Erik Erickson : The Eight Stages Of The Psychosocial Development

Erikson’s (1959/1980) stages of psychosocial development. Though Erikson was influenced early on by his teacher, Sigmund Freud, unlike Freud or Piaget, Erikson emphasized the role of culture and society in the development of personality throughout an individual’s lifespan. Erikson (1950) believed that individuals experience a psychosocial crisis during each of the stages of development and that the way in which those crises are resolved results in either a positive or negative impact on the development of personality as one progresses through life. In his Eight Stages of Man, Erikson (1950) argued that psychosocial development occurs through the positive resolution of the following eight crises: (a) trust v. mistrust, (b) autonomy v. shame and doubt, (c) initiative v. guilt, (d) industry v. inferiority,

The first stage is trust vs. mistrust, this occurs in the first year of life. Infants develop a sense of trust when caregivers provide them with their basic needs, but a lack of this will lead to mistrust. If this stage is successful, the infant gains the virtue of hope. When a baby cries and its mom doesn’t come immediately, it knows the mom will come eventually. If the baby doesn’t develop hope, it instead develops fear, a fear that their mom will never come when they need them. The second stage is autonomy vs. shame and doubt in 1 to 3 year olds. In order for the toddler to reach autonomy, they have to be allowed to investigate and do things for themselves. They will gain confidence and self-control and learn to handle their mistakes. Too much independence is dangerous though since they’re fragile and could get hurt, but smothering and limiting them too much will make them doubt themselves and feel that they are unable to do things. If they feel inadequate, they may become very dependent and lack self-esteem. Balance is key in this and many of the other stages for proper growth. If this stage is successful the child will develop the virtue of will. The third stage is initiative vs. guilt, this

The first stage of Erikson's psychosocial stage is trust vs. mistrust, which is experienced, in the first year of life. Infants learn to trust in order to satisfy their needs thus developing a feeling of self-worth. When infants receive inconsistent care they

Eric Erikson was one of the most famous theorists of the twentieth century; he created many theories. One of the most talked about theories is his theory of psychosocial development. This is a theory that describes stages in which an individual should pass as they are going through life. His theory includes nine stages all together. The original theory only included eight stages but Erikson‘s wife found a ninth stage and published it after his death. The nine stages include: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. identity confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, integrity vs. despair, and hope and faith vs. despair (Crandell and Crandell,

The second theory examined is Erik Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development. Each stage in Erikson’s theory involves a conflict/crisis that a person must work through to evolve their personality. Rosenthal (1981) explains that, “Each stage arises because a new dimension of social interaction

Stage 2: Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt. The child develops a sense of autonomy and learns to hold on and let go of things and emotions. If a child is not encouraged to share his or her emotions, toys, food, the child does not learn to trust others. Trust is manifested in getting the toys back and maybe tasting someone else’s food, receiving and giving affection from others. Therefore it is important to foster trust in children at this stage. (Page 158)

Trust vs. Mistrust- During this stage the infant is uncertain about the world in which they

Erikson’s eight stages of development are trust vs. mistrust, Industry vs. Inferiority and Identity vs. Role Confusion. Stage one is Trust vs. mistrust – birth to age 1- At this stage the infant learns to trust the caregiver to provide for their basic needs or develops mistrust. Stage two is Autonomy vs. shame and doubt– 1-3yrs- At this stage toddlers begin to express their independence by talking, walking, dressing, feeding, and toileting

20 is a strange age, you don’t have the excuse of being a teenager to fall back on but people still treat you like a child. Since high school, I’ve been interested in psychology, a topic many people engage in because as humans, we all naturally try to learn more about ourselves as a whole, but also as individuals. Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development mark the eight points people go through from infancy to elder hood. Based on Erikson’s theory, twenty year olds are at the end of adolescence where we wonder who we are and what we can be, as well as being at the beginning of early adulthood where we have formed most of our identity but are also now trying to find love and where we fit into the world.

Successfully resolving this stage leads to the child developing the virtue of hope. The child will also develop “optimism, trust, confidence, and security” when they effectively complete this stage (Davey, 2014, para. 5). Failure to complete this stage will result in “insecurity, worthlessness, and general mistrust” to everyone around them (Davey, 2014, para. 5). This stage lasts from birth to 18 months (Davey, 2014). I think I successfully completed Erickson’s first stage. My mother and father provided adequate care for me. They provided comfort and the proper necessities for me to grow. I am optimistic and I generally trust others; I am not overly trusting to a point where I am naïve, but I have a sense of security within myself and the

The next stage is autonomy vs. shame and doubt, has to do with a child taking on more independence like choosing what they want to wear or eat. This stage is normally when the person is a toddler. They are starting to

Our lifetime is full of lessons and trials that we go through to help us mature and learn. As mentioned before, babies have several needs that have to be met as they rely on their caregivers for all of their dependencies. They will form a healthy amount of trustworthiness in people if their needs are met but if they are not consistently met, the infant will start to distrust the individuals. When their needs are met with unavailability or rejection the child forms a sense of mistrust in their caregivers, the outcome is fear and a conclusion that the world itself is very unreliable and erratic. The infant looks to their main caregivers for reliability and consistency to dissolve those uneasy feelings of doubt. If the child’s care was harsh and undependable, they will not have assurance in the world or in their own capabilities. They will bring that distrust from their infancy to their adulthood and into future relations. If the care they received was bad it will result in major feelings of anxiety, insecurities, and an overall feeling of

1. My niece fits into the infancy stage. She is not even a year old. I can see the oral-sensory mode with her. She is constantly taking in the world around her by trying new things with her senses and trying to put things in her mouth. At this stage she is experiencing basic trust vs mistrust. She is trying to trust the world and the people around her. I see this as the basic issue. Hope is another issue that is present. I believe with the help of her supportive parents she is being to develop hope and not withdrawal. She is very open and not withdrawn in any setting. Understanding her basic concerns of trust and mistrust helps me better understand her needs. Although she cannot talk yet, I can use this information to better connect with her

Society plays an important role in the development and formation of individual’s identity, the social idea of the perfect man or woman tends to create different traumas in people who are trying to be accepted or recognized in their environment. Seeking perfection or social acceptance often tend people fall into depression, loneliness, low self-esteem, insecurity, frustration, isolation, and many other problems that will not allow individuals to express themselves freely and create their true identity. When we think about identity we referred to the individual unique characteristic that a person have in order to be recognized as human being. Identity is also the awareness that a person has with respect to itself and makes one different from

In the first stage a child faces the challenge of gaining trust, and learning that their world is a safe place "family members play a key role in how any infant meets this challenge" ( Macionis, 2011 P. 74). In the second stage, the child learns skills to cope in the world in a confident way, if they fail to gain self-control it leads to the children's to doubt their abilities. In stage three is when the child has to learn to engage with their surroundings. They also must experience the guilt of failing to meet the parents expectations. Stage four, refers to the challenge of preadolescence. In this stage kids make friends and strike out on their own more and more. "They either feel proud of their accomplishments or fear that they do no measure up" (Macionis, 2011 Pp.74). In stage five adolescence, the teen years is when the teenagers struggle to establish their identity. They identify themselves with others, however, they want to be unique. In stage six of the stages of development, young adults face the challenge of forming close relationships with friends and falling in love. In stage seven the challenge is contributing to the lives of