Timeline of My Life: Twenties to Forties

 

20s to 30s...
     - Intimacy vs. Isolation
     - Generativity vs. Self-Absorption

Protest: I will protest for cheaper education. I believe that the opportunity for education is a right that everyone should have, whether they are rich or poor. This signals the development of post-conventional morality, because my actions are fueled from the obstruction of peoples' rights to education.

 

Graduate College: I will either attend college at UC Berkeley or UC Santa Cruz. This is a huge step in who I become, because I will be exposed to environments  that are extremely different than the sheltered life that I have lived for my whole life. It is a time when I become a "big girl" who is responsible and independent.

First Serious Relationship?: During my twenties, I might form a serious relationship with someone, who might even turn out to be "the one." Or, I will develop strong, lasting friendships. These relationships will hopefully help me find a sense-of-self. (Intimacy vs. Isolation)


30s to 40s...
     - Generativity vs. Self-Absorption

Marriage: Around my early thirties, I will, hopefully, be married. Despite Intimacy versus Isolation being a developmental stage from my twenties, there might be some aspects of it remaining if I didn't completely fulfill development during my twenties. So, a happy marriage would be the ending of this stage of Erickson's Developmental Theory. (Intimacy vs. Isolation)

Children:  By my mid- to late thirties, I will hopefully have had a healthy little baby. This creation of new life fulfills my human desire to "make my mark" through creating and nurturing something that will outlast me. (Generativity vs. Self-Absorption) 

                                               

Timeline of My Life: Forties to Sixties

40s to 50s...
     - Generativity vs. Self-Absorption

Get Master's Degree: As life is slowing down a little bit, I decide to get my Master's Degree in Mathematics. Subconsciously, I am doing this because I want a sense of usefulness and accomplishment, which coincides with Erickson's 8 Stages of Life. (Generativity vs. Self-Absorption) It also signals the fourth stage of my cognitive development, formal operation, because I have the ability to reason abstractly and consider many different possibilities. (Formal Operational Stage)

Take Leadership Position at Work: Taking a leadership position at my job serves two purposes; the first purpose is, like described above, to develop a sense of productiveness and power. (Generativity vs. Self-Absorption) The second purpose is to make more money in order to support my family.

One (or both) of My Parents Pass Away: In my late forties, it will unfortunately be time for my parents to pass away. As sad as it is, this event is a big part of my own development. After seeing how quickly life can be taken away and the regrets/happy moments that my parents had, I might completely change how I live the rest of my life. My priorities are likely to change, and I will begin to reflect on my life in order to find ways that I can reduce regrets when it is my time to go. (integrity vs. Despair)

50s to 60s...
     - Integrity vs. Despair

Children Go to College: My children will be out of the house by now, most likely in college or pursuing a career. My husband and I will probably be suffering "empty-nest syndrome" which we may remedy by adopting a dog. (Generativity vs. Self-Absorption)

Qualify for Senior Discount at Ross: While this may not seem like a massive event, qualifying for this discount is a sign to all of society that I am getting older.

"I'm a Good Person!": While at the mall, a woman dropped $100 dollars, and despite having to find ways to pay for my children's education, I grab the money and give it back to its owner. This signals my post-conventional morality, which means that my actions were based on ethical principles, not my own self-interest.

Timeline of My Life: Sixties to Death

 60s to 70s...

     - Integrity vs. Despair

Retirement: While having a purpose had once been the motor that drove many of my actions, I am now making the transition into Erickson's "Integrity vs. Despair" stage. It is time that I focus on myself, my family, and my happiness instead of my job. (Integrity vs. Despair)

Travel: I plan on traveling around America, Europe, and South America after my retirement. This will contribute to a more positive reflection on my life, according to Erickson. (Integrity vs. Despair)

Volunteer: All of the rest and travel has been great, but I still feel the need to contribute to society somehow, since my children are out of the house. So to pass the time, I will volunteer at the American Cancer Society like I had done while I was in high school. In one aspect, I am returning to the "Generativity vs. Self-Absorption" stage because I want a sense of purpose; in another aspect, I am contributing to the "Integrity vs. Despair" stage because I am making my life more fulfilling in order to reduce my regrets.

70s to 80s...
     - Integrity vs. Despair

Reunion With a Childhood Friend: This is a time when I can reflect on my life, but with someone else's perspective, which can bring new life to my own reflection.

Grandchildren: By my seventies, I will hopefully have at least one grandchild. I plan on visiting and becoming connected with my grandchildren. In some way, I may be reliving certain experiences vicariously through my children and grandchildren, which is also a method of life reflection.

50th Wedding Anniversary: This is a huge milestone for me and my husband. It marks fifty years of love, happiness, and unity. This is somewhat of a pinnacle of the "Intimacy vs. Isolation" stage that I experienced in my twenties.

80s to 90s...
     - Integrity vs. Despair

Death of My Husband: While this will be a tragic event, it is also a time for me to reflect on the beautiful and satisfying life that my husband and I have lived together.

Living in an "Old Folks Home": With the loss of my husband, I am going to be lonely. By moving to a home filled with individuals who are in the same condition as me, I develop a sense of companionship once again.

The End: The remainder of my long life will be spend surrounded by friends and family. Hopefully, I will have no regrets about the life I have lived.

Timeline of My Life: Birth to Twenties

My Background...

I was born on July 26th, 1997 in Napa, California. My family, which has Mexican, Irish, and American heritage, consists of my mom, dad, and two older sisters. Since I was young, I have always have seen my family's financial and health issues; these experiences have instilled in me the power of hard work and health.

 

 

Birth to 10...

     - Trust vs. Mistrust

     - Autonomy vs. Doubt

     - Initiative vs. Guilt

     - Industry vs. Inferiority

 

First Steps: I first walked without support or help when I was about one-year-old. This was my first "big step" towards autonomy and independence. (autonomy vs. doubt)

 

"Toy Stealer!": When I was three-years-old, I went to pre-school and I stole toys from other kids. This showed my egocentrism, because I didn't understand how they would feel if I stole their toys, I only understood that I would be happy with their toys. (preoperational stage)

 

Kindergarten: I began kindergarten when I was five-years-old. Kindergarten was the beginning of my social development. (initiative vs. guilt)

 

 

10 to 20s...

     - Industry vs. Inferiority

     - Ego Identity vs. Role Confusion

Spelling Bee: When I was ten-years-old, I won the fifth-grade spelling bee. This is the first event that I can remember when I began to take pride in academics and other accomplishments.

 

"Soccer Girl": During my sophomore year of high school, when I was fifteen, I played JV Soccer. As I reflect on my experience, I realize I was experimenting with different roles, activities, and behaviors in a quest to find my own identity.

(Ego Identity vs. Role Confusion)

 

Driver's License: When I was 16, I got my Driver's license. This signaled the development of conventional morality because I was obeying the rules of the road because they are laws and rules. (conventional morality)



My College Application Process Part 6

The perfect college doesn't exist, so along my college application journey, I had to make some compensations while selecting colleges. The main sacrifice that I made was by choosing to not apply to private colleges. Although they are filled with high-quality education and beauty, my family and I are not capable of paying for that large of a tuition. Smaller compensations include enrollment size, extracurricular activities, and location. However, I am very pleased with the college choices that I have made, despite these small sacrifices.

My College Application Process Part 5

confirmation bias: seeking evidence that confirms our ideas, not information that refutes it

 

overconfidence: overestimation of the accuracy of our knowledge and judgment

belief bias: the tendency to judge the strength of evidence based on how well they fit your conclusion, not by their accuracy

belief perseverance: clinging to one's initial beliefs after their basis has been discredited

Whilst investigating colleges to apply to, I encountered many different types of bias that inhibited my ability to look into colleges without prior judgment clouding my opinions...

One of the ways that I narrowed down the number of colleges that I was going to apply to was by choosing colleges that I had a reasonable chance of being accepted to. As many people know, UC Berkeley is an extremely competitive, and it just so happens to be my first choice for college. Throughout my college researching, I had confirmation bias. I looked for examples of students being selected that had lower GPAs or less extracurricular activities in order to confirm that I had a good chance of getting into that college. This led to belief bias, in which I concluded that most people who were accepted to UC Berkeley weren't exactly "spectacular," because it fit my conclusion that I would be accepted if non-spectacular people were usually accepted.

 

Prior to my college researching, when asked questions regarding some colleges, I definitely experienced overconfidence. This overconfidence varied from knowledge of majors offered to the cost of tuition. Once I looked into the colleges in depth, I realized that I was vastly wrong about many aspects of the colleges that I was interested in previously.

Besides being accepted to college, paying for college is one of the most important parts of the college decision. It was in this aspect of college that I experienced belief perseverance. After researching the possibility of receiving great financial aid and/or scholarships, I became dejected when I realized that the possibility of me receiving financial aid based on my family's financial situation is very unlikely. This, therefore, eliminated my chances of attending private colleges, one of which I was interested in, St. Mary's College. For about three months, I was in denial about my financial aid situation, which was belief perseverance. I strongly believed that I would receive helpful aid for tuition. However, when I saw the struggles that my sister's private school education put upon my parents financially, my belief perseverance died out, and I decided to only look into public colleges and universities.