NCMHCE Lifespan Development in Counseling 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A counselor is working with a 70-year-old client who expresses fear of becoming a burden to family. According to Erikson's theory, which psychosocial stage conflict is this client most likely navigating?
- Generativity vs. stagnation
- Ego integrity vs. despair (Correct answer)
- Intimacy vs. isolation
- Identity vs. role confusion
Correct answer: Ego integrity vs. despair
Ego integrity vs. despair is Erikson's stage for late adulthood (65+), involving reflection on life's meaning and acceptance of one's life as lived.
Question 2: A 15-year-old presents with intense peer conflict and difficulty articulating personal values. Using Marcia's identity status model, which status BEST describes a teen who has not explored nor committed to any identity?
- Identity foreclosure
- Identity moratorium
- Identity diffusion (Correct answer)
- Identity achievement
Correct answer: Identity diffusion
Identity diffusion involves neither exploration nor commitment, which is characteristic of adolescents who have not begun actively searching for identity.
Question 3: During a session, a 3-year-old's parent reports the child insists on doing everything 'by myself.' According to Erikson, this child is in which developmental conflict?
- Trust vs. mistrust
- Initiative vs. guilt
- Autonomy vs. shame and doubt (Correct answer)
- Industry vs. inferiority
Correct answer: Autonomy vs. shame and doubt
Autonomy vs. shame and doubt occurs in toddlerhood (18 months–3 years), when children strive for independence and self-control.
Question 4: A counselor notes that a client in their mid-40s is questioning career choices and feeling unfulfilled despite external success. This presentation is MOST consistent with which developmental concept?
- Generativity crisis
- Midlife transition (Correct answer)
- Late adulthood adjustment
- Early adulthood normative stress
Correct answer: Midlife transition
Midlife transition, as described by Levinson, involves reassessment of life structure and meaning, typically occurring around ages 40–45.
Question 5: A school counselor observes a 9-year-old who is motivated by completing projects and receiving praise for skills. According to Erikson, which developmental task is central at this age?
- Initiative vs. guilt
- Autonomy vs. shame and doubt
- Industry vs. inferiority (Correct answer)
- Identity vs. role confusion
Correct answer: Industry vs. inferiority
Industry vs. inferiority (ages 6–12) involves children developing competence and pride in their abilities through school and social tasks.
Question 6: A 28-year-old client reports difficulty forming close romantic relationships and fear of commitment. Using Erikson's framework, this reflects a challenge in which stage?
- Identity vs. role confusion
- Intimacy vs. isolation (Correct answer)
- Generativity vs. stagnation
- Ego integrity vs. despair
Correct answer: Intimacy vs. isolation
Intimacy vs. isolation (young adulthood, 20s–40s) involves forming close, meaningful relationships; failure results in feelings of isolation.
Question 7: Which theorist proposed that moral development progresses through preconventional, conventional, and postconventional levels, each containing two stages?
- Jean Piaget
- Lawrence Kohlberg (Correct answer)
- Carol Gilligan
- Erik Erikson
Correct answer: Lawrence Kohlberg
Lawrence Kohlberg built on Piaget's work to describe six stages of moral reasoning across three levels of development.
NCMHCE Lifespan Development in Counseling 2
A counselor is working with a 70-year-old client who expresses fear of becoming a burden to family.
According to Erikson's theory, which psychosocial stage conflict is this client most likely navigating?