KOLEHIYO NG LUNGSOD NG

DASMARIÑAS
THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

TRUST VS.
MISTRUST
THE FIRST PSYCHOLOGICAL CONFLICT
Major Question:
"Can i trust the people around me?"
 Trust versus mistrust is the first of Erik
Erikson's eight psychosocial development
stages, which occurs between birth and
approximately
eighteen months of age. According to
Erikson, this is the most important stage in
a person's life. It revolves around the
infant's basic needs being met by the
parents, with this interaction leading
to trust or mistrust.
 A CHILD EXPERIENCES HIS OR HER FIRST REAL
CONFLICT: HE OR SHE MUST LEARN HOW TO
TRUST THROUGH THE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS
OR HER CAREGIVERS, ESPECIALLY THE
MOTHER.

For example, when a baby cries, does his caregiver

immediately attend to his needs? When he is frightened,
will someone come to comfort him?

 FAVOURABLE
OUTCOME
When the child’s needs are consistently
met, he will learn that he is able to trust
the people caring for him. The crisis of
trust versus mistrust is successfully
resolved. By completing this stage
favourably, the child starts to have faith
in the environment and future events; this
is the favourable outcome. He or she may
then proceed to the other psychosocial
stages.
UNFAVOURABLE
OUTCOME
If the opposite occurs and the child fails
to learn to trust its caregivers, the child
may be filled with suspicion, withdrawal,
frustration, fear of future events, and
begin to mistrust the people around
him. Failure to develop trust will also
result in a belief that the world is
inconsistent and unpredictable.

 THE TRUTH

THERE IS A VERY FINE LINE BETWEEN GIVING A CHILD WHAT THEY NEED TO
FEEL LIKE THEY ARE ABLE TO TRUST THE WORLD AND FEEL SAFE, AND
SPOILING THE CHILD. THIS IS WHERE MANY PARENTS GET CONFUSED AND
EITHER DO NOT GIVE ENOUGH ATTENTION, LEADING THE CHILD TO HAVING
PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE, OR GIVING THE CHILD TOO MUCH ATTENTION,
WHICH ALSO HAS A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE CHILD’S LIFE IN THE FUTURE.
ONE CONCERN IN OUR SOCIETY ON THE TRUST VS MISTRUST CRISIS IS THAT
MANY MOTHERS AND FATHERS IN THIS DAY AND AGE GO BACK TO WORK
SHORTLY AFTER HAVING THEIR CHILD, LEAVING THEIR CHILD IN THE HANDS
OF A NON-BIOLOGICAL CAREGIVER (LIKE A NANNY). A QUESTION TO ASK
YOURSELF IS: CAN THE CHILD TRULY DEVELOP A TRUST FOR THE WORLD IF
HE IS NOT GIVEN THE CARE FROM HIS MOTHER OR FATHER?
In order to succeed in this crisis,
the child must genuinely believe
that all of his or her physical
needs are satisfied in a
reasonable amount of time, with
diminished amounts of anxiety
or fear for the future. The child
must feel safe, secure, and
relaxed in the company of his or
her caregivers. Caregivers who
are inconsistent,
emotionally unavailable, or
negligible contribute to a child's
accumulating mistrust.
 This stage is vital to a child’s life because with the
development of trust, one is able to form
relationships and learn to healthily depend on
others. Being the first stage, trust versus mistrust
is the crucial stepping stone preceding Erikson’s
other stages.

A positive resolution of the crisis results in a

foundation for progress toward the next stage,
allowing children to grow cognitively and socially.
References:

https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-
Erikson.html
https://www.verywellmind.com/trust-versus-
mistrust-2795741
https://springridgeacademy.com/eriksons-
stage-1-trust-vs-mistrust/
Thank you!
PSY 212
Amaya, Monaliza
Araojo, Ma. kaye Angelique
Barrameda, jadene
Biri, Emmanuel
Boloy, Andrelie
Brillantes, Stephanie
Castronuevo, Aira
Costanilla, Rina Joy
Dolloso, Renalyn
Esber, Gerodyn