Which stage occurs in late life and is marked by a sense of fulfillment if ego-integrity is achieved?

• A. Basic Trust vs. Mistrust
• B. Intimacy vs. Isolation
• C. Ego-Integrity vs. Despair
• D. Generativity vs. Stagnation

Answer: (C)

In late life, people reflect on the life they’ve lived and decide whether it has been meaningful. Erikson’s final psychosocial crisis is integrity vs. despair. Achieving ego integrity means feeling a sense of wholeness and acceptance about one’s life, including both accomplishments and regrets, leading to peaceful acceptance of aging and death. If integration doesn’t happen, a person may experience despair—feeling that life was wasted or that there is little time left to resolve unresolved issues. The other stages occur earlier in life: basic trust vs. mistrust in infancy, intimacy vs. isolation in young adulthood, and generativity vs. stagnation in middle adulthood—none of which describe the late-life sense of fulfillment that comes with ego integrity.