Social Development

Infancy
Erikson Stage: Infancy (0-1 yrs) – If His needs for attention and food were met, He would have developed
a sense of basic trust. However, it is not so; deprivation of attention and care due to His mother’s death
caused Him to view the world with mistrust and pessimism.

At 8 months, You-Know-Who exhibited stranger anxiety – He would be afraid of random strangers He

had never seen before. However, He quickly becomes accustomed to strangers at the orphanage.
At 12 months, he would have clung close to His mother; unfortunately, her death left Him motherless
and resultantly, he grew socially detached from the children at His orphanage.

Lack of motherhood deprived Him of attachment, the emotional connection between Him and His
mother. Because of this initial lack of attachment, separation anxiety, the fear induced when He is
detached from his primary caregiver, does not become realized at all. This lack of attachment caused
Tom Riddle to show no basic trust.

Erikson Stage: Toddlerhood (1-2 yrs) – He learns to do things autonomously very quickly; He does not
doubt His own abilities to get what He wants.

Erikson Stage: Preschooler (3-5 yrs) – He quickly learns to take the initiative and begins to explore the
world alone. Through this, He does not feel guilty about being independent – He has been alone His
whole life.

Adolescence
Erikson Stage: Elementary School (6-puberty) – He begins to apply Himself to the world of Magic and
feels superior, consequently, to His childhood peers

Erikson Stage: Adolescence (teens-20s) – Tom Riddle begins to search for a sense of His self and
existence through His magical endeavors and powers. Through Magic, He begins to formulate His own
“greatness” in the World of Magic. Through Magic, He defines His own identity.

Since He was young, He lacked parent influence. Therefore, Tom is more independent and immune to
peer pressure.
Later, Tom goes through the struggle to create identity that Carol Gilligan describes. He is more
independent and is not intimate in group relations.