According to Erikson's stages of development, what does Ego Integrity versus Despair signify?

Ego Integrity versus Despair is the eighth and final stage in Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, which occurs in late adulthood. This stage is characterized by individuals reflecting on their lives and evaluating their accomplishments and experiences. When a person finds a sense of fulfillment and acceptance regarding their life choices, they achieve ego integrity. This leads to a feeling of completeness and satisfaction with their life journey, enabling them to face the end of life with a sense of peace.

Conversely, if individuals reflect on their lives and feel regret, disappointment, or despair over unachieved goals or missed opportunities, they may experience feelings of bitterness and despair. Therefore, the accurate description of this stage focuses on reflection on life outcomes, personal achievements, and coming to terms with mortality, which aligns with the choice stating it is a time for personal achievement reflection and acceptance of death.

The other choices address concepts from different stages of development or focus on different aspects of psychosocial growth, not specifically relating to the reflections characterizing the late adulthood stage of Ego Integrity versus Despair.