Final answer:
Erikson's theory suggests that successfully resolving conflicts across various life stages is critical for developing a sense of competency and a healthy personality. Particularly in late adulthood, achieving integrity over despair is vital for satisfaction and well-being.
Step-by-step explanation:
Erikson's Psychosocial Theory of Development:
Erikson proposed that individuals must successfully resolve a series of conflicts or developmental tasks across various stages of life in order to develop a sense of competency and a healthy personality. In the final stage, known as integrity versus despair, individuals in late adulthood reflect on their life achievements and failures. Successful resolution involves achieving a sense of integrity and satisfaction with one's life accomplishments, while failure to resolve this conflict can lead to feelings of bitterness and despair. This emphasizes the importance of social relationships and the societal context in personality development, which sets Erikson's theory apart from Freud's focus on psychosexual stages. For older individuals, overcoming despair to achieve integrity is crucial for late-life adaptation and well-being.
Erikson believed that each developmental stage has its own psychosocial task that must be mastered. For example, in late adulthood, the challenge is to achieve a strong sense of integrity rather than succumbing to despair. Those who manage to do so can look back on their lives with satisfaction and embrace new phases in life with creativity and peace.