1) Erikson – Industry vs. Inferiority
In the movie Forrest Gump, there is a scene in which the main character’s son reads aloud
from a children’s book. Forrest is next to him, paying rapt attention. This illustrates
industry versus inferiority, the fourth stage of Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial
development. According to page 23 of John W. Santrock’s Life-Span Development
textbook, this stage usually occurs during an individual’s elementary school years. It refers
to the need to direct one’s energy towards the mastering of knowledge and intellectual
skills or otherwise developing feelings of inferiority. The movie shows Forrest’s son
displaying his reading skills to his father, who appears quite proud of his son’s intellect and
offers Forrest Jr. the external motivation to continue furthering his academic endeavors.
2) Erikson – Identity vs. Identity Confusion
In the movie, there is a scene in which Forrest gets chased by several bullies onto a
football field. He quickly outstrips all the other players and gets to go on to college after
receiving a football scholarship. This illustrates identity versus identity confusion, the fifth
stage of Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development. According to page 23 of Santrock’s
textbook, this stage usually occurs during an individual’s adolescent years. It refers to
finding out who they are, what they’re all about and where they’re heading in life in either
a healthy manner or otherwise developing identity confusion. The movie shows that
Forrest runs as a result of being bullied. He remains confused as to whether he has
anything else to offer.
3) Erikson – Intimacy vs. Isolation
