Quote Originally Posted by hkkmr View Post
I don't think these phases are supposed to be precise.
And in this context care is not merely a subconscious thing but care as in taking responsibility of one's children and acts such as that as a full time occupation.
This is true. From recollection I believe he described the crisis as normative, as in that they are not necessarily universal, but that from his work as a psychoanalyst he observed them to be not unusual.

Regarding the stages of development (from recollection again, I will check this) I believe, that they did not work as a simple linear progression, but that an individual could be at different stages with regards to developing different aspects of his or her identity.

Erikson was very influential during his time, but he has not been without critics and as psychological methods and other theories have developed beyond and also in contrast to his. From what I understand he is still considered relevant by mainstream psychologists.