Erickson's Eight Stages Of Development Paper

The topic of focus is Down syndrome (DS) teenagers between the ages of 12 - 18 years old. According to Erikson growth and development theory there are five stages, namely: Infancy, Toddlers, Preschoolers, School-ages and Adolescence (Teenagers) (Leifer 2011, p.365). The stage of development that we will be elaborating on is stage five, Adolescence. Erikson defines adolescence as “the period of life beginning with the appearance of secondary sex characteristics and ending with cessation of growth and emotional maturity” (Leifer 2011, p.451). Erikson continues in discussing that the major growth and development theory during the adolescence years in that he/she is trying to identify whom one is and because of their delayed physical and mental

A theory proposed by Erik Erikson (1950, 1963) promotes the eight development stages of adolescents through adulthood by comparing the transitory periods. During each stage, the person experiences a psychosocial crisis which could have a positive or negative outcome for identity and personality development. The first stage is trust vs. mistrust, this stage starts at birth and end at the age of one year. This stage also explains the safety that the infant is getting from the caregiver. For example, if the infant receives constant care, they will develop a sense of trust which will be carried out with them to other and future relationships. The second stage is autonomy vs. shame and doubt; this stage occurs at the age of two to three years old. In this stage, the child is mainly discovering their skills and abilities. The third stage is Initiative vs. Guilt; this stage occurs around age three to age

The first stage of Erikson’s eight stages of development is called Trust vs Mistrust, and these two coexists on how the infant will later be affected in the world. Trust revolves around how often the parent attends to their children. Mistrust of course is the complete opposite from Trust. According to Erikson, my mother informed me that I developed a sense of Mistrust/Trust. She explained to me that at first she used to attend to my needs, and pick me up every time I cried, therefore, I developed trust. That all went downhill when my great grandmother told my mother to not pick me up because, crying will help my lungs. Ending with mistrust, is part of the reason why I don’t try to get close to others as much. Nowadays, I tend to keep my distance from other people.

The early stages of any person’s life are the most crucial for cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development. The first few years for a toddler are even more important because their growth is significantly more rapid during this time period. I observed the growth of a 20-month-old boy who I will refer to as Theo. My observations occurred at Theo’s Aunt’s house with his Aunt, Mother and Grandmother present. His usual environment is at his grandparent’s house under the primary care of his mother.

Erikson developed eight stages of human development. Briefly I would describe all eight my I will concentrate on stages five and six which are adolescence and young adulthood. Myer describes the stages in the following manner. Stage one occurs during the first year This stage is called infancy (trust vs. mistrust) during this stage if needs are dependably met, infants develop a sense of basic trust. The second stage is called the toddler stage (autonomy vs. shame and doubt). This stage occurs while the baby is two years old, in this stage toddlers learn to exercise will do things for themselves, or they doubt their abilities. The third stage is called the preschooler between the ages of three and five (initiative vs. guilt). During this stage preschoolers learn to initiate

Erikson’s theory of human development breaks down the development of a person from birth to death into eight stages; the stages are further broken down into an individual’s crisis over a lifespan. In the infancy stage, children undergo the crisis of trust versus mistrust, where they learn to perceive the world as a safe place by the affection they receive from the people around them. Stage two, known as the Toddler stage, is where children gain a sense of autonomy versus shame and doubt and when they can complete basic tasks on their own. The next crisis, initiative versus guilt, is in the preschool stage. From the ages of three to six children develop a sense of purpose due to new responsibilities and the capacity to feel guilt. Industry versus inferiority is a crisis that begins during the childhood stage. Children learn to work with others as well as determine how others view them. The adolescence stage is between the ages twelve through eighteen where teens start to form a sense of identity and or become confused about their role in life. After is the young adulthood stage, which characterized by the forming of intimate relationships or isolation. The crisis in the middle adulthood is generativity versus

It is a well-known fact that an individual’s childhood has a significant impact on one’s life. This upbringing may consist of abuse, violence, or love as the type of treatment one receives, is out of their control. However one thing will always remain constant, the individual will continue to grow and develop regardless of whether or not specific childhood stages are successfully fulfilled and completed. These stages were established by psychologist Erik Erikson in his theory named, stages of development that consist of eight phases (five being between the ages of 1-18) that he believed were crucial in the development of a healthy human.

The eight stages of psychosocial development have a significant impact on the individual 's gding to Erikson each stage is marked by conflict which if successfully addressed and overcome have a positive outcome. In order to be successful an individual has to resolve each crisis by achieving a healthy balance between the two opposing temperaments (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010; Papalia, Olds, & Feldman, 2006).

Erik Erikson “proposed a comprehensive developmental theory that included the entire life span” (38). His theory is composed of eight developmental stages that each has their own challenge. Starting from the day we were born all the way up to the day we die, we will have “traveled” through all eight developmental stages or challenges. Erikson’s theory was unlike others in the time period: Erikson believed that development occurs throughout the whole lifespan, not just until age 20 (notes). Similarly, Erikson, like Sigmund Freud “believed that problems of adult life echo unresolved childhood conflicts” (39). For example, if a person does not develop autonomy in early childhood, as an adult, they are likely to be dependent on others. Erikson

In Erik Erikson’s theory he explains that in every stage, a positive or a negative attitude is developed within an individual. During our developing stages we are either successful or we fail. Each stage will come to us whether or not we’re ready for them or not. You can think of the stages as learning stages where crisis occur .Only if we have learned from the previous crisis we are successful. You cannot avoid 1 stage and move to a next stage because of the developing process. The outcome of our lives depends on the way we chose to progress throughout each stage in life. Erikson had his own way in describing each stage in life that we all must go through.

The fifth stage is capped Identity vs. Role Confusion, which occurs during the ages of 12-18 years. During this age adolescents search for a sense of self and personal identity. According to Erickson this stage is important in the process of forming a strong identity and developing a sense of direction in life. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of fidelity. Failure to establish a sense of identity will lead to role confusion of identity crisis. The sixth stage is called Intimacy vs. Isolation which occurs during the ages of 18 through 40. During this stage we concentrate on forming intimate, loving relationships with other people. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of love. The seventh stage is called Generality vs. Stagnation which occurs during the ages of 40 to 65. During this stage people want to create things that will our lady them and crate positive changes that will benefit other people. Success will lead to feeling of usefulness and accomplishment while failure will result in shallow involvement in the world. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of care. The last and final stage is a Kiev Ego Integrity vs. Despair at the age of 65 and above. During this stage people reflect on their life and either move into feeling satisfied and happy or a feel feeling of regret. Success in this stage will lead to the feelings of wisdom, while failure will lead to regret, bitterness, and

This stage last from ages 2-3 years old. This stage corresponds to Freud 's anal stage. Initiative vs. Guilt is the stage where a developing child must be active in their environment. The ages of this stage are 3-5 years old. The child needs to have a sense of purpose. Industry vs. Inferiority is the stage where a child develops competence. The ages for this stage are 6-11 years old. These are the school years of a child 's life. Ego Identity Vs. Role Confusion is the stage where a child is in their adolescent years. The ages of this stage are 12-18 years old. The teenager is going through puberty and is noticing members of the opposite sex. Intimacy Vs. Isolation is the stage where the person is trying to find a mate for themselves. The ages for this stage are 18-24 years old. They want love. Generativity Vs. Stagnation is the stage where the now adult is working and they want to be a mentor for other children. the ages in this stage are 25-64 years old. The last stage of Erickson 's theory is Ego Integrity Vs. Despair. In this last stage a person needs to become comfortable with the life that they are living and have lived. The ages of this last stage are from 65-death.

According to Erikson, the eight Stages of Development are Infancy, Toddler, Early Childhood, Elementary School Age, Adolescence, Young Adulthood, and Old Age. Each one of these stages portrays personality traits developed within the given timeframe. If a person was to grown up, and have an emotional turning point. How a person handles each crises, determines the course which our character becomes; and how we will handle conflict in the future. This is because each stage represents two basic concepts of life, reflecting the opposite. An example of this would be the Toddler stage where it represents the second year of a person’s life where they learn autonomy versus shame and doubt. According to Jeremy M. Burger’s, author of Personality Sixth Edition, definition of this stage:

Erik Erickson was a man who made a huge contribution in the field of psychology. He did studies of what he came up with to be called the developmental theory. “Each stage brings a psychosocial crisis involving transitions in important social relationships” (Weiten 350). According to Erickson, every person must go through a series of eight interrelated stages over their entire life cycle. “Each stage is presented as two opposing statements representing the challenges a person faces at a particular age” (Erickson’s Eight Stages of Development 1).

Erikson believes that every individual goes through eight stages during development. These eight stages include: basic trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. identity confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and lastly integrity vs. despair (Munley, 1975). These eight stages are broken up into the developing ages an individual experience. He believes social interaction plays a significant role in human development. The people who are faced with conflicts in social development will be negatively impacted by future functioning and growth (Munley, 1975). He believes that development is based on qualitative because changing over time can be compared to a stage and someone’s whose identity becomes stronger can be