Summary Chart

Stage Ages Basic Conflict Important Event Summary

1. Oral-Sensory Birth to 12 to 18 months Trust vs. Mistrust Feeding The infant must form a first loving,
trusting relationship with the
caregiver, or develop a sense of
mistrust.
2.Muscular-Anal 18 months to 3 years Autonomy vs. Toilet training The child’s energies are directed
Shame/Doubt toward the development of
physical skills, including walking,
grasping, and rectal sphincter
control. The child learns control but
may develop shame and doubt if
not handled well.
3. Locomotors 3 to 6 years Initiatives vs. Guilt Independence The child continues to become
more assertive and to take more
initiative, but may be too forceful,
leading to guilt feelings.
4. Latency 6 to 12 years Industries vs. School The child must deal with demands
Inferiority to learn new skills or risk a sense of
inferiority, failure and
incompetence.
5. Adolescence 12 to 18 years Identity vs. Peer relationships The teenager must achieve a sense
Role Confusion of identity in occupation, sexroles,
politics, and religion.
6. Young Adulthood 19 to 40 years Intimacy vs. Love relationships The young adult must develop
Isolation intimate relationships or suffer
feelings of isolation.
7. Middle Adulthood 40 to 65 years Generativist vs. Parenting Each adult must find some way to
Stagnation satisfy and support the next
generation.
8. Maturity 65 to death Ego Integrity vs. Reflection on and The culmination is a sense of one
Despair acceptance of self as one is and of feeling fulfilled.
one's life

Stage 1: Oral-Sensory: - The important event in this stage is feeding. The

infant will develop a sense of trust only if the parent or caregiver is responsive and
consistent with the basic needs being meet. The need for care and food must be met
with comforting regularity. The infant must first form a trusting relationship with the
parent or care giver otherwise a sense of mistrust will develop.
Babies who are not securely attached to their mothers are less cooperative and more
aggressive in their interactions with their mothers. As they grow older, they become
less competent and sympathetic with peers. They also explore their environment
with less enthusiasm and persistence.
Stage 2: Muscular-Anal: - At this stage self-control and self-confidence
begin to develop. Children can do more on their own. Toilet training is the most
important event at this stage. They also begin to feed and dress themselves. This is
how the toddler strives for autonomy. It is essential for parents not to be over
protective at this stage. A parent's level of protectiveness will influence the child's
ability to achieve autonomy. If a parent is not reinforcing, the child will feel shameful
and will learn to doubt his or her abilities.
The child must take more responsibility for his or her own feeding, toileting, and
dressing. Parents must be reassuring yet avoid over protection.

Stage 3: Locomotors: - The most important event at this stage is

independence. The child continues to be assertive and to take the initiative. Playing
and hero worshipping are an important form of initiative for children. Children in this
stage are eager for responsibility. It is essential for adults to confirm that the child’s
initiative is accepted no matter how small it may be. If the child is not given chance to
be responsible and do things on their own, a sense of guilt may develop. The child
will come to believe that what they want to do is always wrong.
In order for a positive outcome in this stage, the child must learn to accept without
guilt, that there are certain things not allowed. Children must be guilt free when using
imagination. They must be reassured that it is okay to play certain adult roles.

Stage 4: Latency: - In this stage children are learning to see the relationship
between perseverance and the pleasure of a job completed. The important event at this
stage is attendance at school. As a student, the children have a need to be productive
and do work on their own. They are both physically and mentally ready for it.
Interaction with peers at school also plays an imperative role of child development in
this stage. The child for the first time has a wide variety of events to deal with,
including academics, group activities, and friends. Difficulty with any of these leads
to a sense of inferiority.
It is essential for the child at this stage to discover pleasure in being productive and
the need to succeed. The child's relationship with peers in school and the
neighborhood become increasingly important.
Difficulty with the child's ability to move between the world at home and the world of
peers can lead to feeling of inferiority.

Stage 5: Adolescence:- It is a transitional stage of physical and

psychological development that generally occurs during the period
from puberty to legal adulthood (age of majority).Adolescence is usually
associated with the teenage years, but its physical, psychological or cultural
expressions may begin earlier and end later. For example, puberty now
typically begins during preadolescence, particularly in females. Physical
growth (particularly in males), and cognitive development can extend into the
early twenties. Thus age provides only a rough marker of adolescence, and
scholars have found it difficult to agree upon a precise definition of
adolescence.

Stage 6: Young Adulthood: - In this stage, the most important events are
love relationships. Intimacy refers to one's ability to relate to another human being on
a deep, personal level. An individual who has not developed a sense of identity
usually will fear a committed relationship and may retreat into isolation. It is
important to mention that having a sexual relationship does not indicate intimacy.
People can be sexually intimate without being committed and open with another. True
intimacy requires personal commitment. However, mutual satisfaction will increase
the closeness of people in a true intimate relationship.
The young adult must develop intimate relationships with others. Not resolving this
conflict leaves the young adult feeling isolated. The young adult must be willing to be
open and committed to another individual. An individual may retreat into isolation if a
sense of identity is not developed and will fear a committed relationship.

Stage 7: Middle Adulthood: - In this stage generativist refers to the adult's

ability to care for another person. The most important event in this stage is parenting.
Does the adult have the ability to care and guide the next generation? Generativist has
a broader meaning then just having children. Each adult must have some way to
satisfy and support the next generation. According to Erikson, "A person does best at
this time to put aside thoughts of death and balance its certainty with the only
happiness that is lasting: to increase, by whatever is yours to give, the goodwill and
higher order in your sector of the world.
To have and nurture children and or become involved with future generations. An
individual must deal with issues they are concerned with or it can lead to stagnation in
later life.

Stage 8: Maturity: - The most important event at this stage is coming to

accept one's whole life and reflecting on that life in a positive manner. Achieving a
sense of integrity means fully accepting oneself and coming to terms with the death.
Accepting responsibility for your life and being able to undo the past and achieve
satisfaction with self is essential. The inability to do this results in a feeling of despair.
The adult feels a sense of fulfillment about life and accepts death as an unavoidable
reality. Individuals who are unable to obtain a feeling of fulfillment and completeness
will despair and fear death.