Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Integrity vs. Despair?Benefits of IntegrityCausesConsequences of DespairHow to Improve IntegrityHow to Decrease DespairNext in Psychosocial Development GuideErikson’s Stages of Development
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Integrity vs. Despair?
Benefits of Integrity
Causes
Consequences of Despair
How to Improve Integrity
How to Decrease Despair
Next in Psychosocial Development Guide
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Integrity vs. despair is the eighth and final stage ofErik Erikson’sstage theory ofpsychosocial development. This stage begins at approximately age 65 and ends at death. Psychologists, counselors, and nurses today use the concepts of Erikson’s stages when providing care for aging patients.
Verywell / Nusha Ashjaee
Erikson’s theory suggests that people pass through eight distinctive developmental stages as they grow and change through life. While manydevelopmental theoriestend to focus purely on childhood events, Erikson was one of the few theorists to look at development across the entire course of the lifespan. He was also one of the first to view the aging process itself as part of human development.
At each stage of psychosocial development, people are faced with a crisis that acts as a turning point in development. Successfully resolving the crisis leads to developing a psychological virtue that contributes to overall psychological well-being.
At the integrity versus despair stage, the key conflict centers on questioning whether or not the individual has led a meaningful, satisfying life.
What to KnowPsychosocial Conflict:Integrity versus despairMajor Question:“Did I live a meaningful life?“Basic Virtue:WisdomImportant Event(s):Reflecting back on life
What to Know
Psychosocial Conflict:Integrity versus despairMajor Question:“Did I live a meaningful life?“Basic Virtue:WisdomImportant Event(s):Reflecting back on life
Integrity, also known as ego integrity, refers to a person’s ability to look back on their life with a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Characteristics of integrity include:
Despair, according to Erikson, refers to looking back on life with feelings of regret, shame, or disappointment. Characteristics of despair include:
During the integrity versus despair stage, people reflect back on the life they have lived and come away with either a sense of fulfillment from a life well lived or a sense of regret and despair over a life misspent.
There are a number of benefits to successfully achieving feelings of integrity at this stage of life. These benefits include:
Those who feel proud of their accomplishments will feel a sense of integrity. Successfully completing this phase means looking back with few regrets and a general feeling of satisfaction. These individuals will attain wisdom, even when confronting death.
Causes of Integrity vs. Despair
There are a number of different factors that can influence the integrity versus despair stage of psychosocial development. Some factors that influence the outcome of this stage include:
Despair can have serious consequences for a person’s health and well-being as they face the end of life. Research suggests that ego integrity and despair are important life-space development indicators of well-being.
Some of the consequences of despair include:
Those who are unsuccessful during this phase will feel that their life has been wasted and will experience many regrets. The individual will be left with feelings of bitterness and despair.
This stage of psychosocial development often depends on many of the events that occurred during earlier periods of life. However, there are things that you can do to help develop a greater sense of ego integrity as you age.
How to Practice Gratitude
If you find yourself experiencing a sense of despair as you age, there are steps that you can take to improve your well-being. Some of the steps you can take include:
A Word From Verywell
According to Erikson’s theory, individuals don’t experience integrity or despair all the time. Instead, most healthy individuals experience a balance between each as they begin to make sense of their lives. Understanding the factors that contribute to integrity vs. despair can help people maximize well-being as they enter the later years of life.
4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Giblin JC.Successful aging: Choosing wisdom over despair.J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv.2011;49(3):23-6. doi:10.3928/02793695-20110208-01Perry TE, Ruggiano N, Shtompel N, Hassevoort L.Applying Erikson’s wisdom to self-management practices of older adults: Findings from two field studies.Res Aging. 2015;37(3):253–274. doi:10.1177/0164027514527974Westerhof GJ, Bohlmeijer ET, McAdams DP.The relation of ego integrity and despair to personality traits and mental health.GERONB. 2017;72(3):400–407. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbv062Lim S-Y, Chang S-O.Nursing home staff members’ subjective frames of reference on residents’ achievement of ego integrity: A Q-methodology study: Achievement of ego integrity.Jpn J Nurs Sci. 2018;15(1):17-30. doi:10.1111/jjns.12166Additional ReadingErikson EH. The Life Cycle Completed; 1982.
4 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Giblin JC.Successful aging: Choosing wisdom over despair.J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv.2011;49(3):23-6. doi:10.3928/02793695-20110208-01Perry TE, Ruggiano N, Shtompel N, Hassevoort L.Applying Erikson’s wisdom to self-management practices of older adults: Findings from two field studies.Res Aging. 2015;37(3):253–274. doi:10.1177/0164027514527974Westerhof GJ, Bohlmeijer ET, McAdams DP.The relation of ego integrity and despair to personality traits and mental health.GERONB. 2017;72(3):400–407. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbv062Lim S-Y, Chang S-O.Nursing home staff members’ subjective frames of reference on residents’ achievement of ego integrity: A Q-methodology study: Achievement of ego integrity.Jpn J Nurs Sci. 2018;15(1):17-30. doi:10.1111/jjns.12166Additional ReadingErikson EH. The Life Cycle Completed; 1982.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Giblin JC.Successful aging: Choosing wisdom over despair.J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv.2011;49(3):23-6. doi:10.3928/02793695-20110208-01Perry TE, Ruggiano N, Shtompel N, Hassevoort L.Applying Erikson’s wisdom to self-management practices of older adults: Findings from two field studies.Res Aging. 2015;37(3):253–274. doi:10.1177/0164027514527974Westerhof GJ, Bohlmeijer ET, McAdams DP.The relation of ego integrity and despair to personality traits and mental health.GERONB. 2017;72(3):400–407. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbv062Lim S-Y, Chang S-O.Nursing home staff members’ subjective frames of reference on residents’ achievement of ego integrity: A Q-methodology study: Achievement of ego integrity.Jpn J Nurs Sci. 2018;15(1):17-30. doi:10.1111/jjns.12166
Giblin JC.Successful aging: Choosing wisdom over despair.J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv.2011;49(3):23-6. doi:10.3928/02793695-20110208-01
Perry TE, Ruggiano N, Shtompel N, Hassevoort L.Applying Erikson’s wisdom to self-management practices of older adults: Findings from two field studies.Res Aging. 2015;37(3):253–274. doi:10.1177/0164027514527974
Westerhof GJ, Bohlmeijer ET, McAdams DP.The relation of ego integrity and despair to personality traits and mental health.GERONB. 2017;72(3):400–407. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbv062
Lim S-Y, Chang S-O.Nursing home staff members’ subjective frames of reference on residents’ achievement of ego integrity: A Q-methodology study: Achievement of ego integrity.Jpn J Nurs Sci. 2018;15(1):17-30. doi:10.1111/jjns.12166
Erikson EH. The Life Cycle Completed; 1982.
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