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Stage One: Trust vs. Mistrust (birth-12 to 18 months)

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Stage One: Trust vs. Mistrust (birth-12 to 18 months)

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Erikson describes the first psychosocial stage, "Trust vs. Mistrust", as an infant's development of safety in the world. As in infant my parents said that I was happiest when being held.

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Stage Two: Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt (12 to 18 months - 3 years)

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Stage Two: Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt (12 to 18 months - 3 years)

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The second stage of psychosocial development is where toddlers learn to feel independence. Independence is built on self-sufficiency over shame and doubt.
If an infant does not develop the world as a safe place for them they may feel doubt over independence during this stage.
My siblings and I were what my parents called "free range children". We were allowed to run outside as much as possible, and get dirty without being reprimanded. Our parents let us help with the more difficult chores around the farm instead of being told it would be easier for them to do it by themselves. They always explained why we couldn't do something.

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Stage Three: Initiative vs. Guilt (3-6 years)

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Stage Three: Initiative vs. Guilt (3-6 years)

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The third stage in Erikson's theory is described as children being able to take initiative when exploring new activities without fear of shame or being ridden with guilt.
A child with authoritative parents may lack the initiative to try new activities because they will be reprimanded for making messes, breaking something, or another way that makes them feel guilty for exploring the new activity.
I remember spending hours in the kitchen "baking" as a little kid. Though I wasn't making anything edible, my mom let me experiment with baking ingredients and leave me be. I was happy to roll dough endlessly and she always helped me clean up.

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Stage Four: Industry vs. Inferiority (6-11)

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Stage Four: Industry vs. Inferiority (6-11)

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The fourth stage of development is where children and preteens can develop feelings of incompetence or inferiority if they have not learned skills that help them meet their society's expectations or cultural norms.
Children who are raised to feel safe, have authority over their own autonomy, and can take initiative through the first three stages will be more likely to develop the skills to adapt to their culture versus feeling inferior because they feel unsafe, shame, and guilty.
My preteens were an exceptionally hard time for me because that is when my disabilities started surfacing. I couldn't run like the other kids, I started struggling with homework, and would miss a lot of school because I was in so much muscular pain. My friends started excluding me, I wasn't making the honor roll, and started to gain weight. My siblings were very athletically as well as academically gifted. Looking back I can see this is where depression probably started for me because I was always comparing myself and how I thought I should be.

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Stage Five: Identity vs. Identity Confusion (11-18)

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Stage Five: Identity vs. Identity Confusion (11-18)

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The fifth stage is where a person does or does not develop a sense of who they are as an individual. Young adults who can feel secure when they ask themselves, "Who am I?", likely had positive reinforcements through the first four stages. A person who had negative reinforcements may struggle to identify where they belong in society or be confused about the role they play in their own world (family, friends, school, work).
As a struggled to fit in, I asked myself a lot who I was. I had brain surgery when I was 15. I felt isolated and alone and in a small community, there wasn't much support for me. At seven I left my hometown to work at a summer camp in southern Indiana where I thought I would make new friends but constantly found myself trying to make sure I was liked by everyone instead of finding friends that I had things in common with.

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Stage Six: Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young Adulthood)

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Stage Six: Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young Adulthood)

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In early adulthood, where the sixth stage of development takes place, people will seek intimate relationships with others, or they may isolate themselves out of fear of commitment.
Those who feel secure in who they are will be open to deeper relationships and allow others to know intimate details of their life versus those who do not feel like they know where they belong, so they struggle with developing commitment and isolate themselves.
I formed many relationships in my early adulthood but would never let myself get attached to people even when they were trying to form a deeper relationship with me. It wasn't until after I had my son at 23 that I found what it meant to have deeper friendships because motherhood can be very lonely and having support meant I wasn't so alone.
I also married my son's father at 26, I had never had a healthy long-term relationship before him. He showed me what it meant to truly love someone unconditionally and I learned to feel secure and let myself open up to someone.

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Stage Seven: Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood)

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Stage Seven: Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood)

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In the seventh stage, those in the middle stage of adulthood feel drawn to helping the guiding the next generation in their journey to personal improvement and empowerment.
Though I'm still in my twenties, I teach pre-school now and hope by middle adulthood, teaching will feel like second nature and I can take on extra activities that help students outside the classroom.
My husband and I have also talked about becoming foster parents when our son is older. Fostering older children is something I have always seen myself doing.

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Stage Eight: Integrity vs. Despair (Late Adulthood)

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Stage Eight: Integrity vs. Despair (Late Adulthood)

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In the eighth and final stage, elderly people will either have feelings of happiness or despair when looking back at their life. If they had positive reinforcements throughout their life, they may feel accomplished and accepted. If a person had negative reinforcements over the span of their life, at the final stage, they may look back and wish they could relive their life differently.
When I'm struggling with depression, one of the things that help me cope is imagining my husband and me at an old age. Imagining us surrounded by grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and thinking about the simple life we lived helps me get through some of the dark episodes I go through with depression.