resolutions of ill health (Erikson, 1967). Hannah, Domino, Figueredo, and Hendrickson
(1996) sought empirical support for the notion that successful resolution of Stage 8 was
dependent on an equally positive outcome on each of the preceding seven stages. Using
participants aged 55–84, the authors found significant and positive correlations between the
scores of all eight stages, the highest value being between Stages 7 and 8. They also reported
that there were no meaningful differences between men and women on the prediction of ego
integrity. Hannah et al. noted that they had presumed that an age of 60 plus implied that an
individual had now reached the crossroads of ego integrity versus despair. In other words, one
needs to have experienced the previous seven crisis stages before the eighth can become
relevant and meaningful.