“Trust vs. Mistrust”
At 8 months of age Isabella has shown to be curious around the world around her. She examines and gazes quietly at people when she does not recognize them. As if trying to figure them out. I felt that she would be trusting about people since I take her to visit friends and family. I also take her to the park ever so often in order for her to get comfortable with her surroundings. At her age she is exposed to feeling fear or hope. For the past eight months Isabella has received consistent care and we have built a strong relationship.
Erickson’s psychosocial theory emphasizes social interactions between people, but Isabella does not understand her surroundings to the extent that she is able to develop trust towards other members within society. I was able to stay home and look after Isabella, which is the reason she became attached. It is necessary for an infant to feel protected by their caregiver, but also need to not
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A behavior that continues to develop throughout life. Which is why it is crucial for Isabella to learn to trust the world around her. If she does not, she will grow up with anxiety issues and will mistrust the world that she lives in. “Trust Vs. Mistrust: The Most Important Lesson of Baby’s First Year,” posted on Chatham County Public Health Department stated, “Since babies use their parents to learn how to interact with other people, these babies may be frightened and unwilling to be independent.” Living in fear is no way to live and I am willing to help Isabella be willing to interact with her surroundings. Ever since she started spending more time with her dad and less with me, she has sudden bursts of tears. It is crucial for Isabella to independently learn that she is loved by other people. Lifespan development means that change happens throughout our lives. Isabella has plenty of time to develop and learn to love her
There is no greater feeling a new mother can have than a smiling baby. Every new mother struggles with making their babies happy, because they cannot speak just yet. The first form of communication they have is crying, but parent are not able to always able to figure out what the baby wants at first. When I read “The Happiest Baby on the Block” by Harvey Karp I was very intrigued. The step to making your baby happy was not only helpful, but simple as well. This book takes a psychological approach because it is so similar to the Erickson’s Trust vs. mistrust stage. I will begin by introducing the books theory, and then I will explain why it relates to Erickson’s trust vs. mistrust stage.
Based on her reaction it appears she has developed deferred imitation. According to Piaget, deferred imitation is defined as ¨a sequence in which and infant first perceives something that someone else does and then performs the same action a few hours or even days later¨ (Piaget 166). According to table 6.1, stage six intellectual accomplishment, involving both thinking and memory appears at around 18-24 months. Based on this information, Isabella, at 20 months of age, would be within the age range for development and therefore within the norm for her age (Piaget 162).
In addition, the method used in the ‘strange situation’ has been a useful tool, giving a great deal of information about a baby’s attachment in little time. It is also easy to replicate and has led to a rapid increase in the amount of research carried out, many finding similar results, suggesting the experiment is a reliable method to study attachment behaviours. However, the research lacks validity because of the unfamiliar surroundings, these may cause demand characteristics as the baby may be intimidated and act differently as a result. However, some say it may still be valid because children experience this on a regular basis when being left with a babysitter or at a nursery. Furthermore, there are ethical issues because the unfamiliar environment, separation from the mother and interaction with the stranger can cause mental distress for the baby. Finally, there is also the concern that not all babies can fit into the categories of attachment created, which is why a fourth one was added in 1986 called ‘disorganised attachment’ where babies
During this stage, infants feel uncertain about the world they live in and resolve this uncertainty by looking to their primary caregiver for stability. If the caregiver is consistent, reliable, and predictable, the infant will develop a sense of trust that will assist them in feeling secure throughout various relationships. If the caregiver is harsh, unpredictable, and inconsistent, the infant will develop a sense of mistrust, which leads to a lack of confidence in the world around them.
The first stage of Erickson’s theory is trust versus mistrust. This stage is from birth to one year old and is based on the baby’s environment and the baby’s primary care giver. During this period, the baby builds a feeling of basic trust. If the baby’s primary care giver is consistent, predictable, and reliable, then, most likely the baby will carry this trust into other relationships, hoping
| Development of basic trust, a derivative of the positive attachment between the infant and the primary caretaker, occurs during the first year. This is a cornerstone of emotional development. (0 - 1) Ability to control oneself in a given environment. Developing rudimentary selfconcept - displaying pleasure at being ‘good‘, yet shame, upset, distress and embarrassment at being ‘bad’. (1 - 3) Initially no moral development, as baby but shows needs by crying, cooing, smiling etc. (0-1). No understanding of right or wrong, starts to understand yes/ no. Can have tantrums and sudden mood changes,
An infant obtains both comfort and confidence from the presence of his or her caregiver.
Securely attached infants have a good quality of relationship with their parents. In the strange situation, where parents leave their child alone or with a stranger in a room full of toys, these children are upset when their parents leave, but easily comforted when they return. The child uses the parent as a “secure base” from which to explore the environment. In the strange situation, insecure/resistant infants
However, when Ainsworth was in Uganda she coined the term secure base relationship after she noticed that infants did not always stay close to their mother, infants explored objects and interacted with others, however, at the same time, returning back to their caregivers (Ainsworth, 1969). According to Ainsworth, there are three evident attachment patterns that can develop: secure, ambivalent and avoidant infants. Ainsworth felt it was necessary for a child to transition from a mother’s attachment and vulnerability to autonomy and independence as a factor in normal healthy development.
In the first few months of life, the sole purpose of any child’s behaviour is to survive. This, more often than not, results in actions that reduce the risk of harm and increase the chances of longevity. Of these behaviours, some argue that the most influential is attachment behaviour. “Attachment behaviour is any form of behaviour that results in a person attaining or maintaining proximity to some other clearly identified individual who is conceived as better able to cope with the world”(Bowlby, 1982). Therefore, children will make an effort to stay close to and under the protection of their primary caregiver. According to Webster, “through interactions with their primary caregiver, the child develops expectations and understandings about the workings of relationships. These mental representations of relationships become internalized to the degree that they influence feelings, thought and behaviour automatically and unconsciously” (1999, p.6). Moreover, the response of the identified individual plays a huge role in the child’s perception of the outside world. If the caregiver responds to the child’s needs in a caring and protective manner, the child will feel safe and comfortable in his or her surroundings. If, on the other hand, the caregiver is often emotionally and/or physically unavailable, the child is likely to
In his theory of development, Erikson suggests that a child develops a blend of trust and mistrust during the first year of his/her life if he/she receives consistent and healthy care. Therefore, a child needs warm, attentive, consistent, and predictable care in order to develop trust during the initial eighteen months of his/her life. Kim's
This Trust vs. Mistrust crisis occurs during the first year and a half of life with hope being the basic virtue once the stage is successfully completed (McLeod, 2013). When a sense of trust is developed, the infant will know that if a new crises arises, their needs will be met by the outside world. These physical and emotional needs include: being fed when hungry, kept warm and dry, allowed undisturbed sleep, protection from disease and injury, and receive adequate stimulation (Hutchison,
If the individual’s needs are not met in this stage the individual will most likely develop a mistrust that will hamper relationship in the future. The relationship between parent and caregiver is vital. “It is during the first months of life that the baby comes to trust or not, to have faith or not. Whether trust and faith are developed has direct implications for identity formation” (Goodwin, 1998) The goal of this stage is to gain ‘Hope’.
Erikson’s theory of ‘trust vs. mistrust’ will be outlined in this paper to suggest how it can be implemented to support parents in developing positive relationships and attachment with their infant and lay the foundations for trusting relationships into adulthood.
During the first stage of Erikson’s theory trust vs. mistrust – hope it includes from infancy to the first two years of life. The main importance is on the mother and father’s development skill and care for a child, particularly in terms of visual contact and touch. The child will build up hopefulness, trust, confidence, and security if correctly cared for and handled. If a child does not receive trust,