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Erikson's first stage of development begins at birth and lasts until the child is approximately 18 months old.  This stage of development deals with the child learning about trust and mistrust with those around them.  My son Landon was a little late to the game and didn't walk until he was 14 months old.  I believe Landon had a difficult time knowing his own ability and being able to trust those around him to help him learn to walk.  Inevitably at 14 months old, Landon learned to trust those around him and began to walk.
"Baby develops sense of whether the world is a good and safe place" (Martorell, p. 13)

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Erikson's second stage development begins at approximately 18 months and lasts until the child is 3 years old.  This stage of development deals with the child learning what they can do on their own and what they still need assistance with. My son Landon had always been very mature and at 2 1/2 we decided we would attempt to potty train him.  After a couple days of frustration on his end and ours, we decided to give the potty training a break and allow him to mature a little more.  During the period of frustration, I believe Landon was dealing with shame and doubt as to whether he could alert us that he needed to use the bathroom in enough time.  He later became potty trained by 3 years old and achieved autonomy through this stage.
"Child develops a balance of independence and self-sufficiency over shame and doubt." (Martorell, p. 13)

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Erikson's third stage of development begins at approximately 3 years old and lasts until the child is approximately 6 years old.  This stage of development deals with a child determining their level of initiative in social settings and then acting upon those activities.  My son Landon had talked about playing baseball from the time he started talking.  When he was 4 years old we enrolled him in tee ball with our local league.  I wasn't sure how Landon would respond to the game, team or his coaches since he was so young and this was his first attempt.  Landon ended up doing really well that season and even became a leader on his team.  Landon's initiative to try a new activity worked out well for him.
"Child develops initiative when trying new activities and is not overwhelmed by guilt" (Martorell, p. 13)

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Erikson's fourth stage of development begins at approximately 6 years old and last until the child reaches puberty.  This stage of development deals with children learning to engage in social interactions through school and other activities.  In this stage, the child will have to develop and determine their self-concept.  Landon attended a small in-home daycare from the time he was baby until he started kindergarten.  Once he started kindergarten, Landon had to learn to interact in a classroom setting with a new group of friends and teachers.  Landon had difficulty finding his place within his peers when the year began however as the year progressed, he discovered his place within the class and school.
"Children must learn skills of culture or face feelings of incompetence" (Martorell, p. 13)

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Stage 5: Identity vs. Identity Confusion

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Stage 5: Identity vs. Identity Confusion

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Erikson's fifth stage of development begins at puberty and lasts until young adulthood.  During this stage of development the child learns who they are and most importantly who they aren't.  The child learns what is important to them and matters the most.  This is a period of change.  Our family moved from our home state of Indiana to Texas when Landon was almost 12 years old.  This was a hard move for our family but even harder for our middle school son.  Landon was leaving the only school, friends and teachers he'd ever known to begin all over again.  Landon did well as he began to learn his true identity, what was important to him and what wasn't.
"Adolescent must determine sense of self or experience confusion about roles" (Martorell, p. 13)

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Erikson's sixth stage of development takes place during young adulthood.  This stage deals with the young adult learning to make lasting commitments with friends and those around them and those dealing with isolation.  My hope for my son as he gets older is that he is able to form good, dependable relationships with his peers.  I hope that he remains active in his schooling, career and social groups and is able to avoid isolating himself.
"Person seeks to make commitments to others or my suffer from isolation and self-absorption" (Martorell, p. 13)

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Erikson's seventh stage of development takes place during middle adulthood.  This stage deals with adults in their middle years learning to move through this stage with purpose and forward movement.  Being that this is the stage of life I'm currently in, I know how important it will be for Landon to continue to work towards the future.  It will be very important for him to continue to have goals that he is working towards to avoid getting stagnant in life.
"Mature adult is concerned with establishing and guiding the next generation or else feels personal impoverishment" (Martorell, p. 13)

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Erikson's eighth stage of development takes place during late adulthood.  This stage deals with adults later in life being satisfied with the life they've lived and not having regret over what they aren't able to do any longer.  Landon has always been a very active individual and is always on the go with his athletic groups.  I hope that has he gets older he doesn't despair over the things in life he is no longer able to do but looks back over his life with wonderful memories of accomplishment.
"Elderly person achieves acceptance of own life, allowing acceptance of death, or else despairs over inability to relive life" (Martorell, p. 13)