"I just don't seem to matter," Rufus thinks to himself on his way home from work. The divorced, 47-year-old father of two feels like his job doesn't accomplish anything that he isn't doing a good job of parenting his sons, and that he doesn't have any real impact on the world around him. In Erik Erikson's theory, Rufus is experiencing a sense of
A) stagnation.
B) egocentrism.
C) despair.
D) isolation.

Question

"I just don't seem to matter," Rufus thinks to himself on his way home from work. The divorced, 47-year-old father of two feels like his job doesn't accomplish anything that he isn't doing a good job of parenting his sons, and that he doesn't have any real impact on the world around him. In Erik Erikson's theory, Rufus is experiencing a sense of
A) ​stagnation.
B) egocentrism.​
C) ​despair.
D) ​isolation.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In Erik Erikson's theory, the stage of middle adulthood (ages 40-65) is characterized by the psychosocial crisis of generativity vs. stagnation. Generativity refers to the sense of making a contribution to future generations, while stagnation refers to feeling stuck and unproductive. Rufus's sense of not mattering and not having an impact on the world around him aligns with the concept of stagnation.

"I Just Don't Seem to Matter," Rufus Thinks to Himself