Erikson’s Stages of Development Part 7:

Generativity vs. Stagnation Ages 40-65:

The main question in this stage is, “Will I produce something of real value?” In this stage the person begins to look to the next generation. Only having children is not an expression of generativity, there needs to be more such as raising children to be responsible citizens and or working toward making society better.  In contrast when a person is self-centered and selfish thinking only of his or her self then stagnation sets in. That person becomes dissatisfied with their relative lack of productivity.

There are several tasks that fall into this stage such as expressing love through more than sexual contacts, helping children grow into healthy adults, using leisure time creatively, etc…

This stage is an interesting change to me considering the person just passed through the intimacy vs. isolation stage. It is important to understand that if a person is in the isolation stage it will be much harder for that person to go into the generativity stage. Also one question that comes to my mind is the wealthy businessman how does he feel when he has been able to swindle others out of money and has a huge empire? Does he/she feel as if they have accomplished something? Do they feel as if they are in the Generativity side?

This leads me into writing our villains and heroes at this stage. A great comment by Eagle pointed out kings and queens were in the last stage. Here I can see Kings and Queens as well. Also we can see tyrants. What are some of the challenges we could write about in this stage? How much does a person change in this stage and how do we show that change in our writing?

Erikson’s Stages of Development Part 6:

Intimacy vs Isolation ages 19-40: This stage is emphasized around age 30. The person has just passed through the identity vs role confusion at the beginning and still lingers a little bit into this stage. In the beginning they person is still trying to fit in with the crowd and mold their own identity with those of peers. In this stage the person begins to become isolated in some instances due to the relationship they form also the person fears the possible breakup and being turned down.

Once a person finally forms their identity they are willing to form strong bonds and commit to relationships. The person is then capable of forming intimate, reciprocal relationships and are willing to make sacrifices.

The main question in this stage is, "Am I loved and wanted?" or "Shall I share my life with someone or live alone?"

This stage is more for the adult books that we write. The characters are going through challenges such as marriage, fidelity, children, work, and possibly illness. The characters are beginning to commit to others and are more willing to sacrifice their own needs for those of others. Remember in the beginning of this stage the MC may still be trying to find their identity and are more likely to conform whereas at the end they have found out who they are generally and are moving into the next stage.

What are some more struggles and challenges we can write about in this stage? How would a fantasy character look who is closer to the end of this stage?

My Wife's Blog about Speech Pathology

Hey everyone out there my wife just started a new blog about speech pathology. Check it and show your support by following. Thanks for the support!
http://language-and-speech.blogspot.com/

Erikson’s Stages of Development Part 5:

SO you may have noticed a new button to the right about an agent blog fest, check it out if you want to get an agent this will be a great learning experience for us all.

The next stage is a 10 year range from 14-24 year olds. It is the Fidelity: Identity vs Role Confusion stage. Here the person is going through the “What do others think about me?” question. They are wondering what they want to be when they grow up and later they are developing a sense of sexual identity. It seems though in our day and age this may be happening earlier than it did in the past. Remember our talk on the superego well this is where he begins to really start to shine. In the past stages the Id had a lot of control and the child was more impulsive now the child/adolescent/adult is beginning to think more in terms of looking “good” for others whoever those others may be.

In the beginning there will be some role-confusion as the adolescent begins to ponder how he/she will fit into the adult world. They begin to explore who they are as a person and their own identity. Erikson proposed that a majority of the adolescents learn their place and find their identity. This is one of the biggest identity crisis moments a person will pass through. The individual will be looking at who they have become and comparing it to what society expects them to become. This stage represents the bridge between childhood and adulthood. Of note here is because of society this stage is prolonged because of the time it takes to gain the skills needed for an occupation.

The dilemma in this stage is when society is too insistent on who the individual should become it can cause confusion in the individual. If an individual is given space to explore and find for themselves who they are then they will gain a strong sense of identity. Of course there needs to be boundaries but allowing the individual to have more space is necessary for them to find out who they are.

This is the YA novel stage and the many conflicts that evolve in this stage are fun to explore and examine. We have many great examples of this in movies and books. What are some of your favorite? Of course you can name your own as wellJ

Erikson’s Stages of Development Part 4:

See I said I would be more consistent last week and well we all saw how that went, but this time I am really committed to doing better. I’m sure of it ….. I thinkJ

Industry vs. Inferiority ages 7 to 13:

In this stage the goal of the person is to bring to pass completion of productive situations and this supersedes the desire of play. (Yuck who really wants to be productive rather than play?) The children in this stage are becoming more aware of themselves and are asking “How can I be good?” rather than “am I good?” At this stage the child is trying hard to be “good” and responsible. They are more willing to share and cooperate with others. They are able to grasp space and time and understand better cause and effect. Here is the stage in which they are really beginning to form moral values and recognize cultural and individual differences. This is also the stage a child may begin to be disobedient to express their independence.

Erikson saw this stage as critical for the development of self-confidence. This is when children receive recognition from teachers and other adults and peers. If the children are praised for doing good things they will become more industrious, continuing to do productive things. If instead they are ridiculed or punished for their efforts they find that they are incapable of meeting expectations of adults, they develop feelings of inferiority.  If they are not allowed to discover their own talents in their own time, they will develop a sense of lack of motivation, low self-esteem, and lethargy. (This last bit is a little difficult for me because I know as a child I was never pushed to do things and I regretted not continuing on with things like playing the piano. I think there needs to be a happy medium here, but it’s not my theory it is Erikson’s).

So when we are creating are characters of younger age, do not make them have insights that they normally would not have. This is the stage at which our characters should begin to recognize their own space and time in society.  They should be developing their own morals and should be acting out a little from the norms. 

Erikson’s Stages of Development Part 3:

In the next stage Erikson discusses the age between 4 to 6 years. In this stage the child is faced with the crisis of initiative vs. guilt. In this stage the child is becoming more courageous; they are beginning to face the complexities of planning and developing a sense of judgment. The children in this stage are starting to take more risks such as crossing the road alone. The child is starting to set goals for him or herself. If the child is unable to reach these goals then the child becomes frustrated and then they begin to show aggressive behaviors such as hitting and throwing objects.

When a child takes initiative to try new things and to venture out it is important that caregivers encourage the behavior within safe boundaries. If the child is discouraged from taking initiative then they will begin to feel guilty over their needs and desires.

The main question for this stage is, “Am I good or am I bad?” This is what the child is looking at as the venture out of their comfort zones. The parent/caregiver is then reinforcing one side of the question by how they respond to the child. It is important to support the children in a caring and loving way allowing them to make their own mistakes and also helping them set appropriate boundaries.

This is an interesting stage in that it starts to reinforce some negative aggressive behaviors. It is a time in which a child can reinforce the feelings of shame that will stick with them throughout their lives. It is also the time in which a leader can be born. Thinking of the heroes/heroines in our novels we should be able to identify where a caregiver of some sort helped them through a tough time, early on in their life.  This is a time in which our heroes/heroines should have developed some good feelings about being a good person and seeing that taking initiative is a good thing. In my book the hero remembers his mother and father and how they were as people and how they treated him at an early age. Even though he begins to doubt himself he remembers this and it helps him through tough times in the story.

What are some events that keep your heroes/heroines going? Was it experiences as children? Or was it later on in life?

Happy Father's Day!!

As tomorrow will be Father's Day and I am a father and have a father I wanted to dedicate this post to all of you wonderful father's. Have a great day enjoy it to the fullest and most importantly take some time to reflect on why this day is even possible. 1. Because you have a father who hopefully has cared for you and provided for you and 2. You are a father remember those wonderful children who have made you one. Reflect on what has been good and what could be better.
Any way enough of the cheesiness but truly I am so grateful to be a father I love my sons and daughters so much. It is the thing that means the most to me and the one thing that I truly want to succeed at more than anything else. If it meant giving up that book deal of a lifetime I would give it up in order to succeed at being a good father.
Thanks to my own father who has set such a good example for me and for even though he made mistakes was able to a wonderful job being there for me and helping me through hard times in the pas and now. He has always encouraged me to believe in myself and the world around me. To have hope when it seems there is nothing left to hope for. Thank you Dad. I love you.