[Last Name] 1

Raquel

Developmental Psychology

April 20th, 2017

Erick Eriksons Psychosocial Stages

There are eight stages in Ericksons Psychosocial Stages. It is one of the most

outlined and explicitly explained stages with a clear definition of an estimate of the ages in

which they happen. It is one of the ones that I liked learning about the most. All the stages are

distinct from one another, starring from birth towards the end of life. Per Erickson, the success

for the completion of each stage can lead to a happy and healthy life as well as a stable

personality. On the contrary, if the person does not complete each stage and fails at such, it can

hinder the person from being able to build and sustain relationships as well as develop a healthy

personality and a distorted sense of self.

The first stage is Trust versus Mistrust. This stage is infant goes through

uncertainty of the world that surrounds them. Infants are from ages zero, meaning birth, to about

a year old. The caregiver is a crucial part for the baby to complete this stage successfully due to

the heavy dependence on the guardian. Since the child cannot do thing for themselves, they must

place their trust in the guardian. In the book, Erick H. Ericksons: Explorer or Identity and the

Life Cycle (1998), consistency, continuity, and sameness of experience provide a

rudimentary sense of ego identity which depends, I think, on the recognition that there is an inner

population of remembered and anticipated sensations and images which are firmly correlated

with the outer population of familiar and predictable things and people (Stevens 2009, p.45).
 [Last Name] 2

The expert from the text shows and proves how routine and constant care of the child

play a big role in his or her development of trust, or mistrust, due to the reoccurrences of the

guardian taking care of said child by recognizing them. That helps them develop a relationship

and thus place a trust in the guardian as well as making them feel safe with them. It helps the

child create a bond with the caregiver as well. The quality of this care sets up an expectation, a

sense of basic trust or mistrust. (Stevens,2009, p.45) It helps the reader further understand that

the established trust is the foundation for the other stages to come. I have seen personal examples

of said stage in my own house with my own sisters. They did in fact only trust people they knew

and saw routinely rather than a random stranger. They would rather prefer any member of our

close family like my parents, grandmother and myself.

As the child grows up and starts to learn how to crawl, scooch and walk the child learns

that they can be mobile. It is the first sense of independence at a young age. At the young age of

18 months to three years old, the child begins to show early physical and cognitive development.

The second stage is Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt. Autonomy is the growing ability to

control oneself, to hold on and let go with discretion, to stand on his own feet

(Welchman,2000, p.53). There are many way a guardian can help the child succeed in the

completion of the stage. A parent should encourage the child to put on his or her own clothes,

while have the patience to let the child do it until the child asks for help. Impatience, pressuring

the child to hurry, or do everything for the child can hinder the successful completion of the

stage.

There should be a balance at how the parent helps the child. Being too controlling of the

child and doing everything for him or her will prevent them from the opportunity of asserting

themselves. The outcome for that can be the feeling of being useless or inadequate for certain
 [Last Name] 3

tasks, and lead to a lowered self-esteem because it brings them a sense of shame since they feel

like they cannot measure up to the task and lack the ability to do it. On the contrary, if there is

plenty of support and constant encouragement, the child will have a higher confidence level as

well as an increase in their point of view of their own abilities to do a wide variety of tasks.

Observing this type of behavior is quite intriguing because children want to do something on

their own, if they succeed it is something they flaunt, again I use my sister as a n example of

when they were younger. If my sister was not good at the task, she would rather avoid it so no

one could make fun of her or she would get upset. The desired outcome is to have the will to put

to practice their abilities (Erickson,1998)

Age three to five, the Play Age hits the stage of Initiative versus Guilt. It is also a

significant milestone because the child starts going to school and interacting with other students.

As Erickson puts it, the children are on the make, as they take control to explore and discover

their intrapersonal skills (Stantrock,2012). Childrens focus is play. The alternative is a sense of

guilt over goals contemplated and the acts initiated in ones exuberant enjoyment of new

locomotor and mental power, including acts of aggressive manipulation and coercion. Such

overreaching provokes a reaction from parents and sibling and comes up against the inherent

dangers and intractability of the environment. This leads to the internalization of a sense of

guilt, meaning that if the child does something to abuse his or her powers upon other children

and they get called out on it, it makes them feel guilty and at fault (Welchman 2000, p.53).

If the child is often found guilty for whatever they did then it can slow down their

interactions with other children. Of course, if the child did something wrong, then it is okay to

address that so the child can learn how practice self-control. Also, kids at this Play Age will

start to ask a lot of question due to their ever-growing curiosity. If the parent treats these
 [Last Name] 4

questions as stupid or full of nonsense it can make the child feel like a nuisance. That causes the

child to feel like a nuisance and feel guilt over their dumb questions. A healthy completion of

this stage is a virtue of purpose and a balance between initiative and guilt.

Industry (Competence) versus Inferiority occurs in ages five to 12. At that age children

know how to read and write as well as do basic math. This School Age is when the teachers

start to influence and play a significant role. In the childs life, they teach them important skills.

(Stevens,2009, p. 49) For the first time they move firmly outside the orbit of their family and

into the wider world, it holds to be true because the child will join clubs and interact more with

other peers Kids at this age and stage also seek approval from their peers as they try to show

their competency and develop pride in the accomplishments they obtain.

Recognition now begins to rest on the exercise of skills and children may become aware

of being judged of their performance in comparison with their peers. Where children feel

inadequate to their task, a sense of inferiority may be the result and they may be deterred from

testing out what they can do. But if a child is encouraged and given confidence, the ego quality

which can emerge is a sense of lasting competence.(Stevens,2009,p.50). is what it sums up

to. The success of this stage is competence

The fifth stage is from ages 12 to 18 years, the Identity versus Role Confusion

stage. The transition from childhood to adolescence is taking place during this stage.

Adolescents search and try to discover who they are, trying to find their personal identity.

This is time of physical and social changes where developing with the need to make decisions

as to what they are and will be (Stevens ,2009, p.50). Careers, relationships, friendships,

finances, housing, etc. are all high priority and adolescent are told to choose and decide.

Erickson claims that the adolescent may feel uncomfortable about their body for a while until
 [Last Name] 5

they can adapt and grow into the changes (McLeod,2008). Many major changes take place to

achieve all the goals that are up help by society. In response to role confusion or identity

crisis an adolescent may begin to experiment with different lifestyles (e.g. work, education or

political activities). Also, pressuring someone into an identity can result in rebellion in the form

of establishing a negative identity, and in addition to this feeling of unhappiness, is the negative

result that can occur if the stage is not completed successfully (McLeod,2008).

As we get older and start to get out into the real world, per se. People in ages 18 to 40 are

in stage six, Intimacy versus Isolation. We need companions, friends, family and significant

other. We being to share a connection with someone else and form relationships that are to last

for many years. Like for example, a relationship that one wants to last is with your significant

other. The importance of that is the level of commitment, for the long run. A happy relationship

will lead to: a sense of commitment, safety, and care within the relationship (McLeod,2008).

Committing to someone is very important, loneliness can be quite sad and disheartening.

In comparison to that, there are people out there who are afraid of commitment and as a

result they avoid relationship whether it would be romantic or simply platonic. For example, I

know someone who never got to complete this stage and because of that they are never in stable,

loving relationships, because hat person always walks away first. Commitment is a reoccurring

theme overall in this stage and people are vastly afraid of it. Avoiding intimacy, fearing

commitment and relationships can lead to isolation, loneliness, and sometimes depression

(McLeod,2008). The best example of this is the Case Study a male named Bill. Bill spent a great

majority of his time at work and almost never went out with friends as well as never pursuing a

relationship. He then got very lonely and tried to date women at his job, but they refused, and at

his apartment complex. At the end the women he had tried asking out rebuffed and his
 [Last Name] 6

overwhelming sense of loneliness took over. He realized that he did not have anyone to cohabit

with. If the stage is accomplished, the virtue of love will be evident (Erickson 274).

Middle adulthood, from ages 40 to 65, adults are established. Stage seven:

Generativity versus Stagnation is where the overall accomplishment is care. It is where they

have an established and steady relationship with their significant other, as well as a stable career.

It is a time where, As children are dependent on us so we are on them, for mature adults need

to be needed (Stevens,2009, p.53). Ever since we were little we depended on our guardians to

feed us, bathe us, changes us, and other stuff but now they are at a point where they want to be

needed and can recycle back that love and care.

Adults at this age are helping their children or their community. Creating

organizations or helping organizations as well. They want to be part of something bigger and

contribute in a positive way to society. Now, failure to successfully complete this stage can result

in feeling stagnant in life. Being unproductive, and simply just being there. Any adult who does

not develop generativity, Erickson asserts, retreats instead to a stagnating and eventually boring

preoccupation with self in which he becomes his own infant and pet (Stevens,2009, p.53).

That is just talking about a single person, now if it is a couple it is shown in a different light,

For couple this is likely to take the form of regression to an obsessive need for pseudo-

intimacy in which partners indulge themselves and each other as if they were their child

(Stevens,2009, p.53). Generativity is primarily the concern in establishing and guiding the next

generation (Welchman,2000, p.55). That is what makes this stage so important because it is

the pathway, the bridge of transition between generations.

As people starting hitting 65 ears and older their last and final stage is Ego

Integrity versus Despair. Senior citizens are retiring and slow down due to many factors, being
 [Last Name] 7

old is a major one. As it is not the same as being in your twenties and moving around doing this

and that. Erik Erikson believed if we see our lives as unproductive, feel guilty about our past, or

feel that we did not accomplish our life goals, we become dissatisfied with life and develop

despair, often leading to depression and hopelessness (McLeod,2008). It Is basically looking

back at all the things accomplished and what could have been done. People in this age and stage,

are either happy and content with everything they did, ranging from their career, family, kids, etc.

They can arrive at a sense of relief and closure as they look back and are happy

with everything they have done. Mature adults are in a sense done with life, because they gave

their all when they were younger leading up to where they are now. Lack of ego integrity is

marked by despair- by agonized concern in the shadow of impending death unrealized goals and

unfulfilled potentials, sometimes expressed un disgust with life and other people which is the

result of the unsuccessful completion of this stage (Stevens,2009, p.54). If the person feels like

this, they may experience like time is too short to have changed anything on what they feel could

have been changed. [For people with despair] it is signified by fear of death. For the person

of integrity death loses its sting, because a style of integrity becomes the patrimony of his

soul, meaning that when the times comes to die everything will be okay because that person live

a content life with what they accomplished (Welchman,2000, p.56). I can relate to both sides of

the spectrum through my grandparents as well and their friends. My grandmother has a friend

who was a bit older than her and she got sick. While she was sick, doctors could not find a way

to better her health, as her health was declining she got more and more angry. She started

reminiscing about what could have been. She used to say things like, if only I had done this

then that would not have happened. She liked to look back at certain things that she took pride
 [Last Name] 8

in, at the end towards her final days, she accepted what was done and tried to stay positive while

surrounded with her loved ones.

I enjoyed learning about Eriksons eight stages. With all the stages, I had someone

who fit in that and was easy to relate back to it. My favorite ones are while children are growing.

Stages one through four, since I have a nine and seven-year-old sister. It was a good way to

analyze what they were, the causes and lastly the result in either the failure or completion of the

stages. I can also reflect upon the adolescents stages, because I am an adolescent right now.

It is also a reflection and analysis of the stage of development by Erik Erikson. He does a

very descriptive outline with the consequences of achieving or failing the completion of each

stage. A flaw that I think is relevant is the causation of how and why it happens. We are always

given the outcomes and the healthy and non-healthy result upon the completion of each stage.

There is no universal method on how to achieve positive results. One can only infer. Each stage

is designed like a house. Each stage depends on one another cause a sort of like a domino effect.

If one stage is not completed, successfully, the rest can come falling. It can either help or hinder

the development of everyone.

Failure and success are always a mention in each stage. They both again like previously

mentioned, go hand in hand. Erikson also does not explain what were to happen if all stages for

example were not developed of achieved properly, leaving me to wonder: How could I fix that?

Would there be a certain way to go back and make up for it?

[Last Name] 9