Eriksonian Perspective of my Life
Casey Nornes
Stage 1: Trust vs. Mistrust (0-1 year old)
- home life was stable
- trusted caregivers
- one daycare provider
- Slept often and for long periods of time
- calm
Stage 2: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (1-3 years old)
- wasn't as interested as exploring as older siblings turned out to be
- always content with what was around me
- much of my time was spent on the farm with my dad
Stage 3: Initiative vs. Guilt (3-6 years old)
- ECFE when I was 4 years old
- Did not like art. No thank you!
- In general made more friends with girls than boys
- more interested in playing pretend kitchen or waiter
- in these years, started exploring more self-initiating when playing
Stage 4: Industry vs. Inferiority (6-12 years old)
- school came naturally (good grades)
- grew up in a very small school (40 students in my grade)
- about 420 students K-12
- 2 good friends
- overall pretty shy and tended to be reserved
- was highly encouraged to get involved with music and sports starting in elementary
Stage 5: Identity vs. Role Confusion (12-18 years old)
- Identity in high school stems from activities
- sports, music, drama were a big part of life
- gained identity from being part of a team
- strong role models shaped how I developed and impacted future career choice
- gained more close friends and way more casual friends
- personality flipped from mostly reserved to extroverted
- mostly due to being involved in so many things
- it was a given that I was supposed to go to college
- goal was to attend the University of Minnesota Twin Cities
- motivated by: Mom was an alumni, older cousin attended, and excited to live in the Twin Cities
- put on a waiting list October 2006, a new list in January, March, and finally was rejected in May of 2007 2 days before I graduated high school
- backup plan was to attend St. Cloud State University (planned on transferring after a semester or maybe a year)
Stage 6: Intimacy vs Isolation (young adulthood)
- rocky start at SCSU
- poor grades, too much socialization, distraction, dorm life, skipped class
- joined the SCSU Concert Choir which toured to Germany and France
- performed a Holocaust Oratorio on the grounds of a concentration camp
- started dating my now wife in December 2007
- long distance for nearly all of our dating life
- in my Junior year a conversation with my dad led to the decision to become a teacher
- after one education class I knew this was the right choice for me
- refocus on school, never missed a class, Deans List
- rediscovered my identity which had been unclear since high school
- graduated in December 2012
- Offered a position to teach 3rd Grade and married my wife in July 2013
Stage 7: Generativity vs. Stagnation (mid adulthood)
Predictions
- big believer in being open to opportunity
- open to exploring different opportunities in education
- plan on having children
- excited to see how my family will change
Stage 8: Ego Integrity vs. Despair (old age)
- hard to think about what it will be so far into the future
- unsure on how retirement will effect me.... work and teaching is a huge part of how I measure my self worth
- always been use to being very busy and will have to adjust to a slower pace
- financial plan in place so I am able to spend more time with family