balance the two opposing f

Complete 3 page APA formatted essay: Erikson's theory.

In order for a person to make a transition from one stage to the other he has to balance the two opposing forces. For instance in stage one,(Trust v Mistrust) an individual has to balance between developing trust in people and his future and developing mistrust where appropriate to avoid being naive and easily exploited. Love is paramount in any of these stages, to love and be loved makes one have a sense of belonging and therefore stage six, Intimacy v Isolation has affected my personality development (Roberta and Rubin 98) The stage of Intimacy v Isolation occurs between the age of 18 and 40 where every person strives to make committed and fruitful friendships. One either develops a strong personality based on success of previous stages hence has meaningful friendships or if he is not strong enough he adopts an isolated lifestyle. The stage calls for friendships that bring about mutual satisfaction life fulfillment. On the contrary, an isolated life brought by feelings of inadequacy and loneliness leads to social withdrawal and the person may result to substance abuse or addictive behavior. Personally, I have had experiences in my life that I can relate to the Intimacy v Isolation stage. ...

This failure to finish tasks puts you at loggerheads with your colleagues leading to further rejection. Low self esteem sets in and at this point one feels worthless and starts to take alcohol or drug abuse or addictive behavior like sex addiction or watching pornography to get instant satisfaction which unfortunately does not solve the problem and this becomes a cycle . As one becomes addicted the energy level goes down and fatigue sets in making one unable to finish tasks on time leading to procrastination and postponement, laziness becomes a lifestyle .As a result this loneliness and isolation other side effects like stress and depression emerge and if not checked may lead to suicidal thoughts. Personally, this stage has had a lot of impact in my development and in understanding the societal problems especially among the people in this stage. On a positive note, if one is well received by family members, friends, colleagues at work and in social circles, his self-worth is enhanced and will eventually have fulfilling friendships. This explains why people with loving family who gets into the stage of Intimacy v Isolation without any weaknesses end up marrying the right person, getting a good career and eventually having a good social life free from stress (Lerner 424). As for me, I was unable to resolve the crisis and this impacted negatively on my personality development .This is because I ignored the consequences of not having a fulfilling social relationships hence becoming isolated and with low self esteem. The withdrawal resulted to alcoholism that ended up being an addiction lasting for a very long time.