During the early stages of psychosocial development, children develop a sense of trust

when caregivers provide reliability, care, and affection but later begin to explore around
their territory as they grow up. Erik Erikson was an ego psychologist who developed
one of the most popular and influential theories of development. Erikson's theory
centered on psychosocial development in children. In this write-up, the writer is going
to examine the relevance of Erikson's ideas to toddlers caregiving. Key terms Erikson's
ideas and toddlers will be defined.

Hunt (2021) defines Erikson's ideas as the eight stages of psychosocial development
discovered by Erik Erikson. Friedman (2019) described Erikson's ideas as his theories of
psychosocial development in a human bring. Therefore, Erikson's ideas are defined as
the stages of psychosocial development from birth into adulthood which were studied
by Psychologist Erik Erikson.

According to the Chang (2020), kids between the ages of 1 and 3 are considered
toddlers. Cheyenne (2019) defines a toddler as a young child who is learning to walk
with short unsteady steps. A toddler is child between the ages of 1 and 3 years.

The trust vs. mistrust stage is the first stage of psychologist Erik Erikson’s theory of
psychosocial development. This stage begins at birth and lasts until a child is around 18
months old. According to Erikson, this is the most important period of a child's life, as it
shapes their view of the world as well as their overall personality. Erikson's psychosocial
development theory has seven other stages that span throughout a person's lifetime. At
each stage, people face conflicts that either result in psychological strengthening or
weakening. Babies are almost entirely dependent on their caregivers. So, the ways that
parents interact with their babies have a profound effect on a child's health.

Coles (2022) posits that Erikson believed that early patterns of trust influence a child's
social and emotional development. If a child successfully develops trust, they will feel
safe and secure in the world. According to his theory, a parent essentially shapes their
child's perception and future relationships. However, it's important to remember that
trust and mistrust exist on a spectrum. People aren't either completely trusting or
completely mistrusting. For example, there will be times that a baby's needs go unmet.
A healthy amount of mistrust of our environment as infants prepares us as adults to be
cautious and self-protective when we need to be. The key is that an infant's trustworthy
relationships and interactions outweigh, for the most part, their untrustworthy ones.
According to Erikson, this will give them a better sense of how to trust themselves and
the world around them. It is important for caregivers to provide comfort to an infant by
holding them closely and securely. This provides both warmth and physical contact.
Feeding, bathing, and comforting your child helps them learn to trust that their needs
will be met. Erikson also believed that feeding played a pivotal role in the development
of trust. By feeding an infant when the child is hungry, they learn that they can trust
their need for nourishment will be met.

Hunt (2021) points out that every baby communicates differently, so becoming familiar
with your baby's communication style is the key to success at this stage. Noticing and
responding to these signals, whether they are cries, body movements, coos, or even
words, helps them learn to trust you and the world around them. Children raised by
consistently unreliable, unpredictable parents who fail to meet their basic needs
eventually develop an overall sense of mistrust. Hunt (2021) goes on to say that
children and adults with low levels of trust may be more likely to be depressed, be
socially disengaged, be suspicious of others, experience loneliness, face peer rejection
and can make short-sighted decisions. Mistrust can cause children to become fearful,
confused, and anxious, all of which make it difficult to form healthy relationships.
Interestingly, being overly-trusting is linked with the same negative consequences as
being under-trusting. Ultimately, a child must experience trust, along with some degree
of mistrust, in order to learn how to trust in themselves and their relationships as an
adult.5

Autonomy versus shame and doubt is the second stage of Erik Erikson’s stages of
psychosocial development. This stage occurs between the age of 18 months and
around age 2 or 3 years. According to Friedman (2019), children at this stage are
focused on developing a greater sense of self-control. Erikson’s theory of psychosocial
development describes a series of eight stages that take place throughout the course of
life. The first stage of development, trust vs. mistrust, is all about developing a sense of
trust in the world.

Gaining a sense of personal control over the world is important at this stage of
development (Maher, 2017). Children at this age are becoming increasingly
independent and want to gain more control over what they do and how they do it.
There are a number of different ways in which parents may encourage autonomy
caregiver allows the child to pick out their own clothes to wear to preschool, even if the
clothes are mismatched. A caregiver toilet-trains their child and the child gains a sense
of independence. A mom or dad lets their child choose which snacks they'd like along
with lunch.

According to Eminent Psychologists of the 20th Century (2022), kids who have
confidence in their skills are more likely to succeed in subsequent tasks such as
mastering social, academic, and other skills. Caregivers who tend to excessively control
a child may unknowingly contribute to greater levels of self-doubt in the child. A parent
with an intensive parenting style may be prone to over-scheduling their child,
excessively controlling their child, making decisions for them, and overly surveilling their
child and their activities. However, these behaviors may negatively affect the child over
time.

Erikson's theory simply points out that, during the toddler stage of childhood, a child
benefits from having more opportunities than not to engage with the world on their
own terms. Being consistently blocked from having their own experiences or voicing
their own thoughts, for instance, may be harmful.
References

Chang, V. (2020) 13 Signs of Growing Up. Retrieved from: https://www.healthline.com

Cheyenne, B. (2019) Ages and Stages. Retrieved from: https://www.jstor.org

Coles, R. (2022). Erik Erikson: Faculty of Arts and Sciences Memorial Minute. Harvard
Gazette. Retrieved from https://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2022/03.07/22-
memorialminute.html

Eminent Psychologists of the 20th Century. (August, 2022) Monitor on Psychology,

33(7), p.29. Retrieved from: https:// www.wordpress.com

Friedman, L. J. (2019) Identity's Architect; A Biography of Erik H. Erikson. New York:

Scribner Book Co.

Hunt, R. (2021) Erikson's Theory. New York: Wiley and Sons Publishers

Maher, B. (2017) Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development . New Jersey: Harper

and Collins Publishers