How does Erik Erikson’s life-course theory describe development in old age?

In Erik Erikson’s life-course theory, development is viewed as a series of eight psychosocial stages that continue throughout the human lifespan. Each stage presents a specific crisis or demand that must be resolved to foster healthy personality development.123

In the final stage, which Erikson identifies as late adulthood, the individual faces the crisis of integrity versus despair. During this period, people reflect on their lives as they approach the end.13

• Integrity: If an individual has successfully navigated the preceding developmental stages, they can look back on their life with a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction, and completeness.3
• Despair: If an individual lacks this sense of integrity—often feeling that opportunities were wasted or that their life was not lived fully—they may experience profound despair.3

Erikson’s framework suggests that maturity is a continuous process, and how one resolves this final crisis depends heavily on the successful completion of earlier developmental phases.123