Developmental Task Theory of Robert Havighurst

A developmental task is a task which arises at or about a certain period in the life
of an individual. Havighurst has identified six major age periods: infancy and early
childhood (0-5 years), middle childhood (6-12 years), adolescence (13-18 years), early
adulthood (19-29 years), middle adulthood (30-60 years), and later maturity (61+).

Basing on Havighurst’s Theory, my patient belongs in the middle adulthood stage

wherein he needs a partner in life, start a family, and separation from his parents.

Psychosocial Theory of Erik Erickson

Erik Erickson envisioned life as a sequence of levels of achievement. Each
stage signals a task that must be achieved. He believed that the greater that task
achievement, the healthier the personality of the person. Failure to achieve a task
influences the person’s ability to achieve the next task. Stages of Erikson’s
Psychosocial Theory are as follows:

 Infancy Birth – 12 months Trust vs. Mistrust

 Early Childhood 2 – 3 years Autonomy vs. Shame
 Late Childhood 4 – 6 years Initiative vs. Guilt
 School Age 7 – 11 years Industry vs. Inferiority
 Adolescence 12 – 19 years Identity vs. Role Confusion
 Young Adulthood 20 – 45 years Intimacy vs. Isolation
 Adulthood 45 – 65 years Generativity vs. Stagnation
 Maturity 65 years to death Integrity vs. Despair

Basing on this theory, he is still belongs to Adulthhood based on Erikson’s theory

the developmental task is the “Intimacy vs. Isolation”. The Intimacy vs. Isolation conflict
is emphasized around the ages of 20 to 34. At the start of this stage, identity vs. role
confusion is coming to an end, and it still lingers at the foundation of the stage (Erikson,
1950). Young adults are still eager to blend their identities with friends. They want to fit
in. Erikson believes we are sometimes isolated due to intimacy. We are afraid of
rejections such as being turned down or our partners breaking up with us. We are
familiar with pain, and to some of us, rejection is painful; our egos cannot bear the pain.
Erikson also argues that "Intimacy has a counterpart: Distantiation: the readiness to
isolate and if necessary, to destroy those forces and people whose essence seems
dangerous to our own, and whose territory seems to encroach on the extent of one's
intimate relations”.

As observed he needs a family to take care for him. His mother can’t do all the
caring because of her age. If this stage fails – a sense of isolation may result.