Erikson's theory of psychosocial development throughout the lifespan, just like Sigmund Freud, organizes the development of the human personality into a series of phases (Cherry, 2011). Erikson's psychosocial theory covers personality development from birth to death; other developmental theories focus explicitly on childhood (Harder, 2009). The eight stages of Erikson's psychosocial theory distinguish the successful transition of a human being to the next developmental stage through the successful overcoming of the crises and difficulties that a particular developmental stage presents (Hutchison, 2011, p. 315). Every stage of psychosocial development presents a crisis; the success of crisis resolution determines the positive or negative outcome of a particular stage (Erikson's Eight Stages, 2010). According to Erikson, a crisis presented by a developmental stage indicates a turning point in the development of a human being (Cherry, 2011). Failure to overcome a crisis in a psychosocial stage means that an individual has failed to master the competency; a positive developmental outcome is measured by an individual's competence at a specific stage of development (Cherry, 2011). The ability to manage crisis suggests mastery through competence; the inability to adapt to or overcome developmental conflict causes the individual to feel inadequate (Cherry, 2011). According to Erikson, the accumulation of unresolved conflicts/crises only makes the success of future development crises much more difficult because each phase builds on the previous phase (Cherry, 2011). Erikson's theory explicitly emphasizes the panoramic influences that the human environment plays on a person's behavior in ongoing development from birth to death (Harder, 2009). Failure to develop as... middle of paper... bodyguards. He explained that getting this job was the opportunity to work less for more pay. He believes that even though he was proven innocent, it tarnished a hard-earned honorable reputation in the police department. Mayor Booker accepted him for the job. He explained that this job proved that he was qualified based on his skill and the honorable reputation he has accumulated over his fifteen years of service in the police force. His new career in Generative Trials 7 provided the foundation for him to become mentally stable and happy again. A new job meant new opportunities to serve his community and spend more time with his growing family. I concluded the interview by asking what his main concerns were in both experiences. My interviewee looked up at the sky raising his eyebrows in deep thought. He replied: “My children and my work are the most important thing to me, without them I am nothing.”