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The first stage, infancy, is when we develop trust by our basic needs being met, or we develop mistrust when we feel we are not properly cared for. We usually develop trust in our mother first and then other familiar faces. Feeding time is an important bonding time. I breastfed my daughter, and we created quit the bond. Then at 8 weeks old, she had to go to grandmas while I worked. At first, she cried a lot each time I left, but soon she developed trust when she realized her grandmother would care for her and pay attention to her.

"But when the balance of care is sympathetic and loving, the psychological conflict of the first-year basic trust versus mistrust is resolved on the positive side."

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In early childhood, children develop self-control and start learning how to master physical skills such as walking, potty training and grasping objects. They also develop independence on doing things themselves.
At about 14 months my daughter had already been walking for a few months and decided she would potty train on her own. The potty was made available to her, and she used it like she knew what she was doing.

"The conflict of autonomy versus shame and doubt is resolved favorably when parents provide young children with suitable guidance and reasonable choices."

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In this stage, preschool age children start to take the initiative to complete tasks either with peers or adults. Durning this time children's emotions and social skills seem to develop more. When parents are too critical or impatient with children, they develop guilt over not being able to complete a task as their parents wanted. At this age my daughter was always wanting to make something or learn something new. At this time, she was being kept by my sister while I worked. My sister had a son about the same age as Caitlin. They were always doing stuff together.

"According to Erikson (1950), once children have a sense of autonomy, they become less contrary than they were as toddlers. Their energies are freed for tackling the psychological conflict of the preschool years: initiative versus guilt. As the word initiative suggests, young children have a new sense of purposefulness. They are eager to tackle new tasks, join in activities with peers, and discover what they can do with the help of adults. They also make strides in conscience development."

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Middle age children are now focused on school. They are learning new things and making new friends. If they don't always succeed, peers, teachers or parents who respond negatively can cause the child to feel inferior. Caitlin didn't go to preschool like most children in her kindergarten class.  When she started kindergarten, she was behind most of her peers. She is smart and a fast learner, so it didn't take long for her to get caught up.

According to Erikson (1950), children whose previous experiences have been positive enter middle childhood prepared to focus their energies on realistic accomplishment. Erikson believed that the combination of adult expectations and children’s drive toward mastery sets the stage for the psychological conflict of middle childhood, industry versus inferiority, which is resolved positively when experiences lead children to develop a sense of competence at useful skills and tasks."

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In this stage teens tryout different roles in hopes of identifying who they are. Sometimes children become confused about who they are through the process. My daughter, throughout her teenage years, always tried to fit in to what everyone else was doing or wearing. She didn't try any crazy fads or wear black clothes like many teens her age did.

"Erikson called the psychological conflict of adolescence identity versus role confusion. If young people’s earlier conflicts were resolved negatively or if society limits their choices to ones that do not match their abilities and desires, they may appear shallow, directionless, and unprepared for the challenges of adulthood."

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Young adults try to form lasting intimate relationships. Some are good at it and some struggle. When you struggle to find love, it can leave you feeling lonely. My daughter, who is now 21, has had the same boyfriend on and off for 4 years. They have both really struggled with the relationship at times. When they are on their breaks from each other, they are both always sad and lonely. They have both found that it takes a lot of work to balance and maintain a healthy relationship.

"By late adolescence, as young people are ready for greater psychological intimacy, they look for dating partners who offer personal compatibility, companionship, affection, and social support (Collins & van Dulmen, 2006b; Meier & Allen, 2009)."

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Stage 7 is the middle-aged adult. They have discovered their contribution to the world. a lot of times they are content with the family, job, and life they have created. Sometimes though people will reach that age and have doubts that they have accomplished their goals in life or that they haven't made an impact on the world. When my daughter gets to be this age, I hope that she is happy with the decisions she has made in life.

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Stage 8 is for the 65+ age group. They are either pleased with the life they have lived or regret decisions they made but realize it's too late to do anything about it. Some people in this stage accept that death is coming, while others fear death, probably because of the lack of peace they have in their mind.