generativity versus stagnation--the individual needs to be needed and to assist the younger members of society, and generativity is concerned with guiding the next generation. The last stage is that of ego integrity versus despair, and this is the time when the way the other conflicts were decided has an influence. If the preceding conflicts were not suitably handled, despair may result in later life. If the person has developed each of the adaptive qualities of the other seven stages, he or she will be able to become psychosocially adjusted and have a lasting sense of integrity (Liebert & Spiegler, 1982, 88-92).
Friendship can be identified first as a reflection of the initial conflict Erikson cites for the infant--the issue of trust versus mistrust. In this sense, the infant first becomes friends with the mother and then with others it learns to trust. Friendship becomes even more overtly important for the pre-school and school-age child because friendships help children find their place in life and to feel safe and valued as members of the
...