Life Cycle Paper on Chicago Fire
By: Jeremy Foster

The show that I chose to analyze is Chicago Fire on CBS. The show follows the life of firefighters and paramedics in Chicago. It is about their daily lives on and off the job and how they balance their personal lives with their careers. The main characters include Lieutenant Matthew Casey, Lieutenant Kelly Severide, Firefighter Candidate/Paramedic Gabriella Dawson, Paramedic Leslie Shay, and Paramedic Sylvie Brett. Lieutenant Mathew Casey is a very strict no nonsense leader who takes his job and career very seriously. He is in his early 30s and very passionate about being a good firefighter. Casey’s relationships often take a back seat to his career which is often a problem in his love life. Currently Casey is dating former Paramedic now new Firefighter Candidate of the house Gabriella. Their relationship at the moment is very complicated. Before a spot opened up at the firehouse and Gabriella was still a Paramedic they were engaged to get married and were planning their wedding. Unfortunately it is District policy that a When a spot for Gabriella opened in the house to become a firefighter., Casey and Gabriella decided to put their wedding plans on hold so Gabriella could follow her dream of becoming a firefighter. Lieutenant Casey is supportive of Gabriella’s decision but secretly it bothers him that she decided to put their marriage on hold. Lieutenant Mathew Casey is currently in the Generativity vs Stagnation stage. He is currently looking to settle down with Gabriella and start a family. He also has a steady job and is financially comfortable. As he grows older and his career as a firefighter starts to dwindle down he will eventually enter the late adulthood stage. Lieutenant Mathew Casey meets the hierarchy needs of love and belonging and safety as he is in a committed relationship with Gabriella and has a very good career with financial security. I think he needs to work on reaching self-actualization stage as he has not quite yet reached his full potential in his career or his personal life.
Lieutenant Kelly Severide is in his early 30s as well but is more of a laid back and charismatic leader in charge. He is passionate about his job and is very good at it but also likes to have a good time when he is off the clock. Kelly is a womanizer and has not had a serious relationship throughout the series so far. Kelly treats the fellow members of the firehouse like family and would do anything for any of them. Kelly is going through a very tough time at the moment as recently his roommate and best friend, Paramedic Leslie Shay just recently died in a work accident. Kelly is having a tough time dealing with it and is self-medicating with alcohol and excessive drinking. He often spends his time off the clock at bars and clubs all night. This is putting a strain on his friendship and his career as he has been uncharacteristically late and unreliable lately. At first his friends tried to be there to support him and go out with him but they couldn’t keep up with him and are growing worried he is keeping his feelings bottled up and is not truly dealing with Shay’s death. The viewer can also tell the lack of not having a true relationship is bothering him and that he does not know how to have a committed relationship
I believe that Kelly Severide is currently in the Love vs Isolation stage in Erikson’s stages. While he possess some of the characteristics of somebody in the middle adulthood stage with his steady job and comfortable income he has not established a relationship beyond sexual yet. I think once he enters a serious committed relationship he will then be able to move on to the next stage.
I believe Kelly currently meets the safety needs with his job security but he does not meet the current needs for love and belonging as he has not been in a committed relationship. Gabriella Dawson is a firefighter candidate that used to be one of the paramedics