Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development

STAGE 1: TRUST VS MISTURST

• Age Range: Birth to the age of 1 year
• For a baby to trust, it needs to have a stable, consistent, and comforting caretaker/attachment
• The same goes for a baby to have no trust; a baby with no support system will likely trust no one
• Baby Support System Examples - Mom, dad, aunt , uncle, or older siblings
• Also is where a baby seeks comfort from a greater being

STAGE 2: AUTONOMY VS SHAME & DOUBT

• autonomy- A person's ability to do an activity/thing
• In terms of this stage, it means a baby's/infant's ability to control their body and surroundings
• Age Range: 1-3 years
• This is where they have feelings of whether they could do things independently or do they need to rely on others
• Shame and doubt creeps into their life when they fail at a certain task or when they do something wrong

STAGE 3: INITIATIVE VS GUILT

• Age Range: 3-6 years
• This is where formal education starts
• Example- Kindergarten
• The question that pops in their heads is "Am I good or bad?"
• Also where they make independent decisions that could end good or bad. An example is they wear no helmet while biking to school

STAGE 4: INDUSTRY VS INFERIORITY

• Age Range: 6-12 years
• Industry refers to a child's motivation and productivity
• The question that pops in their minds is "Am I successful or worthless?"
• Encouragement is a key element when a child is doing something
• This is where school plays a crucial role in their lives. As they interact with children and adults, they get a sense of pride in their accomplishments

STAGE 5: IDENTITY VS ROLE CONFUSION

• Age Range: Teenage Years(13-18 years)
• A concern for teens during this stage is how people perceive them/view them in society(their identity)
• The questions that pop in their minds are "Who am I" and "What am I going to do with my life"
• This is where teens pull away from their parents; feel more independent
• Role confusion is basically failure.

STAGE 6: INTIMACY VS ISOLATION

• Age Range: Young Adulthood
• Main issue is whether to share your life with someone or live solo
• Key things you are looking for are love/close relationship and solid, lifelong friendships
• The fear of rejection can lead to isolation
• The goals are to get over this fear, find love, and have solid friendships

STAGE 7: GENERATIVITY VS STAGNATION

• Age Range: Middle adulthood
• Goals- Contribute to society/give back, help the next generation, and most importantly raise your children
• Basically, their life consists of their job and their children
• The questions that pop in their minds are "Will I succeed in life" and "Do I like what I am doing"

STAGE 8: EGO INTEGRITY VS DESPAIR

• Age Range: Older adulthood
• This is where they look back and see if they lived a meaningful life
• If it's good, their ego will be satisfied
• If it's bad, they will feel it was too late and despair will creep in