ever-new configuration that is the growing personality (Erikson, 1968). The eight stages listed above correspond, in ascending order, to infancy, early childhood, childhood, school age, adolescence, and the stages of maturity which comprise young adulthood, middle age, and old age.
The life experiences of Mr. Weldon include a number of challenges from his youth to today. When he was 15 he lost his mother and began drinking with school friends. He continued to drink rather heavily and was fairly insecure in social settings. He admitted that once he matured into his middle twenties, he realized his drinking had been ôAn attempt to repress the pain of my motherÆs loss and it was a way I felt I could fit in with the crowdö (Weldon, 2003). Eventually, in high school and college Mr. Weldon became more focused on his studies and graduated from college with a B.S. in Accounting. He graduated magna cum laude and admits that once he dealt more honestly with the pain of the loss of his mother, he found himself being more secure in social settings. As he stated, ôMy earning good grades was a way I could relate to girls and not need a drink to relax or feel comfortable in my own skinö (Weldon, 2003).
Mr. WeldonÆs shared experiences demonstrated his belief that he is in control of his own development, despite the challenges and obstacles he must overcome. His adolescent and early adulthood experiences described
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