Which pair correctly matches Erikson's stage to its associated task?

Which pair correctly matches Erikson's stage to its associated task?

• A. Infant: Autonomy vs Shame
• B. Adolescent: Generativity vs Stagnation
• C. Late Adulthood: Integrity vs Despair
• D. Middle Adulthood: Trust vs Mistrust

Answer: (C)

Erikson’s theory links each life stage with a central task, and in late adulthood the main challenge is evaluating one’s life as meaningful or not. When people feel their life has coherence, purpose, and acceptance of their experiences, they achieve integrity. If they look back with regrets or unfinished business, despair can dominate. This pairing fits late adulthood precisely. For context, early infancy is about trust versus mistrust, not autonomy; autonomy versus shame belongs to toddler years. Adolescence centers on identity versus role confusion, while middle adulthood is characterized by generativity versus stagnation.

Erikson’s theory links each life stage with a central task, and in late adulthood the main challenge is evaluating one’s life as meaningful or not. When people feel their life has coherence, purpose, and acceptance of their experiences, they achieve integrity. If they look back with regrets or unfinished business, despair can dominate. This pairing fits late adulthood precisely.

For context, early infancy is about trust versus mistrust, not autonomy; autonomy versus shame belongs to toddler years. Adolescence centers on identity versus role confusion, while middle adulthood is characterized by generativity versus stagnation.