The Eighth Stage
The last stage in Erikson’s original conceptualization was Old Age usually thought of as beginning at age 65 and ending with death. During this stage the individual struggles with integrity versus despair. This is a time when many engage in a life review to consider the worth of their experiences. Out of this life review the elder person arrives at a sense of integrity that may lead to wisdom or sinks into despair because there is no time left to make important life changes.
Introducing the Ninth Stage of Psychosocial Development
As the Eriksons entered their late 80s they began to realize that eight stages were not enough to describe the life experience. They began to interview other people at this age and found that this led them to discover a fascinating new stage. Joan Erikson, who had always been a silent partner in her husband’s work, completed work on the Ninth Stage of Psychosocial Development from notes made by her husband before he died and from her own observations.
Importance for Caregivers
Understanding this stage is vital for caregivers. More and more people are living to this stage. The oldest old, age 85 and older is the fastest growing age group in the US. Caregivers are more likely to be caring for elders in the Ninth Stage and than in the Eighth Stage. People in their sixties and even their seventies are healthier and younger than ever; they are more likely to be doing the caregiving rather than receiving it.
In the late 80s and early 90s life brings greater demands; daily, one is confronted with new problems to tackle. Joan Erikson writes that in the Ninth Stage the old person confronts all previous eight stages again, but this time all stages converge at the same time. On top of that, the negative pole now takes the dominant role over the positive. For instance, instead of confronting trust vs mistrust, in the Ninth Stage the elder confronts Mistrust vs Trust. The purpose of this switch is to emphasize that the elder person must face some very difficult situations.
