That Changes Everything What factors contribute to the life

choices people make? Why?

Factors that contribute to the life choices people make, include: Psychosocial developmental stages and faith stages

A trip through 3 events in my life

I had my first child by the age of 17– IDENTITY V ROLE CONFUSION Didn’t know who I was, where I stood as a person Lack of support resulted in role confusion

-FOWLER STAGE 2-Mythical-literal stage

Accepted the beliefs and traditions I grew up with, instead of thinking for myself.

Was forced to go to church, caused a blind acceptance without questions.

Getting married-21 years old • Intimacy v Isolation• Was still trying to find myIdentity-but unwilling to veer towardIsolation, so instead strove for Intimacy

• Synthetic-Conventional Faith-still held the faith of myChildhood, without Really knowing why I Believed what I did, not realizing that was an ideology

Began College: age 28

• Intimacy v Isolation stage• Going back to school with goals in mind, mentally prepared to

seek and understand the information being taught• Ready to “face the fear of ego loss in situations which call for self

abandon” (263).• Less likely to make impulsive decisions in regards to career

Fowler Stage 4-Individuative-reflective Faith• Critical thinking

allowed for serious reflection over my previous conformity

• Began critically examining all previous beliefs and demythologizing them

In conclusion…• All of these events were life changing for me, though at

the times I had no knowledge of the stages I was going through, steps I was taking. For me, children and marriage became my normal (a wonderful normal!) but they dominated my life in a way I almost didn’t know who I was (beliefs, identity beyond being a mother etc.). College was the catastrophic life changing event that has helped change that. I have separated myself from passive views on almost everything to front and center, actively seeking information and finding out where I stand with it. I am finding out who I am and where my interests lie, and better yet, I am passing on that critical thinking to my children, teaching them what I some how missed as a child, to think for themselves and to gain passion for what they feel strongly about, and furthermore, to act on that passion. Knowing the life stages, whether Erikson’s, Fowlers, or the many more is critical to further understanding why and how one experiences life events and choices.