These are the people we know who follow leaders sheepishly, as they allow some stronger personality to become their own rather than establishing one for themselves. This means the ability to form intimate relationships, and also the ability to break off unproductive relationships. If one has no children, then creating something for future generations. People who are failing at this stage are noticeably behaving like their own child, indulging themselves to the detriment of the next generation. Reached by those who have taken care of things and people, adapting to the triumphs and disappointment of being, by necessity, the originator of others and the generator of things and ideas.
Integrity is reached with the acceptance for the responsibility of one's whole life.
This synopsis is lifted from parts of Erikson's writing, some parts are my own summations, mostly from my memories of meeting Erikson through Paul Lee, my philosophy mentor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. This version is out of print, but you may order the new version through Amazon. The homeschool support organization, EnCompass, seems to have evolved a philosophy of child raising based on Erikson. You might enjoy their website, which has loads of files on the stages of childhood, so you can be prepared to welcome your children into progressive stages rather than wish they'd stay how they were, but stuck, in easier, earlier stages. Erik Erikson's 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development Erikson is best known for his concept of the identity crisis.