Integrity Vs. Despair: A Case Study

Social workers utilize all available tools to be able to provide their clients with the best services, and when working to assess clients, Erik Erikson’s developmental stages can help to provide valuable insights. Erikson theorized that life has 8 developmental stages and to successfully compete a one stage and move to the next, everyone must overcome a psychological crisis to determine the outcome for the personality development and if successful will lead to virtue. Understanding where the client is developmentally based on the 8 stages, will help to provide a better understanding of how to work with the client and develop a plan accordingly. After looking at Bill and Martha Reynold’s development stages we will be to develop goals appropriately for each client and as a family.
Based upon Bill’s current age of 71 and discussion of regret when speaking of his past decisions, it can be determined that he is in Erikson’s last stage, Integrity vs. Despair. In this stage the Erikson theorizes “if we see our lives as unproductive, feel guild about our past, or feel that we did not accomplish our life goals, we become dissatisfied with life and develop despair, often leading to depression and hopelessness.” (McLeod, 2017) When speaking with Bill regarding his current dilemma, we can see that his reflection on his life and statements of regret are directing him towards the crisis of

When determining priority of needs, it can be determined that the most critical need is Food, Medication, then Housing. Maslow’s Hierarchy has determined that the most critical needs of a person are “1. Biological and physiological needs- air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep. 2. Safety needs- protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, freedom from fear.” (McLeod, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs,