The idea of the case study design is to look at one particular subject’s experiences during adulthood, and use that information to apply theories and better understand how people’s lives change over time, and the factors that influence people’s choices and experiences. The method used to gather information was the interview method, specifically a semi-structured clinical interview. That is, the interviewer asked a given set of questions, and also probed the subject’s ideas and reasoning in an open-ended manner by asking him or her to elaborate on his or her responses. In this kind of research, the interviewer mus

Regarding Erik Erikson’s stages of development, he resolved all of the developmental crisis in a positive way, finding his identity, getting married to someone he truly loved, having a child, and reflecting on his life in a positive manner. His retirement was an issue of sadness and loss of identity for him, but it also gave him the chance to spend more time doing what he wanted to do. The subject did not have the chance to develop a “dream” during his early adulthood years, as Levinson’s theory suggests, because of his health problems, and therefore he did not feel a sense of failure during midlife. In conclusion, he is currently dealing with late adulthood in a positive way. He has narrowed his life down to include what truly makes him happy and what is necessary in order for his survival. He looks back on the past eighty-three years with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. He has truly lived a happy and successful life.

The subject is currently still married to the woman he married in 1946. He describes his religious affiliation as Protestant, American Baptist. Although he changed jobs frequently right after he graduated from high school, he considers his occupation to have been a welfare administrator. He has been living in Plymouth since birth, and has no plans to go elsewhere. For a more detailed Life Event History of the subject, please see the Appendix, pages 20-24.

Another trend that I can detect evidence of is his non-egocentric attitude. Cole and Cole (1996) define egocentrism as, “the interpretation of the world from one’s own point of view without consideration of alternative perspectives” (p. 486). The subject demonstrates that he in fact has the ability to do the opposite. An example of this is the fact that he repeatedly attempted to fight in World War II, even though he was extremely ill. He knew that he was too weak to fight, and that participating in the war could very well lead to his death due to his unhealthiness at the time. However, he thought of his country and others who were affected and was willing to risk his life in order to help them. This is a very non-egocentric way of looking at a situation.

The next stage in Erikson’s theory is Generativity vs. Stagnation. He describes this crisis by stating that “generativity is primarily the concern in establishing and guiding the next generation” (Erikson, 1963, p. 267). By having a child, the subject has resolved this crisis in a positive way. He has reproduced and contributed to the future. About being a father, the subject comments, “It was an amazing thing to me…When I went to the hospital and saw her there, it was the funniest feeling…A nice feeling…I mean, there she was. She was my daughter” (appendix, p. 17). He definitely felt satisfied with the fact that he had a child, resolving the generativity vs. stagnation crisis.

At the ago of 30, he was married to a young woman, also from Plymouth. With only a high school diploma, the subject began working in the Plymouth Welfare Department in 1950, at 34 years old. Three years later, his only child, a daughter, was born. When he was 44 years old, he was promoted to the position of Director of the Plymouth Welfare Department. In 1971, his only child graduated from high school and his father passed away. His daughter was married in 1977, and his first grandchild was born a year later. At the age of 64, in 1980, the subject retired and his only granddaughter was born. Two years later, he underwent yet another intestinal surgery, and in 1983, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and faced surgery for that illness. In 1984, the subject’s third and final grandchild was born. Doctors informed him that the prostate cancer was back again in 1986, but they chose not to operate at that point. When the subject was 72 years old, in 1988, his mother pas!

Erik Erikson suggests that there are four developmental crises that people fa

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