Many scientists and philosophers have provided information about the stages that human beings go through in life. One such representation is put forward by Erikson, in the book The Nature of Adolescent, by John C. Coleman and Leo B. Hendry. This theory has four steps; 1. The problem of intimacy, 2. A diffusion of time perspective, i.e. problems of focusing on the future, 3. Diffusion of industry or difficulty concentrating on studies, and finally 4. Negative identity or "rebel" phase. These stages are not unique to the teenage years of a person's life, as they can go through them and possibly remain there for their entire lives. Rebecca Fraser-Thill defines it as: “Identity diffusion is a step in the process of finding a sense of self. It refers to a period in which an individual does not have an established identity, nor is he actively seeking one. In other words, it is a time when a person's identity remains unresolved, but there is no identity crisis" (Thill). In James Joyce's novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, each of these stages can be seen as the novel progresses. An analysis of the stages of development as stated by Erikson, in Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and in My Life is needed. Intimacy issues can be seen in the early stages of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man when Stephen, the novel's protagonist, has multiple sexual escapades with prostitutes. James Joyce recounts this, saying, "It was too much for him. He closed his eyes, surrendering to her, body and mind, conscious of nothing in the world but the dark pressure of her softly opening lips." (Joyce, Chapter 2, Section 5). This shows his reluctance to engage in a…paper medium…in the world. Many people either do not progress, remaining stuck at one level or another, or regress to stages they have already passed. There are definitely problems in everyone's life, but the best thing to do is learn from them. These stages are not set in stone and there is no way to fully know what is going on in a person's mind. Works cited. Np, nd Web. May 5, 2014. Coleman, John C., and Leo B. Hendry. The nature of adolescence. Np: Metheun and Co., 1980. Print.Erikson, Erik H. Identity: Youth and Crisis. Np: W. W. Norton and Company, 1968. Print.Melges, Frederick T. “Identity and Temporal Perspective.” Cognitive models of psychological time. Ed. Richard A. Block. Np: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1990. 255-67. Print.SimplyPsychology. Np, nd.