Psychosexual development (Freud)

Stage/Level Age Range Description

Oral stage Birth to 1 year The oral stages, at this stage in

life, are oral, or mouth
orientated, such as sucking,
biting, and breastfeeding.

Anal stage 1 to 3 years During the anal stage of

psychosexual development, the
libido becomes focused on the
anus, and the child derives great
pleasure from defecating.

Phallic stage 3 to 6 years During this stage, the child

becomes aware of anatomical
sex differences, which sets in
motion the conflict between
erotic attraction, resentment, and
fear.

Latent stage 6 years to puberty The latency stage is the fourth

stage of psychosexual
development, spanning six years
to puberty. During this stage the
libido is dormant and no further
psychosexual development takes
place.

Genital stage Puberty to adult The genital stage is the last stage
of Freud's psychosexual theory
of personality development and
begins in puberty. It is a time of
adolescent sexual
experimentation, the successful
resolution of which is settling
down in a loving one-to-one
relationship with another person
in our 20's.

Stage/Level
Trust and Mistrust stage
Autonomy vs. Shame and doubt
stage
Initiative vs. Guilt stage
Industry vs. Inferiority stage
Identity vs. Confusion stage
Intimacy vs. Isolation stage
Psychosocial development (Erikson)
Age Range Description
Birth to 18 months According to Erikson, it is the
most important period of your
child's life, as it shapes their
view of the world as well as
their overall personality.
18 months to 3 years According to Erikson, children
at this stage are focused on
developing a greater sense of
self-control.
Between 3 to 5 years During the initiative versus guilt
stage, children begin to assert
their power and control over the
world through directing play and
other social interaction.
Between 6 to 11 years According to Erikson’s theory,
people progress through a series
of stages as they develop and
grow. Unlike many other
developmental theories,
Erikson’s addresses changes that
occur across the entire lifespan,
from birth to death.
Between 12 to 18 years According to Erikson, people
progress through a series of
stages as they grow and change
throughout life. During each
stage, people face a
developmental conflict that must
be resolved to successfully
develop the primary virtue of
that stage.
Between 19 to 40 years The major conflict at this stage
of life centers on forming
intimate, loving relationships
with other people. Success at
this stage leads to fulfilling
relationships. Struggling at this
stage, on the other hand, can
result in feelings of loneliness
and isolation.
Generativity vs. Stagnation stage
Integrity vs. Despair
Cognitive development (Piaget)
Stage/Level
Sensorimotor stage
Preoperational stage
Concrete operational stage
Between 40 to 65 years During this time, adults strive to
create or nurture things that will
outlast them; often by parenting
children or contributing to
positive changes that benefit
other people.
65 to death This stage begins at
approximately age 65 and ends
at death. Psychologists,
counselors, and nurses today use
the concepts of Erikson's stages
when providing care for aging
patients.
Age Range Description
Birth to 2 years During this earliest stage of
cognitive development, infants
and toddlers acquire knowledge
through sensory experiences and
manipulating objects. A child's
entire experience at the earliest
period of this stage occurs
through basic reflexes, senses,
and motor responses.
2 to 7 years At this stage, kids learn through
pretend play but still struggle
with logic and taking the point
of view of other people. They
also often struggle with
understanding the idea of
constancy.
7 to 11 years During this stage, children also
become less egocentric and
begin to think about how other
people might think and feel.
Kids in the concrete operational
stage also begin to understand
that their thoughts are unique to
them and that not everyone else
necessarily shares their thoughts,
feelings, and opinions.
 Formal operational stage
Stage/Level
Obedience and Punishment
Individualism and Exchange
Developing Good Interpersonal
Relationships
Maintaining Social Order
Social Contract and Individual
Rights
Ages 12 and up The final stage of Piaget's
theory involves an increase in
logic, the ability to use
deductive reasoning, and an
understanding of abstract ideas.3
At this point, people become
capable of seeing multiple
potential solutions to problems
and think more scientifically
about the world around them
Moral development (Kohlberg)
Age Range Description
2 to 3 years Children seek mainly to avoid
the punishment that authority
figures such as their parents can
meet out.to them
5 to 7 years Children learn that it is in their
interest to behave well because
rewards are in store if they do.
7 to 12 years Children feel the need to satisfy
the expectations of the other
members of their group. In so
doing, children seek to preserve
rules that will lead to predictable
behavior.
10 to 15 years The conventions that guide the
individual’s behavior expand to
include those of the society in
which he or she lives. In
examining the justification for a
given course of action, the
individual considers whether it
is consistent with the norms and
laws of this society.
Starting as early as 12 years Individuals feel as if they have
freely entered into a contractual
commitment with every person
around them. This commitment
is based on a desire for
consensus and a rational
assessment of the benefits that
 everyone can derive from the
existence of these rules.

Universal Principles People at stage 6 agree that laws

and societal values have a
certain validity, but if these laws
conflict with their own
principles of human dignity,
they will follow these principles,
which they regard as an
internally imposed imperative.