Based on Eriksson's theory of personality development in developmental psychology, this paper tries to sort out Dr. Berg's life stages.
First, infancy to adolescence
"Wild Strawberry" doesn't pay much attention to Dr. Berg from birth to adolescence, but we can still find some clues from the story.
1, infancy
Eriksson's theory of personality development holds that 0- 1 year is a critical period for individuals to develop their trust. Good family conditions in childhood can make Dr. Berg get enough care and upbringing.
In the film, we seem to see Dr. Berg's nostalgia for the baby being taken good care of in the scene where Sarah picked up the baby and comforted it.
From Dr. Berg's confident decision to drive to the meeting by himself, we can see his trust in himself and the environment, which can be inferred that Dr. Berg developed his trust smoothly in infancy.
2. Early childhood
1-3 years old is the key stage for children to develop their will quality, and the main task is to form a sense of autonomy. When Dr. Berg visited his 96-year-old mother with harsh words, the conversation between mother and son showed estrangement, which reflected the estrangement of mother's feelings when raising children, and made people have reason to doubt whether Dr. Berg's sense of autonomy developed smoothly.
From the description of Dr. Berg's son, we can see that Dr. Berg is also indifferent to his son's growth, and may have followed the way his parents treated him.
3. Preschool
Dr. Berg may not be able to develop his initiative smoothly at the age of 3-6, which can be confirmed by his relationship with his parents and his feelings for his cousin Sarah.
His father's vague image in his memory and his mother's indifference and harshness are not conducive to the development of Dr. Berg's initiative.
4. School age
The school age of 6- 12 years old is the period to develop a sense of diligence. Dr. Berg has been practicing all his life and won high honors. From the mouth of his cousin Sarah, I also heard the affirmation of Dr. Berg. It can be seen that Dr. Berg's sense of diligence in his student days has been developed.
But in sharp contrast, he is emotionally isolated. When it comes to love and affection, inferiority complex is also clearly reflected in him, so in the dream, Sarah asked the old Dr. Berg to look in the mirror, and Dr. Berg would be so ashamed.
5. Adolescence
12-20 years old adolescents, individuals experience the conflict between role unity and role confusion, and initially establish self-identity. Dr. Berg is satisfied with himself as a doctor, and he is "clear conscience and can be unscrupulous", which reflects the development of self-identity.
But on the other hand, the loneliness in love and the subsequent indifference to children show us that he has not successfully developed his self-identity in the roles of lover and father.
Second, adulthood
As an adult, Dr. Berg's image is three-dimensional and distinct. We can explore Dr. Berg's adult life from the aspects of intimacy versus loneliness, reproductive versus stagnation, and self-integration versus despair.
1, early adulthood
Obviously, Dr. Berg is hindered in the development of intimacy. His process of feeling and giving love was not successful, he lost his love with his cousin and his marriage was very unhappy.
The wife's confession in the dream is an indictment of Dr. Berg's ruthlessness and indifference. Dr. Berg's punishment was loneliness, and this loneliness always accompanied him.
2. Middle adulthood
In mid-adulthood, individuals and society are inseparable, and the roles of work and family are important relationships at this stage. As a doctor, Dr. Berg's productivity and creativity have been fully developed, his work achievements are outstanding, and his sense of responsibility for society is also obvious.
At the family level, he lacks care and upbringing for his son. As a father, he is not qualified. It can be said that the development of his sense of reproduction is relatively one-sided.
3. Late adulthood
Late adulthood is a confrontation between self-integration and despair. Dr. Berg's unkindness, indifference and arrogance is his consistent personal style. From his "feeling good about himself", we can see that Dr. Berg has achieved a kind of self-integration.
At the same time, his sense of despair is also very clear. He dreamed that he was lying in a coffin and was convicted because he couldn't see clearly the microscope and the wrong patient. These dreams are the embodiment of Dr. Berg's sense of despair.
However, after this journey, in the interweaving of reality and dreams, Dr. Berg realized reconciliation with the past, found the courage to express love and affection for others, and met his parents happily in his dreams. For Dr. Berg, he has once again achieved self-integration.
Third, about integration
As far as the meaning of integration is concerned, it is a process of continuous development and improvement in the interaction between individuals and the environment, a process of individual self-awareness and self-examination, and a process of re-viewing.
Self-integrated individuals, when looking back on past experiences, can see their own meaning of life, physical and mental harmony, so they will be satisfied with themselves and have positive and optimistic emotions; At the same time, in the face of the present, individuals are receptive to reality, have a clear understanding of their own life stage, and can face it calmly.
According to Eriksson's theory of personality development, the process of self-adjustment and integration can occur at any stage of life, even in old age, individuals can still develop and improve the parts that have not been developed well before.
Just like Dr. Berg, his initiative and intimacy can be modified at the age of 79, and we have also seen the realization of love and care in him.
At the end of Wild Strawberry, Dr. Berg sincerely apologized to the housekeeper and sought reconciliation. He took the initiative to talk with his son and express his concern, formed a close family relationship with his daughter-in-law, showed a real smile in his sleep, and went back to sleep with ease and pleasure after waking up.
These behaviors and performances let us see that Dr. Berg is already in a state of self-integration, and believe that this is a continuous and positive development process.