Psychology Interview

According to Erikson and his teachings on different stages of our lives, I have come to realize that he is accurate in his findings. I have interviewed a lady from my church, Sis Sherry and also my sister, Angelina. Sis Sherry is a woman who is in her mid-fifties and she had a lot to share with me that left me in awe, it left me thinking how one man, Erikson, can come up with all these accurate life cycles for different age groups. Secondly, interviewing my sister was also a jaw-dropping experience, he hit the nail on the head once again.

Sis Sherry, a lady in her mid-fifties, is a woman that is at stage seven in her life which according to Erikson is the stage of Generativity Versus Stagnation. This stage is where Erikson states that people are showing more interest in guiding the next generation and also provides an emotional balance in their middle adulthood, this concept is called generativity. Life losses are what Erikson labels as being stagnant, this is what leaves an individual dry and bitter. Sis Sherry is far from that she is at a place in her life where she feels confident.

Having a wonderful and productive interview with Sis Sherry I grew to know more about her as well as check off on my list everything Erikson said the person/s at this stage will be going through. Sis Sherry has confidence in her health, she states that all of her other friends who are in the same age bracket as her are on a plethora of medication and she does not have any aliments to worry about, all she takes are her daily vitamins, she has been told time after time again by her doctors that she has the energy level and body fixtures of a woman in their early twenties. I began to ask her how does she keep herself so healthy and she mentioned that she knows that she is getting up there in age and she began to eat the right things and also exercise daily, she is afraid of dying from a sickness that can occur from not keeping herself healthy and in tip-top shape. Sis Sherry is also a very vein individual, she stated that if the wrinkles under her eyes continues she is considering Botox, she stated that she has to look how she feels.

Marriage and family is a big part of Sis Sherry's concern, the question was raised "How has your marriage been and is there anything that you would change, also how does family affect you." Sis Sherry states that her marriage is solid and she likes it the way it currently is, she told me that after being married for 25+ years that her and her husband are finally enjoying themselves as individuals, she goes out to dinner and spa's with her friends and her husband goes to the casino and Atlantic City with his friends. Sis Sherry states that she has not been happier, she also slips in that there are times that she feels a little empty and deprived; this stems from her 23 year old daughter. Sis Sherry states that all of her friends have a set date to do mother-daughter activities and she is longing