Which stage involves reflecting on life with a sense of fulfillment or regret?

Which stage involves reflecting on life with a sense of fulfillment or regret?

• A. Identity vs Confusion
• B. Intimacy vs Isolation
• C. Integrity vs Despair
• D. Industry vs Inferiority

Answer: (C)

In Erikson's final psychosocial stage, people look back over their lives to decide whether it feels complete and meaningful or filled with regrets. If they perceive their life as well-lived and integrated, they experience a sense of integrity and acceptance. If they focus on missed opportunities or unresolved issues, they may feel despair and fear about death. This late-life reflection is what ties the stage to feelings of fulfillment versus regret. Earlier stages, like forming a personal identity in adolescence, building intimate relationships in young adulthood, or mastering skills in childhood, focus on different developmental challenges and aren’t about life review in the same way.

In Erikson's final psychosocial stage, people look back over their lives to decide whether it feels complete and meaningful or filled with regrets. If they perceive their life as well-lived and integrated, they experience a sense of integrity and acceptance. If they focus on missed opportunities or unresolved issues, they may feel despair and fear about death. This late-life reflection is what ties the stage to feelings of fulfillment versus regret. Earlier stages, like forming a personal identity in adolescence, building intimate relationships in young adulthood, or mastering skills in childhood, focus on different developmental challenges and aren’t about life review in the same way.