Integrity vs. Despair

The last developmental stage is late adulthood. The goal of this stage is to leave one’s life with few regrets. The core struggle is between integrity and despair. In this stage of life you must be able to utilize your rational thinking and spirituality in order to maintain your integrity during the final years of life. You must be able to repair the hurt in your significant relationships in order to leave life with few regrets.

Without the stress of children, work, or other daily commitments, you have a great opportunity to give back to others in your relationships by following the virtues described throughout this chapter. You can choose from the list of behavioral expectations and atoning strategies from each developmental stage. You could even serve as a role model for others, helping children, adolescents, and adults to meet their developmental milestones by encouraging them to adopt this type of virtue system in their lives. The elderly should not wait for a knock on their door to demonstrate virtuous behavior. They need to take the initiative to promote their wealth of knowledge and experience and show that they find value in those who are younger than they are. This is not a time for older people to be self-absorbed with thoughts of their dying or their medical conditions.