According to Erikson, the psychosocial task of late adulthood is known as Integrity vs. Despair. Integrity vs. Despair is the last stage of psychosocial development (age 65 and above). It involves individuals reflecting on their lives and accomplishments, and consequently feeling either fulfilled and satisfied, or regretful and in despair. To successfully resolve the crisis at this stage, elder adults need to derive a sense of contentment, peace and wisdom after reflecting on the life they have lived.
If the crisis from the Integrity vs. Despair phase of life is not resolved, individuals experience fear of death, regret, depression and lack of self-esteem. Individuals who feel like they have not accomplished enough or have unresolved feelings from the previous psychosocial stages are typically the ones who do not successfully resolve their feelings at this stage of psychosocial development.