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Trust vs Mistrust is the very first of eight stages in Erik Erikson's theory of development. This stage begins directly after birth and concludes around the 18 months of life. The infant will gradually learn if they will be able to depend in their caregiver or not. If the child is being cared for in the right ways they will have a positive mindset about the world. The caregivers providing safety and constancy the child will perceive the world that way. On the other hand if the child isn't receive the right affection of their needs being met then they will find the world to be unreliable and harsh. "For example, the critical theme of infancy is basic trust versus basic mistrust. People need to trust the world and the people in it, but they also need to learn some mistrust to protect themselves from danger" (Mortorell, 2023, p.13). When Sydney was an infant our father worked a ton but he would make sure he spend most of his time playing and showering her in affection.

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The second stage of Erik Erikson's theory is Autonomy vs Shame and doubt. This stage takes place during 18 months and 3 years of life. During this stage a child can develop their own independence and make their own decisions. Toddles will most liking start asking themselves if they are able to do this certain activity or task without assistance. If a child is thriving in this stage they will build an immense amount of self confidence and resilience. On the flip side if the caregivers are too overbearing and restrict the toddler to accomplish task on their own then confidence and willpower will be weak later on in life. Being restricted from doing activities on their own toddlers will experience more doubt when faced with a task that is needed to be completed without help. Leading to them feeling a great deal of shame. In this stage Sydney's father encouraged her to pick out her own clothes and get dressed without his help. This helped increase her ability to feel comfortable with her decisions and confident enough to make them."Having come through infancy with a sense of basic trust in the world and an awakening self-awareness, toddlers begin to substitute their own judgment for their caregivers’" (Mortorell, 2023, p.156).

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The Third stage in Erik Erikson's Psychological Development is Initiative vs guilt. This stages happens in the preschool years ages 3 to 6 years. During this stage children start to become more involved with decisions. This can happen during play, what to eat for dinner and even who they decide to socialize with. Kids who are successful in this stage are more willing to try new things or suggest others to do something. They can make mistakes and learn from them so they could attempt it again. This builds leadership and direction. On the other side guilt is something all children experience but how they deal with it is what sets this apart. Children who are guilty for not completing a task or feels bad for not attempting a task and being successful at will cause shame and guilt. Not being able to move on after failing at something the child may become fearful of trying new things and are less direct with what they want. "This conflict marks a split between two parts of the personality: the part that remains a child, full of exuberance and a desire to test new powers," (Mortorell, 2023, p.210). Sydney developed initiative by encouraging other kids to try her game and even at home she always suggested that a certain activity should be done.

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Industry vs inferiority is the fourth stage of Erikson's psychosocial development. This stage starts around age 6 and keeps developing until about 12 years of life. During this process kids begin to recognize their own work and accomplishments. When done correctly they are more likely to develop a sense of purpose and worth. This step is very important to built competence and willpower. Inferiority is the complete opposite and can be very bad for a child's social interactions. This can lead a child to compare themselves to their peers and feel less than them. "If children are unable to obtain the praise of others or lack motivation and self-esteem, they may develop a feeling of low self-worth and thus develop a sense of inferiority (Mortorell, 2023, p.276). Sydney's father often encouraged her to be proud of what she's done and to frequently tell others.

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From ages 12 to 18 years kids will experience identity vs confusion. This is the fifth stage in Erikson's theory of development. In this stage, adolescents discover who they are and figure out where they belong in the world. Role confusion happens when adolescents aren't able to go out and explore the world. This can often lead to them having less confidence and mental health will be worse than others who know their purpose. Lack of identity can make them frustrated and less likely to build strong relationships. When teens knows their purpose it can give them a great deal of direction. Feeling unique, worthy, and accepted by their peers is a sign of them knowing their purpose."Erikson saw the prime danger of this stage as identity confusion. Cliquishness and intolerance of differences, both hallmarks of adolescence, are defenses against identity confusion" (Mortorell, 2023, p.336). It took a while and a lot of different people telling Sydney what her purpose was but around the age of 16, she found out her purpose was to be a veterinarian.

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This next stage in life is intimacy vs isolation typically happens in the time frame of 18 to 40 years of life but can happen before of even after the given years. Entering adulthood building a strong relationship is important to many and others not so much. If someone was able to have strong connections with other people then they are able to be open and honest with them. This can be a romantic partner or a close circle of friends anyone can make us this strong connection. The opposite of this is isolation, this can be cause for many of reasons. For example, neglect and abuse that happened in their childhood or later on in life they encounter a tragic experience with love or betrayal from a close friend can cause isolation. An individual can often become depressed and further closed off then previously before. Sydney said she would imagine her life as an adult to be filled with loving friends and a lovely romantic partner. This is because shes confident enough to be open and honest with other people. ot until late adolescence or early adulthood do romantic relationships begin to serve the full gamut of emotional needs that such relationships can serve and then only in relatively long-term relationships (Furman & Wehner, 1997) (Mortorell, 2023, p.352).

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The seventh stage of Erikson Stages of Development is Generality vs stagnation. This stage typically happens in the 40 to 65 years of age. This is where the person is able to pass down knowledge to the next generation or not. The will to leave behind a legacy is something a person who's choosing generality wants to accomplish. This can be done by guiding the next group of people in the right direction. On the other hand, there's stagnation this is when one doesn't have anything to pass on to the next generation. They cannot do this because they are fearful of change, fearful of failing, or they simply can't get over their identity crisis. Sydney feels as if she will be able to accomplish her goal of becoming a vet and by doing that she'll leave behind the love of animals. Her future accomplishments will help lead the next generation to discover new medicines and treatments for animals. "Adults can help children curb aggression by teaching them how to recognize when they are getting angry and how to control their anger" (Mortorell, 2023, p.290).

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The very last stage in Erikson Stages of Development is Ego Integrity vs Despair. This happens from age 65 plus and ending with death. Ego Integrity vs Despair is a very simple concept for some and others its a hard realization. Ego Integrity is knowing that life was well lived and the person is very satisfied with the end results. The person in this stage is most likely experiencing lack of regret, feeling of accomplishment and success, and happiness with what they've done with life. On the other side despair is looking back at ones life and feel immense regret, missed opportunities, and anger. "At any point in the life span, development could shift in a positive direction, and a crisis might be successfully resolved and a new strength developed" (Mortorell, 2023, p.13). Sydney said once she reaches this point in her life she wants to be able to look back and be happy with what shes done. She believes this stage is the most import because it'll some up her life.