STAGES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Erik Erikson’s

Theory of

Psychosocial Development

Stage 1: Trust vs. Mistrust

• Infancy: birth to 18 months

• Children develop a sense of trust when caregivers provide reliability, care and affection.

• A lack of this will lead to mistrust

• Vocabulary word: marasmus: to die from a lack of human touch, warmth (monkey experiment)

Stage 2: Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt

• Early childhood (2 – 3 years)

• Children need to develop a sense of personal control over physical skills and

• A sense of independence (“NO!”)

• Success leads to feelings of autonomy

• Failure results in feelings of shame, doubt

• Key tasks: toilet training, gross, fine motor skills

Stage 3: Initiative vs. Guilt

• Preschool (3 to 5 years)• Key task: Exploration• Children need to begin asserting control and

power over the environment• Success at this stage leads to a sense of

purpose• Children who try to exert too much power

experience disapproval, resulting in a sense of guilt

• Unstructured free play, “superheroes” important

Stage 4: Industry vs. Inferiority

• School age: 6 – 11 years

• Key event: school

• Children need to cope with new social, academic demands

• Success leads to a sense of competence

• Failure results in feelings of inferiority

Stage 5: Identity vs. Role Confusion

• Adolescence (12 – 18 years)• Key element: Social relationships• Teens need to develop a sense of self and

personal identity • Success leads to an ability to stay true to

oneself• Failure leads to role confusion and weak

sense of self• Moving towards independence, autonomy

Stage 6: Intimacy vs. Isolation

• Young adulthood (19 – 40 years)

• Key: relationships

• Young adults need to form intimate, loving relationships with other people

• Success leads to strong relationships

• Failure leads to loneliness, isolation

• Intimacy: Not sex; emotional intimacy=the ability to reveal your true self to another

Stage 7: Generativity vs. Stagnation

• Middle adulthood: 40- 65 years• Key: Work, parenthood• Adults need to create or nurture things that

will outlast them (children, positive change that benefits others)

• Success leads to feelings of usefulness, accomplishment

• Failure results in shallow involvement in the world, emptiness, ‘something missing’

Stage 8:Ego Integrity vs. Despair

• Maturity (65 – death)

• Key: Reflection on one’s life

• Older adults need to look back on life and feel a sense of fulfillment

• Success leads to feelings of wisdom, peace

• Failure results in regret, bitterness, despair