Timeline of Life

My life at age 32 puts me in the Young adulthood stage of Erikson's eight stages of life. The stage, itself is described as the initial being of an adult as we seek one or more companions to love. At this particular stage, we are trying to find mutually satisfying relationships through friends and marriage. If we're not successful, isolation or distance from others may occur. And when we don't find it easy to create satisfying relationships, our world can begin to shrink as, in defense, we can feel superior to others. At this age we want to start a family. Intimacy in this level of life is normally at a deep level.

I recently married and will admit, it was in a hasty manner. I have to admit it was rushed. I meet a nice young man and when he popped the question in three months of dating I said yes. I was tired of being alone and knew what I wanted. Being that a year had passed since I had dated and became pregnant with a child whom I lost, time was becoming very crucial and I needed to have family in my life. The central question that has been posed at this stage of my life is whether or not I am forming the right relationships with friends and family. I have consciously sought to answer this question by contacting my brothers and sisters on a daily basis and addressing the concerns on our distance in communication, I have picked up to calling my father on a daily basis to keep communication and let him know that I love him, along with getting married and now trying to form my own family. My husband is my partner and my best friend.

I have a niece who is in her adolescence stage of life. This stage simply describes life as development mostly depending upon what is done to us and what we do. Adolescence at this point are trying to find their own identity. At this stage, life is definitely getting more complex as we attempt to find our own identity, struggle with social interactions, and grapple with moral issues. Many adolescence withdraw from responsibility which Erikson calls moratorium. Adolescence try to discover who they are as individuals and will experience role confusion and upheaval if not successful. Many develop strong feelings and relationships with friends and get into groups. The central question for her is why she has certain feelings that she do at the age of 14. In her case, she unconsciously lashes out with her behavior in seeking to answer her question. She often defy everything her mother tells her to do, she is interested more in talking on the phone with friends and boys rather then getting schoolwork nor does she obey her elders. She has gotten put out of the house on many occasions for meeting boys or talking back to her mom.

In conclusion, going through any of Erikson's stages of life can be challenging. It is very hard to stay mindful while the process disrupts everything in us. It can cause a lot of disruptions with feelings, emotions, the heart and the mind. Sometimes, I feel that we can be in more stages than one and that causes an even more strain on the heart and mind. That is why some adolescents seem to be growing up to fast and young adults are said to be getting old before their time. "We can rush through life but life shouldn't rush through us!" The major factor is being able to successfully complete the stages and make it through, therefore satisfying life and developing as intended.

Works Cited

McAdams, D. (2006). The person: A new introduction to personality psychology. (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.