Erikson's Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development

Mistrust in others and self will make it more difficult to successfully achieve a sense of autonomy.

Trust vs. Mistrust

A 38-year-old woman quits her high-paying marketing job to focus on her children and become a school counselor. What stage would Erikson consider this to be:

Generativity vs. Stagnation

Jane is almost three years old and insists on dressing herself each morning for preschool, even though she generally selects mismatching outfits, misses buttons, and wears her shoes on the wrong feet. When her mother tries to dress Jane or fix her outfit, Jane brushes her mother off and insists on doing it herself. Giving kids the chance to perform actions on their own, even if they make mistakes, is an important part of this stage.

Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt (Guilt)

This stage centers on developing a sense of independence and control.

Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt (Guilt)

A preschooler insisting on picking out her own clothes, no matter how mismatched they are.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Guilt (Doubt)

The stage in which a child needs to learn important academic skills and compare favorably with peers in school to achieve competence is the which stage.

Industry vs. Inferiority

Identity vs Role Confusion

Stage five - During adolescence, teens explore different behaviors, roles, and identities.

Industry vs Inferiority

Stage four - School Age - 6 to 12 years.

Trust vs Mistrust

Stage one - Infancy - Birth to 18 months. A newborn's survival is dependent on it's caregiver to provide complete support, such as, food, love, warmth, safety, and personal care.

Generativity vs Stagnation

Stage seven - Middle Adulthood - 25 to 65 years.

What do people face during each psychosocial stage that can serve as a turning point in development?

Erikson believed that people face some sort of developmental conflict at each stage of development. Successfully mastering the conflict leads to the development of psychological virtues that contribute to future growth. Failing to resolve a conflict during any stage can lead to problems that will plague the individual for a lifetime.

The central theme of Erikson's theory of psychosocial stages was the development of:

Erikson described ego identity as the conscious sense of self that people develop through their social interaction at each stage of development. Because these experiences are ongoing and changing, the ego identity is ever-evolving throughout the course of a person's life. At every stage of development, people face new challenges that can either strengthen or weaken their ego identity.

How many stages of psychosocial development did Erikson describe?

Erikson described eight different stages of psychosocial development. Five of these stages take place during childhood and adolescence while the remaining three stages span the years of early adulthood, middle adulthood and old age.

If children accomplish competence in this stage, they will see themselves as contributing to their social context. If, however, they do not develop competence in this stage, feelings of incompetence and inadequacy will develop and children will feel inferior in their social context.

Industry vs. Inferiority

Successfully completing the eighth stage of psychosocial development leads to the emergence of what quality?

The central conflict in the eighth stage of Erikson's theory focuses on integrity vs. despair and involves reflecting back on your life. Those who are unsuccessful at resolving this conflict will look back with regret, anger, and bitterness. Those who are successful will feel a sense of satisfaction with the life they have lived. According to Erikson, those who are successful in this stage emerge with a sense of wisdom.

Integrity vs Despair

Stage eight - 65 years to End of Life. Accepts their life their death.

Intimacy vs Isolation

Stage six - 12 to 20 years. By successfully forming loving relationships with other people, individuals are able to experience love and enjoy intimacy. Those who fail to form lasting relationships may feel isolated and alone.

Initiative vs Guilt

Stage three - Late Childhood (pre-school) - 3 to 5 years. Child begins to assert power and becomes aware of their own behavior.

Autonomy vs Shame/Doubt (guilt)

Stage two - Early Childhood - 18 months to 3 years. Child begins to understand bodily functions.

If a child struggles to do well in school, what problem might emerge?

The fifth stage of psychosocial development centers on the conflict between industry and inferiority. Kids who receive encouragement as they master new tasks will emerge with a sense of competency and confidence. Children who struggle with important tasks such as schoolwork and social relationships may be left with feelings of inferiority. For example, eight-year old Steven has a difficult time making friends at school. He has trouble completing his schoolwork accurately and on time, and as a result, receives little positive feedback from his teacher and parents. He may be left with little confidence in his abilities and poor self-confidence.

The stage that occurs between birth and one year of age is concerned with:

The first stage of development occurs during the first year of life and centers of developing a sense of trust in the world. Children with reliable and responsive caregivers will develop a sense of trust in the people and world around them, while those who do not receive responsive care may be left with feelings of distrust.

The crisis that arises in young adulthood is concerned with:

The sixth stage of Erikson's theory is concerned with intimacy versus isolation and take place between approximately age 19 and 40. The focus of this stage is on forming intimate and committed relationships with other people. Romantic relationships are important, but friendships and other familial relationships are also important.

If an infant's needs for nourishment, stimulation, affection, and attention are not met during this stage from 0-1 year-old, infants will fail to establish basic trust or to feel valuable, carrying "mistrust" with them into the next stage of development.

Trust vs. Mistrust

Mary and Fred have one child and want to adopt a second. Since their first child's infancy had been extremely difficult on Mary, she was excited at the possibility of adopting an older child, perhaps a well-behaved, toilet-trained 3 year-old, and skipping the infancy period entirely. Fred, on the other hand, had serious misgivings not knowing about the quality of care giving and relationships in this child's early life. In a 3 year-old's case, he felt that inadequate care and improper resolution of what Erickson stage could lead to irreparable damage in later development?

Trust vs. Mistrust