PED 1: Study Session on Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages

Name: ___________________________ Section: ______ Date: _______________

Instructions: Complete the attached psychosocial stage activity. Refer to other references and
information on this handout to help you answer the following questions.

According to Erikson, a person develops as they successfully resolve crises that are distinctly social in
nature. These involve establishing a sense of trust in others, developing a sense of identity in society,
and helping the next generation prepare for the future. Read each stage description about the social
task that is emphasized for each age range. Then, read the scenarios and decide which stage you think
the individual experienced unresolved issues.

Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages

1. Trust vs. Mistrust (Birth to One year)
Warmth, affection, and consistency of care lead to a positive, secure attachment with the primary caregiver.
Inadequate care results in fear and mistrust. Since this first relationship is the prototype (example) for all others,
those with a primarily negative resolution to this stage may struggle with forming close relationships for the rest
of their lives. Extremely inadequate care may result in significant developmental problems.

2. Autonomy vs. Doubt and Shame (one to three years)

If a child is permitted and encouraged to do things for himself/herself (with some adult guidance), a sense of
independence or autonomy develops. Self-doubt and dependence characterize the negative outcome for this
stage.

3. Initiative vs. Guilt (three – six years)

Curiosity, physical exploration, and high energy (not to mention the endless stream of questions typical of this
age!) are typical of preschoolers. Parental responses to these behaviors lead to a sense of initiative and
inquisitiveness or a sense of guilt and lack of initiative.

4. Industry vs. Inferiority (six – twelve years)

Corresponding to the elementary school years, this stage is crucial in the development of competence or self-
confidence. Success in meeting the demands of school and society lead to a sense of “industry” or self-
confidence. Repeated failures lead to feelings of inferiority and unwillingness to try new tasks.

5. Identity vs. Role Confusion (adolescence)

The critical issue for the adolescent is the development of a consistent identity or sense of self. The positive
outcome involves the ability to answer the questions: “Who am I? What will I become? In contemporary
society, this stage often extends well into young adulthood as a person typically experiments with many
behaviors, roles, and identities before achieving a lasting and satisfying one.

6. Intimacy vs. Isolation (early adulthood)

The successful young adult, for the first time, can experience true intimacy, the sort of intimacy that makes
possible good marriage or a genuine and enduring friendship. The unsuccessful outcome is isolation and
despair. Prior achievement of a consistent sense of self (identity) is crucial to a successful resolution of this
stage.

7. Generativity vs. Self-Absorption (middle adulthood)

Generativity, the ability to give of oneself, in the sense of marriage and parenthood as well as work, is the
positive outcome of this stage. Self-absorption, the inability to give of oneself, is the negative outcome.

1
8. Integrity vs. Despair (later adulthood)
If the previous seven psychosocial crises have been successfully resolved, mature adults develop a sense of
integrity. They see their lives as successful and worthwhile. They are proud of their work, their families, and
they reap the benefits of a fulfilling life. The unsuccessful resolution is despair: a negative appraisal of one’s life
and the realization that it is too late to start over.

Erik Erikson's Psychosocial Stages Activity

Instructions: Each of the situations below represents a negative outcome of one of Erik Erikson's Psychosocial
Stages. Determine which psychosocial stage resulted in the problems/issues they are currently facing.

1) Jason is a student who moved to Saint Cloud this summer from another state. He has recently been referred to
the school psychologist because of concerns about both his academic performance and school behavior. A
review of his school records shows that Jason repeated kindergarten and third grade. His elementary school
grades were primarily S's ("Satisfactory") and N's ("Needs Improvement"). His current teachers state that they
are unsure of Jason's academic skills because he typically does not turn in assignments and appears to "clown
around" and not take exams and assignments seriously.
Stage________________________________

2) Brenda is a 5th-year undergraduate student at the College of Saint Benedict. She began her post-secondary
education at CSB as a nursing major, but decided she wanted to pursue a career in special education, so she
transferred to Saint Cloud State University. After a year at SCSU, she discovered that special education was not
for her, so she transferred back to CSB where she registered for courses in the Social Science-Secondary
Education sequence. She is now a Liberal Studies major, and will graduate in May. Brenda has thought about
applying to law schools, but recently decided she really didn't want a career in law. At this point she has no firm
career plans. Rather, she had decided to work as a waitress for at least a year, and after that, who knows?
Stage________________________________

3) Carrie is a woman who is currently being seen for counseling at the community mental health center. Her
second marriage recently ended in divorce, and she has sought counseling so that she might get her life "back on
track." Carrie married for the first time at age 18, but she and her husband grew increasingly apart and found
they had little in common, other than their two children. She remarried shortly after her first divorce as she felt
"empty" being alone and thought both she and her children needed a man in the house, but that marriage also
proved unsuccessful. She is now thinking of attending college, and is trying to figure out what to do "with the
rest of her life." She is frustrated by her feelings of isolation.
Stage________________________________

4) Eric's kindergarten teacher is very concerned about him. He is hesitant to get involved in group activities, and
though he seems bright verbally, he tells his teacher he "can't" do the work and will not start assignments unless
the teacher is there to help and reassure him. Additionally, he always waits for the teacher to help him put on his
coat and boots, even though she has encouraged him to do so himself.
Stage________________________________

5) Anna is currently enrolled in the "Special Needs Program for Children with Severe and Profound
Developmental Delays." She is four years old and has been diagnosed as suffering from a "Pervasive
Developmental Disorder." Her behavior is often "autistic-like" as she avoids eye contact, makes repetitive hand
movements, and her speech is often echolalic. (repetitious) A review of her developmental history shows that
her development was apparently "normal" for the first six months of her life. It was at that time Anna's mother
developed severe depression and spent a year in a mental institution. During that year, Anna was left in the care
of an aunt, who reportedly abused her both physically and psychologically. It was after her mother was released
from the hospital that Anna was first seen at the mental health center and diagnosed as developmentally delayed.
Stage________________________________

2
6) Joe is a college junior with a mediocre academic record. Though he is very intelligent, his teachers often
describe him as lacking in initiative and creativity. He does well in lecture classes, but is hesitant to participate
in group discussions and has difficulty coming up with ideas for independent learning projects. He is hesitant to
take chances and try new things, though he often would like to try them.
Stage________________________________

7) Karl is a widower who lives in a senior-citizens apartment complex. Though he is reasonably healthy, both
physically and mentally, Karl rarely gets out and typically does not take part in activities offered through the
local senior citizens center. Rather, he mostly sits at home and broods. He rarely interacts with his neighbors in
the apartment complex, and even his children and grandchildren avoid visiting him because all he does is
complain about how bad his life has been.
Stage________________________________

8) John is a divorced man whose ex-wife has custody of their three children. Though John has visitation rights,
he rarely exercises them. Even when the family lived together, he was only minimally involved with his
children as he was always "too busy." His job often required long hours and extended travel, but even when he
was not working, John found little time for his kids. However, he always seemed to find the time for golf
outings, poker night, and hunting and fishing trips with his buddies.
Stage_________________________________

1. Which of Erikson’s eight stages seems most important in terms of social/emotional development?
Why?

The eight stages take a greater role in the social/emotional development. For me, all of the 8
stages are significant in the development of social/emotional development of an individual, since each
of the stage has a differ notion from one another. Nonetheless, if we are going to consider of which the
most important is, it is the first stage which is the Trust vs. Mistrust. In this stage, children learn that
adults can be trusted. They begin to build their trust to the people that surround them. However, if the
adult wasn’t able to provide the needs of the child this will result to mistrust. Moreover, it is the most
important because it’s the fundamental stage where children begin to develop themselves to be on the
next stage. And accordingly, those who had a negative experience in this stage will struggle close
relationships for the rest of their lives. So definitely, it is an advantage to develop the child’s trust in order for
them to adopt the next stages of development.

2. What aspects of Erikson’s theory are most important for educators to understand?

The most important aspect for the educators to understand is the Industry and Inferiority.
Adults affirm competence, and that becomes a strong motivation for the child to pursue an activity.
While that may be a strong encouragement to a child, it also makes him value himself for his
achievements alone, and may promote a sense of comparison and inferiority. In this stage, teachers
should be aware that, children need the support of believing to what they can do. Teachers may give
them a certain task that suits in the capability of the child in order for him to feel that he was able to do
the task alone. It is important to help the child feel that he can pursue a task and do it well. This may
be counterproductive to developing a sense of competence.

3
3. What aspects of Erikson’s theory are most important for parents to understand?

For the parents, all of the aspects are important to understand. As their children grow up they
should be aware that everything that happen in the lives of their children are changing. They need to
understand the changes happen. Through showing the support will give them the courage to pursue and
will not take a long period of time to develop themselves.

Source: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjumvWA757dAhXKad4KHZErB-
QQFjAIegQIAxAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fangelstiles.weebly.com%2Fuploads%2F1%2F7%2F5%2F8%2F1758491%2Fkohlber_and_erikson_worksheet
_-_ap_2016.doc&usg=AOvVaw2Li8pwTyRs2Dv_abfPIe2P