Table of ContentsTheoryFilmExplanation of DevelopmentReferencesTheoryErik Erikson is a psychoanalytic theorist who has studied the stages of development from a psychosocial perspective. Psychoanalytic theories focus primarily on the unconscious and are heavily based on emotions. These theorists believe that early childhood shapes and determines an individual's future success. Although Erikson believes in the unconscious, he emphasizes the importance of early and later experiences throughout development. He believes that motivation is social and reflects the desire to affiliate with others (Santrock, 2018). Erikson's psychosocial theory includes eight stages through which an individual passes from childhood to late adulthood. At each stage, the individual is faced with a crisis that they must resolve to successfully move to the next stage of their life. If these crises are not resolved, they are not disastrous for the individual's future. The more an individual succeeds in resolving these crises, the more potential they will have to develop healthier overall (Santrock, 2018). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first stage of Erikson's theory lasts into early childhood, where the infant is confronted with trust and distrust. Success at this stage will pave the way for a general expectation that the world will be a better place to live. The second stage extends from one to three years, where the individual is confronted with autonomy in the face of shame and doubt. If the toddler is able to assert his independence, it will be effective in completing his autonomy. Whereas if the individual is frequently punished or oppressed, he will not succeed and will earn shame and doubt. The third stage is that of the initiative against guilt which extends throughout early childhood, from three to five years old. If the child is able to act on the problems of the world around him, he will successfully master the initiative. The fourth stage is that of industry against inferiority which lasts from six years until puberty. If the child is able to master his intellectual skills, he will succeed at this stage; on the contrary, if the child feels discouraged, he may feel inferior to his peers. The fifth stage lasts throughout adolescence, from ten to twenty years old. At this stage, the individual is faced with confusion between self and identity. If the individual understands who they are, what they believe in and where they are going in life, they will successfully leave this stage with a sense of identity. The sixth stage extends from the twenties to the thirties and determines whether an individual successfully leaves intimacy by establishing healthy relationships or by isolation. The seventh stage deals with generativity and stagnation which extends from the forties to the fifties. At this stage, the individual will succeed in helping the younger generation and master generativity, otherwise they will feel stagnant. The eighth and final stage extends from the sixties, where the individual is confronted with integrity and despair. If the person feels that they have achieved achievements and had a life well spent, they will master integrity, instead of experiencing doubts and regrets which lead to a feeling of hopelessness (Santrock, 2018) . This article will mainly focus on Erikson's last two stages. , generativity and stagnation, and integrity and despair, but will also address intimacy versus isolation and identity versus confusion. Erikson's final stage coincides with Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's five stages of death. When an individual faces the end of their life, they may go through these five stages:the first being denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and the final stage, acceptance (Santrock, 2018). A dying person with unfinished business may initially be in denial, which is a temporary solution to the reality of the situation. The individual may become angry and difficult to deal with, which then leads to negotiations in which they make promises if their life is spared. The final two stages are depression, where the individual faces the certainty of death, ultimately leading to acceptance of their fate (Santrock, 2018). The movie The Bucket List effectively presents the Erikson and Kubler-Ross theories. The movie The Bucket List focuses on two opposing individuals, Edward Cole and Carter Chambers, both facing the same terminal diagnoses. Edward Cole is a well-off, single, detached and wealthy hospital owner. Carter Chambers is a married, blue-collar mechanic, history buff, and father of three. Carter is seen at the beginning of the film working on a car with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, when he receives a phone call from his wife. He asks her what the doctor said and falls silent, dropping the cigarette on the floor. The scene shifts to a courtroom, where Edward sits in front of a board, sipping Kopi Luwak coffee, one of the most expensive coffees in the world. He told the judge and council that for financial reasons his hospitals will all have two beds per room and no private rooms are allowed. Edward is then seen coughing uncontrollably into a tissue, where he finds the tissue completely covered in blood (Warner, 2008). Edward is seen being taken to a hospital room, acting belligerent and demanding answers. Matthew, Edward's personal assistant, has already stopped by to drop him flowers and discuss his affairs with him. In the middle of their conversation, Edward gently asks Matthew why there is another man, Carter, in his room. He demands his own private room and Matthew advises against this, reminding him that it goes against what he stands for in his own hospital. Men don't interact much at this point. Edward discovers he is a candidate for experimental brain surgery. After Edward successfully undergoes surgery, Carter's wife visits her husband. Both seem distant and unaffectionate, but Carter's wife is a strong, concerned nurse who cares deeply for her husband. After Carter's wife leaves for the evening, the two men briefly discuss their views on the visitors. The next morning, Carter watches Jeopardy while Edward's doctor consults him after surgery. Carter asks Edward's doctor to take a look at his chart when the doctor reveals he is too busy and will relay the message to the nurse. Carter strikes up a conversation with Edward, revealing that he has been in and out of the hospital for the past three months, undergoing chemotherapy treatments. Edward asks him how the chemotherapy is going before starting his treatment that morning. That evening, Edward is seen enjoying a sumptuous dinner and offers one to Carter. Carter respectfully refuses and in the next scene we see Edward becoming violently ill from his treatment (Warner, 2008). Edward returns to his bed and discovers that Carter's eldest son is visiting him. After his son leaves, the two bond while discussing their personal lives. Carter tells Edward that he raised three successful children. He goes on to say that he attended college for two months before finding out that his current wife was pregnant with their first born. He left college and took the first job that came his way.presented, regretting never having completed his studies. They talk about how quickly life goes by and that they have unfinished business. The two men become friends and play gin every night. They are then seen walking through the hospital together discussing the five stages of death and which stage they are both in (Warner, 2008). Carter is seen writing a list of things to do before he dies. Edward asks him what he's doing and Carter is embarrassed to reveal what he's writing. The next In the morning, the two men learn that they have six months to a year to live. Carter then crumples up his to-do list, facing the reality of his death. Edward finds Carter's to-do list on the floor, reads it, reviews it, and tries to persuade him to complete everything on the list together. After much resistance, Carter agrees to go away for a while with Edward, leaving his wife and family behind to gain a sense of fulfillment before retiring. Edward has an abundance of money allowing men to cross almost everything off the list. They are seen skydiving, getting tattoos, racing their dream cars and visiting cities like Paris, the South African safari and Cairo, Egypt to admire the pyramids. While visiting these locations, the two men discuss their views on faith or lack thereof, issues related to marriage and family, such as Carter only having one wife for his entire life and fell in love, both wanting to be cremated, and whether they led joyful lives that also brought joy to others. Edward admits to Carter that he has an estranged daughter from one of his four failed marriages (Warner, 2008). The men stop in China where they attempt to climb Mt. Everest in Nepal but fail to do so due to bad weather. They make their last and final stop in Hong Kong, where Edward sends a woman to Carter's proposal. Carter respectfully refuses and expresses to Edward that he is ready to return home to his wife. They return to America where Carter tries in vain to reconcile Edward with his ex-daughter. The two men, angry, separate. Over time, Edward is depicted as lonely and depressed and Carter is depicted as having a new appreciation for his wife and the life he has built. Carter and his wife are about to consummate their marriage for the first time in years, when his wife finds him passed out on the floor. Edward receives a phone call while attending a small meeting and rushes to his dying friend's bedside (Warner, 2008). Carter gives Edward a letter he wrote and asks him to read it after he dies. He asks Edward to finish their to-do list without him. While Carter undergoes brain surgery, Edward reconciles with his daughter and meets his granddaughter for the first time. Carter dies during surgery and Edward reads Carter's letter asking him to find joy in his own life. Edward is seen giving a eulogy expressing how grateful he is to Carter for helping him find friendship and meaning during his final days. The film ends with Edward passing away and his assistant Matthew hiking to the summit of Mt. Everest on request. He places his boss's ashes next to Carter's and crosses the last task off the to-do list, only to witness something majestic (Warner, 2008). Explanation of Development At the beginning of the film, Edward and Carter are both confronted with Erikson's eighth stage, integrity. against despair. Both men are diagnosed with terminal illnesses and are forced to reflect on the past. Edward earned a lot of money throughout his life, but lackedclose interpersonal relationships and was separated from his only daughter. Edward reflected on his life with doubt and sadness, realizing that he had not made a joyful impact on the lives of others who mattered to him. This vision placed him in Erikson’s stage of despair (Santrock, 2018). Although Carter had a more prosperous and successful family life, he too looked back on his life with many regrets, regarding socioeconomic status and travel. Facing Erikson's final crisis, Carter was destined to leave the world with a feeling of despair (Santrock, 2018). Although the men were strangers at first, the two men grew closer through denial of their illness, resentment, and ultimately acceptance, following the Kubler-Ross stages (Santrock, 2018). The Bucket List only extends over a short period of time. in their lives but in this short time, viewers are able to gather more information about the men's past stages throughout their thinking period. At the age of eighteen, Carter found a woman he loved, married her, and started a family. He went on to successfully raise three children, helping them lead useful lives. From Erikson's perspective, Carter successfully completed stages six and seven, intimacy and generativity, but Carter still reflected on his life with doubt and sadness, not allowing him to achieve integrity (Santrock, 2018) . Carter and his wife became pregnant when he was eighteen, which placed him in Erikson's fifth stage of identity versus identity confusion. Carter was a young man who had only two months of college before he was forced to grow up, drop out and pursue a career that didn't interest him, in order to do what was necessary to raise a family. He said: “young, black, broke, baby on the way, take the first decent job that comes along” (Warner, 2008). Carter felt like he had never been able to pursue what he really wanted to do, which made it difficult to claim an identity. According to James Marcia's four identity statuses, Carter carried out an identity foreclosure. Carter ruled out a commitment to an identity and a vocation, without proper exploration. If an individual is unable to explore deeply and find themselves, a forged commitment can lead to failure over the years. As an outsider, Carter was successful because he had a career and a family, but he experienced personal turmoil because he failed to successfully complete Erikson's fifth step, this which categorized him in an identity confusion. The turning point in his life was Erikson's fifth stage and although it was not detrimental to the next two phases of his life, doubt and regret prevailed in the final stage (Santrock, 2018). Edward was able to effectively complete Erikson's fifth stage, finding his identity as an entrepreneur and businessman early on. The next two stages of his life were considered grayer areas. Although Edward married four times, all four of his marriages failed because he said, “The problem is, I like being single too” (Warner, 2008). Edward's life would be better defined as one of isolation because he never stayed married long enough to achieve any real intimacy. He revealed to Carter that he had a daughter from his second marriage. Edward and his second wife separated, making it difficult to maintain a close relationship with his daughter, but the major turning point in their relationship came when he sent a friend to care for her abusive husband. From that point on, his daughter had no relationship or contact with her father, so Edward was never able to pass on his wisdom to her or help her lead a useful life..