Describe Erikson's integrity vs despair stage and what contributes to integrity in late adulthood.

Describe Erikson's integrity vs despair stage and what contributes to integrity in late adulthood.

• A. Integrity arises from continued pursuit of new goals with no regrets
• B. Integrity arises from reflecting on life and resolving goals; despair from unresolved regrets
• C. Integrity derives from accumulating wealth; despair from losing independence
• D. Integrity occurs when past experiences are denied and forgotten

Answer: (B)

In Erikson’s integrity vs despair stage, late adulthood centers on how a person looks back at their life and the meaning they find in it. Integrity comes when individuals reflect honestly on their experiences, feel that their life has coherence and purpose, and have resolved major life tasks or conflicts—such as accepting successes and failures, reconciling strained relationships, and letting go of unresolved regrets. This sense of wholeness allows them to face aging and death with acceptance. Despair, on the other hand, emerges when that reflection turns up unfinished business or persistent regrets, a feeling that life was wasted or that opportunities were missed. That perspective breeds bitterness and fear about death. So the best answer captures integrity as arising from reflecting on life and resolving goals, with despair stemming from unresolved regrets. The other options don’t fit because pursuing new goals or focusing on wealth and independence aren’t the central determinants of this late-life stage, and denying past experiences would undermine the sense of integrity.

In Erikson’s integrity vs despair stage, late adulthood centers on how a person looks back at their life and the meaning they find in it. Integrity comes when individuals reflect honestly on their experiences, feel that their life has coherence and purpose, and have resolved major life tasks or conflicts—such as accepting successes and failures, reconciling strained relationships, and letting go of unresolved regrets. This sense of wholeness allows them to face aging and death with acceptance.

Despair, on the other hand, emerges when that reflection turns up unfinished business or persistent regrets, a feeling that life was wasted or that opportunities were missed. That perspective breeds bitterness and fear about death.

So the best answer captures integrity as arising from reflecting on life and resolving goals, with despair stemming from unresolved regrets. The other options don’t fit because pursuing new goals or focusing on wealth and independence aren’t the central determinants of this late-life stage, and denying past experiences would undermine the sense of integrity.