on (1982, pp. 15-24), working with Freudian psychosexual theory as a basis, developed the psychosocial theory of human development. Erikson's epigenetic principle led to the concept of psychosocial life-stages that tended to meld Freud's psychosexual stages with the genetic-maturation stages. Erikson's psychosocial life-stages were oral-sensory, anal-musculature, genital-locomotor, latency, puberty and adolescence, young adulthood, adulthood, and maturity (Lerner, 1991, pp. 310-318).
Matt and Dean (1993, pp. 187-200) examined the effects of support from friends on the psychological well being of elderly persons. With respect to older adults, one assumption holds that people are well integrated in their middle years, and become less so as they age. Thus, it is thought that satisfactory social integration might be maintained to the extent that middle age patterns are preserved in advancing age.
Maintaining middle age patterns, however, is often difficult (Matt & Dean, 1993, pp. 187-200).
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