The Effects of Erikson's Eight Stages of Life on PersonalityAn individual's personality changes and develops over the course of his or her life, and these changes can help or hinder them from achieving their goals. Getting stuck in a certain stage of development can take a toll mentally and socially. According to Erikson (1963), a stable and functioning individual progresses successfully through each stage and shapes a unique and stable personality. This article investigates the possible effects on personality of earlier stage regression: it is hypothesized that individuals who do not develop through the eight stages of life will have detrimental personality problems. The eight stages of Erikson's life are as follows; Trust versus distrust, autonomy versus shame and doubt, initiative versus guilt, industry versus inferiority, identity versus role confusion, intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and integrity versus despair (Erikson, 1963). In the first stage, infants are dependent on others, so trust must be established between the infant and adult. During the second stage, children must develop a sense of independence from the adult who cares for them, given that they were very dependent in the previous stage. In the third stage, children need to feel a sense of power, but this cannot be overwhelming because guilt will come into play. During the fourth stage, the child must develop coping mechanisms to cope with new social and school orders. The fifth stage is where adolescents need to develop a sense of self and self-identity to remain true to themselves. It is in the seventh step that you learn to form intimate and loving relationships with others. The eighth step is where adults must create and maintain the middle of the paper...next in the order listed. Finally, determining which factors correlate with personality effects based on life stage may have effects. Works Cited Domino, George; Affonso, Dyanne D. (1990). Journal of Personality Assessment, 54(3/4), p576,13pErikson, EH (1963). Childhood and society (2nd ed.). NY: Norton.James, Jacquelyn Boone; Zarrett, Nicole. (2005). Journal of Adult Development, 12(4), p155-167, 13p1 Diagram, 5 graphs; DOI: 10.1007/s10804-005-7084-yRoseborough, David. (2003). Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 8(2/3),p29-53, 25p DOI: 10.1300/J137v8n02_03Singer, Jerome L.; Singer, Dorothy G. (1972). Annual Review of Psychology, 23(1) p375, 38pSneed, Joel R.; Whitbourne, Susan Krauss; Culang, Michelle E. (2006).Journal of AdultDevelopment, 13(3/4), p148-157, 10p DOI: 10.1007/s10804-007-9026-3