Children who feel inferior may never learn to enjoy intellectual work and take pride in doing at least one kind of thing really well. Worst case, they may believe they will never excel at anything. If they are unable to establish a sense of stability in various aspects of their lives, role confusion results. Psychosocial attitude is that of establishing close and committed intimate relationships with other people. Failure to do so will lead to a sense of aloneness.
Psychosocial attitude is that of having a positive effect on younger generations.
Those unable or unwilling to establish and guide the next generation become victims of stagnation and self absorption. Psychosocial attitude is that of acceptance of one's one and only life cycle. Despair expresses the feeling that the time is too short for the attempt to start another life and to try out alternative roads to integrity. Two Similarities and Two Differences between Piaget and Erikson Piaget and Erikson's theories are stage theories of development. This is where the similarities between these two stage theories end.