Ego Integrity Vs. Despair: A Psychological Analysis

According to Erik Erikson, a person’s life consists of eight stages of development. Each of them

is comprised of a developmental crisis, all influencing the growth of the ego. Each stage has a

psychosocial crisis that an individual must successfully achieve to move on to the next

stage without unresolved conflicts. “According to theory, successful completion of each stage

results in healthy personality and the acquisition of basic virtues.” (McLeod, S. A. 2013) Basic

virtue is described as “characteristic strengths which the ego can use to resolve subsequent

crises”. (McLeod, S. A. 2013)

Erik Erikson’s 8th developmental stage, Ego Integrity vs. Despair occurs in late adulthood (age

65 and older). This stage is characterized

Despair. Successful completion in this stage is characterized by wisdom, the ability for

a person to reflect on their life with a sense of content, if a person has not achieved this level of

contentedness they may have a fear of death. The onset of this final stage, which occurs in the

older adult, may be brought on by retirement, death of close friends or a spouse. Whatever the

cause, the final life crises or stage of development manifests itself as a life-review, or reminiscence

of their life. The positive outcome of this crises resolution is Ego- Integrity, as the individual looks

back on their whole life with a sense of satisfaction and/or achievement. The goal of this

sense of achievement is wisdom in themselves and self-acceptance. The individual does this by

reflecting on their life and justify the meaning of their life. The negative outcome of this

final stage is Despair which is characterized by an attitude that life is too short, or a fear of

impending death. Despair comes upon if an individual views their life as unproductive or feels

guilt that they did not accomplish their life goals. Despair can often lead to depression.

(McLeod, S.A

“Results showed that important

identity processes including reintegrating important identity elements from younger years,

rebalancing relationships and other social roles, readjusting to loss and diminished physical

capacities, and finding life meanings.” (Sokol, J 2009) Negative images of old age in the society may negatively impact the self-worth of the older adult

population and the way their needs are met by health care professionals. How do we maintain

their self-concept while improving or maintaining their quality of life? “In psychology the main

stress is put on the analyses of everyday experiences of man and their influence on general

satisfaction and feeling of fulfillment in one’s life.” (Tatala, M. 2009)

Per Eriksonian theory, when older adults start to experience declines in their physical

and/or cognitive health they may find a sense of renewed sense of purpose by self-managing their

health to remain in control of themselves rather than allowing family, friends or health care

professionals make decisions for them. Conversely, they may relinquish themselves to