1

Introduction
On June 15, 1902 Erik Erikson was born in Germany. Erikson joined Peter Blos and
Dorothy Burlingham in the development of a small childrens school in Vienna. By helping with
development Eriksons training analysis was led by Anna Freud. Erikson married Joan Mowat
Serson who was interested in education. Erikson and his wife moved to the United States where
he had begun a private practice at Harvard Medical School from 1934-1935. In 1994 Erikson
died(Erikson, 1998).
Eric Erikson started developing the 8 stages of Psychosocial Development in 1950.
Erikson does not talk about the psychosexual stages of a human beings life; he focuses on the
psychosocial stages of a persons life. Of course Erikson did not get these ideas all by himself.
As Erikson was researching his ideas became influenced by Sigmund Freuds ideas about the
structure of personality. Erikson was known as an Ego Psychologist. He focused more on the
culture and society as well as all of the conflicts that could take place at any time within the ego
itself. According to Erikson, the adolescent period was a very critical stage to develop a persons
identity. Erikson felt that the adolescent period of a persons life was the most crucial and
important so he emphasized more on that time period. He believed that the adolescent stage was
where you develop your identity (McLeod, 2008). Throughout this paper I will be tying my life
into the 8 different Psychosocial Development stages that Erik Erikson has come up with. I will
be describing how I developed during the stages and whether I left the stage successful or still
needing to improve. The stages that I have not yet made it to I will predict how I want to prosper
within them.

Stage 1- Trust Vs Mistrust

The very first stage is Trust vs. Mistrust. The age for this stage is infancy; it starts and
birth and goes up to eighteen months. According to Erikson, the most important event during
this stage of an infants life is feeding. If the parent or caregiver is responsive and consistent
with meeting the needs of the infant, he/she will then develop a sense of trust. The infant must
be comforted, fed, and attended to on a regular basis in order for the needs for care and food to
be met, which will then instill trust within the infant. A sense of mistrust will be developed,
when the basic needs, especially feeding, are not met. Infants that do not develop trust with their
parents tend to be more aggressive and less cooperative in their actions with their mother (Stage
1: Oral-Sensory).
When I was born I was the last child my parents had. Growing up I always thought I
would not get as much attention. The first child my parents had was a boy. He ended up passing
away at the age of six months. My sister was second and then I was last. Looking back at
pictures from birth I have realized I was a loved baby. I was almost always smiling when my
picture was snapped. I would have to say I gained trust very quickly. I had older cousins that
would play with me, as well as my sister. I enjoyed the attention as a baby. My sister seemed to
almost always be at my moms side when she was holding me.
I would have to say my parents did a great job making sure that the basic needs of
this stage were met. In most of my pictures I almost always had food in front of my face. They
made sure that I was taken care of and they never neglected me. Having three older cousins and
an older sister I became a very trusting infant. I was never afraid to attempt to play with them.
This really helped me develop the trust during this stage that Erikson was focusing on. I can
remember when my grandma would visit her friends at work and she would be babysitting me so

I would have to tag along. Of course they were older ladies and they were always obsessed with
my curly hair. I became very trusting of my grandmas friends the more we visited them
(personal communication, September 1, 2013).

Stage 2- Autonomy Vs Shame/Doubt

The second stage Erikson came up with is Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt. The age for this
stage is two to three years old. Erikson believes that the most important part of this stage is toilet
training/potty training, which helps develop self-control and self-confidence in toddlers. Even
though the most important part of this stage is toilet training, this is also when toddlers begin to
grasp the concept of feeding and dressing themselves, thus becoming more independent. (Stage
2: Muscular-Anal) At this stage in a childs life it is important for the parent to start becoming
aware of the childs behavior and how to react to it. In order for toddlers to learn how to feed
and dress, and go potty, they need to do it on their own. The parent has to learn to step back and
allow the child to do things independently, which instills a sense of autonomy within the toddler.
If the parent is constantly trying to help then the child will never learn to do it independently.
Overprotection and impatience during this stage can result in feelings of shame and doubt in the
toddler.
During this stage I was toilet trained. The only problem I had was going number two.
My mother said that I would always go and hide instead of going to the bathroom. Any time I
had to go number one I would hop right up from what I was doing and just go by myself. Of
course it was a little bit of a stretch for me to reach the light switch, but I managed. Around the
age of three and a half I was fully toilet trained. According to my parents I was feeding myself
during this stage, like I should be! From pictures that I have looked through it looked like I
could be a very messy eater at times. I liked being able to be an independent child, at times.
While talking with my mother, she proceeded to tell me that during this stage I would dress
myself, but only when I felt like it (personal communication, September 10, 2013). She said that
I would help her every time and cooperate, but there were days that I would want to do it all by

myself. My thoughts are that I wanted to show her how much of a big girl I was becoming by
being able to dress myself.
My mother was telling me that while in Arkansas I was outside playing and I had filled
my shorts with dirt. Most parents would be mad or upset with their child and complain, which
could lead to an overprotective parent. My mother stood there laughing and told the rest of the
family to come look at me. Of course being only three years old I laughed and thought it was
really funny. (personal communication, September 10,2013)
I would have to say that I mastered stage two fairly well. It would have been better had I
have been completely toilet trained, but it was not long after the age of three that I was
completely toilet trained. I was able to feed myself, as well as dress myself. Sure it may not
have looked the best, but it is the participation that counts. I had a general sense of what I was
doing whether I had help or not.

Stage 3- Initiative Vs Guilt

The third stage Erikson came up with is Initiative vs. Guilt. The age group for this stage
is three to five years old. According to Erikson, the most important events of this stage are
exploration and independence, which is fostered through all types of play. Parents should
encourage imaginative play and role-play, as well as hero-worship during this stage. Children
should also be eager for responsibility during this stage. When children are able to explore and
do things on their own, they begin to have a sense of initiative and responsibility. When parents
stifle a childs imagination, discouraging play and explorations, the child does not have the
opportunity to show how responsible he/she can be, leading to feelings of guilt. Children also
have to learn that there are some behaviors that are not acceptable and that there are certain
things that they should not do, and learn to accept these things without guilt. (Stage 3:
Locomotor)
My grandma used to babysit me quite a bit when I was going through this stage. My
mother worked and my sister was attending school so my grandma volunteered to babysit me. I
was quite the character during this stage. I liked to help grandma shop and pick out the
groceries. There was one time that we went to Wal-Mart and I took the initiative to walk on my
own instead if riding in the cart. I told my grandma that I wanted to be a big girl and show her
that I could take the responsibility of being on my best behavior. There was an older guy on one
of the motorized scooters riding around through Wal-Mart. Grandma and I started to walk away
and the man started to follow me. I began to walk faster and he sped up and began to chase me
around the store. The whole time he was following me he was smiling and laughing. I did not
think it was very funny, but that man on the other hand, he thought it was funny(personal
communication, September 15, 2013).

I used to love sitting in the back of grandmas car when she would take me out. I felt like
such a big girl being able to sit up high. I was beginning to be more independent at this time. I
showed the initiative of being able to open the door. One of the stories my grandma told me was
when I kept opening the car door, Grandma finally got tired of me opening it so she moved me
up front to sit in the passenger seat. I asked why I got moved up front and then I said, Is it
because I do not know how to behave? Another story of me taking responsibility was when I
was five years old. I got a skirt for my birthday and I wanted to show everybody that I could
dress myself. I was so excited to get the skirt that I took it straight to the bathroom to try it on. I
ran out of the bathroom and into the living room with a big smile on my face and then suddenly
everybody began to giggle. I had no idea that I put the skirt on backwards. I was trying to show
my parents that I was being responsible and taking the initiative of dressing myself (personal
communication, September 15, 2013). All in all, I believe I came out of this stage successfully.

Stage 4- Industry Vs Inferiority

The fourth stage is Industry vs. Inferiority, from the age of five to twelve. Eriksons
studies show that the most important part of this stage is school. Stage four focuses on the
interaction children have with teachers and peers. Once the child starts school he/she should be
able to be productive on his/her own, with appropriate help from teachers. During this stage the
child should feel happy by being able to be productive by himself/herself. Teachers need to be
supportive and encouraging, which promotes industry within the students. Teachers who are
impatient, demanding, and unwilling to help, build a sense of inferiority and poor self-esteem in
their students. The interaction with children around the neighborhood and at school also
becomes very important farther into this stage. Kids need to find good friends during this stage,
which will help them as they go onto other stages. (Stage 4: Latency)
I started throwing a ball ever since I could walk. My sister and I are five years apart.
Seeing as how there is a reasonable age difference between my sister and me, she could do things
before I could. I began playing baseball/softball when I was a young girl. During this stage I
was still playing softball with the girls from my school. There is a junior girls softball league in
Warren, IN. Not only was I interactive with my peers at school, but I was interactive with them
outside of school as well. Seeing as how school is the most important concept in this stage I
worked on school quite a bit. I will never forget the blonde moment I had when I was playing
a game with my grandma. It was over Spring Break and I had stayed with my grandma. We
were playing a game called Upwards. The objective of this game is to spell different words
and get the most point once all the letters are gone. I had spelled a word so it was my grandmas
turn. She had put down the letter MANY. I looked at her and I said, That is not a word
grandma! She thought otherwise. So we conversed about it and then I finally got the

dictionary. I looked it up and read the definition out loud. Once I read the definition I said,
Boy, I feel like a fool! To this day my grandma has never let me live this story down. She
tells everybody this story and how she wishes she would have had a video camera and she would
have sent it in to Americas Funniest Home Videos. (personal communication, September 15,
2013)
I enjoyed doing things on my own growing up. I took foods for a few years in 4-H. I had
to learn to be very productive when it came down to the final straw. Once judging came around I
had certain things to bake. I had many late nights practicing. The main thing that this project
taught me was learning to be productive on my own, and that is one thing Erikson said needs to
be mastered during this stage.
As I grew out of this stage I would have to say that I developed well throughout this
stage. I left this stage knowing how to be productive on my own. I was focused on school and
getting good grades. I was also very interactive my me peers at school throughout this stage.
Not only was I interactive with them in school, but we were interactive outside of school.

10

Stage 5- Identity Vs Role Confusion

Identity vs. Role is the fifth stage pertaining to adolescents ages 12 to 18. This stage
begins the transition from childhood to adulthood and focuses on social relationships.
Throughout this stage the adolescent should also become more independent and responsible, and
start to look at his/her future.
According to Erikson, during this age the adolescent may feel uncomfortable about
changes taking place in his/her body. This can be a traumatic time to young teens, and having
good friends can make things easier. The adolescent may begin to explore his/her lifestyle
during this stage of development as well, such as a job, circle of friends, after school activities,
political activities, and other social relations. The adolescent also begins to form his/her identity
during this time based on the outcome of his/her explorations, activities, friends, and
background. Good relationships can foster a positive sense of self-esteem and personal identity.
If the adolescent does not find his/her identity in a circle of friends or at school, it could lead to
role confusion, negative personal identity, and poor self-esteem. (McLeod, 2008)
During this stage I got my first job. I began to work at a family/friend chicken house
operation. Seeing as how I grew up on a farm I loved the idea of doing farm work. After
receiving that job I got an interview for a job at a gas station that was also connected to a
Subway. I ended up getting that job and worked two jobs from the age 17-19. Not only did I
work two jobs but I also attended school and baby sat for my little nephew. I also helped coach
my old softball team. During this stage I also got my first boyfriend. Granted it was not the best
relationship but I can say that it definitely taught me a lot. I am no longer with that guy, but
instead, that relationship led me to meet a better, more mature guy. I have been with my
boyfriend for over a year now. I could not be any happier with where I am in life. During this

11

stage I have learned many different things that will help me in the future. I am proud to say that
during this stage I also accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior on January 13, 2013. I was
then baptized March 17, 2013. I felt like a whole new person and I could not have been any
happier with that decision.
I would have to say that I left this stage as a well-rounded young adult. I cannot wait to
see what future has in store for me. I am looking forward to finishing up schooling and starting a
family. This stage has definitely taught me a lot and I will never forget some of the lessons I
learned throughout my life. I will be sure that I pass these lessons down to my children
someday.

12

Stage 6- Intimacy Vs Isolation

The sixth stage is Intimacy v Isolation, between the ages of 18 and 40. During this stage
we begin to become intimate with others. We begin to explore with relationships and becoming
close to someone other than a family member. Success during this stage will lead to love.
Forming close, intimate friendships will lead to meeting a partner, becoming comfortable in a
relationship with that person, and finding a sense of commitment and safety; intimacy is
established in this type of life. When individuals come out of the previous stages poorly, they
might have problems sharing themselves enough to build close relationships and intimacy. If
somebody tries to avoid intimacy of any kind and becomes fearful of commitment, he/she will
usually live a life of isolation to one extent or another. (McLeod, 2008)
During this stage of my life I hope to become graduated from college with a degree in
Early Childhood Education and get a stable job teaching. I am also planning on attending school
after getting my degree in Early Childhood Education to get my degree as a Physical Therapist. I
want to be able to have a back-up plan in case something was to ever go wrong. After receiving
my two degrees I am hoping to be married and get a family started. I am hoping to have two
kids and live a wonderful life. During this time period I am also hoping to possibly travel a little
bit before I settle down and have a family. I have always wanted to go to the Bahamas. Maybe
once I get married I can have my honeymoon at the Bahamas. I am also hoping that during this
stage I can teach my children how to play sports once they get old enough. I was always
involved in sports and I loved it. I want to see my kids have the time of their lives.
Coming out of this stage I hope to have a great start on my life. I believe I will have kids
and leave this stage successfully as I did the others. I hope to have a nice stable job either as an

13

Early Childhood Education teacher or as a Physical Therapist. No matter where I end up I just
want to leave this stage happy and well-rounded as an adult.

14

Stage 7- Generativity Vs Stagnation

The seventh stage is Generativity vs. Stagnation, dealing with middle adulthood, ages 4065. Throughout this stage we should settle down in a relationship and establish our career and
what we want to do for the rest of our lives. Some adults will feel productive during this stage
by having a family; others will consider a career as their success. Either way, we feel success
and contentment by giving back to the community. Learning to care about someone/something
other than ourselves is what this stage is primarily about, leading to generativity. Failure to leave
our mark in the world makes us become stagnant and feel unproductive. (McLeod, 2008)
During this stage I hope to be married already and have a child or two. I want to be able
to get my teaching degree and open up a daycare/pre-school in the area that I live in. If I cannot
do that then I am hoping to just open a daycare either from my home or rent a building to use.
The only problem with these big dreams and hopes is that if my boyfriend and I get married like
we plan then we will most likely be moving quite a bit, because he is enlisting in the Air Force
and specializing in Para Rescue. I am a bit nervous about it but I am used to the fact that he will
be gone a lot. My dad was in the Army and Air National Guard until a few months ago when he
retired. It is very hard, but it is what he wants to do so I am going to support his decision.
Even though this stage will not be for quite some time for me I am still hoping to achieve
these dreams and goals. I enjoy watching my nephew and my cousins baby boy, my somewhat
nephew. He calls me Aunt Shelby so I claim him as a nephew.

15

Stage 8- Ego Integrity Vs Despair

The eighth and final stage that completes Eriksons study is Ego Integrity vs. Despair.
The age range for this stage is 65 years and older. Everybody knows that at this age we get
referred to as a Senior Citizen. During this stage we tend to slow down our productivity and the
amount of things that we do daily, as we begin to explore the life of a retired person. Instead of
hearing about how great it is, we actually get to live the life. In order to succeed in this stage, we
will need to look back on a life well-lived, one full of good memories, productivity, and joy.
This contentment toward the end of lifes journey is called Integrity, and it will lead to the virtue
of wisdom and allow us not to fear death. Individuals who have nothing but bitter regrets about
their lives will be in despair, and usually fear death. (McLeod, 2008)
During this stage I am hoping to have wonderful grandkids to be able to watch grow up
and start their own lives. I hope that by this time my kids are married and settled down and
know where they want to be in their lives and set goals for themselves throughout their life time.
By this time I am hoping that I a living my dream and relaxing as a senior citizen should be
doing. At this point in my life I want to be a healthy person so my husband and I can travel
every so often and just explore new places and take long relaxing vacations. Hopefully by this
time gets here we will have money saved up and it will not be a problem to go away for a month
or two and just enjoy the time away from everything at home. At this point and time I think it is
also very necessary to be thinking about creating a Will so the state does not intervene. If I have
lived the life I intend on living, I will live this stage of life with integrity rather than despair.

16

Conclusion
By doing this paper and researching Eriksons stages, I have looked back on my life as a
child I realized that each stage was a challenge. I had never really thought about what all a child
should be able to do at a certain age or how the outcome could dictate their future. As I was
talking to my Grandma and my Mother I learned some pretty interesting things about myself that
I barely remembered. Overall I would say I have accomplished the stages I have been through
thus far with positive results. I hope that the stages yet to come will be as exciting as the past
stages have been. Doing this project just comes to show that you never really know how much
you have matured until you go through the memories from the past.

17

Reference Page
(A. Hiner, Personal Communication, September 10, 2013).
(C. Tackett, Personal Communication, September 1, 2013).
(C. Tackett, Personal Communication, September 15, 2013).
Eric Eriksons 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development. Stage 1: Oral-Sensory. Retrieved from
http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/ERIK/stage1.HTML
Eric Eriksons 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development. Stage 2: Muscular-Anal. Retrieved from
http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/ERIK/stage2.HTML
Eric Eriksons 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development. Stage 3: Locomotor. Retrieved from
http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/ERIK/stage3.HTML
Eric Eriksons 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development. Stage 4: Latency. Retrieved from
http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/ERIK/stage4.HTML

Erik Homburger Erikson. (1998). Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale,

1998. Biography in Context. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Retrieved from
http://ic.galegroup.com.muncie.libproxy.ivytech.edu.allstate.libproxy.ivytech.
edu/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?query=&content
Modules=&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&disableHighlighting=true
&displayGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=BIC1&action=2&catId=
GALE%7CAAA000194895&activityType=&documentId=GALE%7CK1631002066
&source=Bookmark&u=ivytech15&jsid=8c392c44d9ce38fc344ab7e629d7e866
McLeod, S. A. (2008). Erik Erikson | Psychosocial Stages - Simply Psychology. Retrieved from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html