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This is me, Alivia, when I was 10 months old.

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Erikson’s First Stage: Basic Trust vs. Mistrust

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Erikson’s First Stage: Basic Trust vs. Mistrust

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When looking into Erikson’s stages of development, the first one to look into is basic trust vs. mistrust. This stage begins in infancy at around 18 months. This stage is crucial for attachment and relationship between the mother and the infant. According to the textbook, “sensitive, responsive, consistent caregiving is the key to successful resolution of this conflict,” (pg. 165).

This attachment secures a long-term emotional, social, and cognitive competence. Strange Situation is a term that also comes at this stage. The infant can feel different types of attachment such as secure, avoidant, ambivalent or resistant, and disorganized-disorientation.

The timeline is going to be about myself. In this stage of life, I was a sick baby. Often I was home with my mother and I felt that this caused me to build a very strong bond with her. When I was outside, I was still very social. This caused me to feel no Strange Situation, however, I was very protective of myself and would often bite other children. I promise I don’t do that anymore.

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Erikson’s Second Stage: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

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Erikson’s Second Stage: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

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The second stage of Erikson’s development theory is Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt. This stage begins at ages 18 months to 3 years. Children going into this stage are having a basic sense of trust and self-awareness. The main step children learn is becoming stronger in their personality and having a sense of will. Their communication becomes stronger, being able to communicate better. This step is very necessary for a child’s development. According to the textbook, “Toddlers need adults to set appropriate limits, and shame and doubt help them recognize the need for those limits,” (pg 157).

At this stage in life, I was very outgoing and social. I loved telling everyone everything about my life and the interest I had. However, this cant always be a good thing as sometimes. I can cause kids to feel more let down when others aren’t as social. For me, I often found myself playing with my older sister or by myself. This helped me learn a lot about self play and how I can make friends easier tat have similar interest to me.

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Erikson’s Third Stage: Initiative vs. Guilt 

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Erikson’s Third Stage: Initiative vs. Guilt 

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The next stage in Erikson’s theory of development is initiative vs. guilt. Children in this stage are between the ages 4 and 7. In this stage, the child starts to get older and think more about their life as an adult. They often fantasize about being independent and want to do more things on their own. According to the textbook, “  Such fantasies are good for a child, Erikson believed, but if adults do not respond to them well, these thoughts can lead the child to feel guilty and to back off from taking initiative in her development toward adulthood,” (pg. 404). The child starts to develop a better sense of right and wrong and feel more guilt in doing things they feel is considered bad. Maturity grows very much during this stage as the child gets a more familiar understanding of who they are and their own personality and interests.

Since this project is about me, I feel it is best to share my experience with this stage. It is easier for me to get more familiar with the stages as I was older and better to remember certain aspects better than the earlier stages. In this stage of life, my dad had just met my now stepmom, and my mom had just remarried. Lots was changing around me, but I felt that in this stage I really like being a good kid. I craved my parents attention growing up and always did things to please them. However, if I wasn’t getting the attention I wanted, I would often find myself doing things that were “bad” and feel lot of guilt. I feel that I was shamed a good chunk of this stage in order to behave better.

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Erikson’s Fourth Stage: Industry vs. Inferiority

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Erikson’s Fourth Stage: Industry vs. Inferiority

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Erikson’s fourth stage of development is called industry vs. inferiority. Children in this stage are usually 8-12 years old. This stage is about developing skills and attitudes to succeed in the real world. The child really figures out what they are passionate about in this stage and is determined to finish goals they set for themselves. In the textbook, “At this time, the child must begin to control his exuberant imagination and unfocused energy and get on with tasks of developing competence, workmanship, and a way of organizing life tasks,” (pg. 404). The child often feels more pressure from themselves, their peers, or their family. The goals for this stage often get more realistic and achievable.

At this age, I was often struggling in school. I had a hard time with behavior, but well in school. I was often focused when I needed to be, but would act out for attention. In this stage, I also moved to a different state. A lot of changes were happening, but once I settled I started to get a clearer picture of my goals and what I enjoyed spending my time doing. I loved to be active in gymnastics and dance and was very excited to go to school. I had some friends and my social life was very active. I was the oldest sibling in my house, so my priorities changed and I think it made me more mature and realize how to handle more “adult” situations.

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Erikson’s Fifth Stage: Identity vs. Identity Confusion

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Erikson’s Fifth Stage: Identity vs. Identity Confusion

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Compared to other theories, like Freudian, Erikson believed that development happens throughout your life and it never stops. Most stages end after stage four to other theorists, but Erikson believed that you experience this stage between the ages 13 and up. This stage is about self identify and who you are. You are trying to figure out yourself during this stage that associates to your gender, sexuality, and other interests that can develop in relationships. In the textbook, “At this stage, individuals choose values and goals that are consistent, personally meaningful, and useful. Close on the heels of the identity conflict comes the competition between intimacy versus isolation,” (pg. 404).

For me, I was definitely trying to figure out who I was attracted to and what I had interest’s in. I had began middle school and was determined to find someone to date. I realized that I liked more than just the traditional partner of a male and that I was interested in both genders. This time was very hard for me as I was often confused and needed more clarity overtime. I always knew that I was a girl, however, so my confusion was in my sexuality than in my gender.

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This is my boyfriend and I when we were 16 years old. 

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Erikson’s Sixth Stage: Intimacy vs. Isolation 

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Erikson’s Sixth Stage: Intimacy vs. Isolation 

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In this stage, Erikson believed that you develop learning about intimacy vs. isolation. The rest of the stages can happen after 13+ years of age. This stage is mostly about finding a romantic partner. You think much about your future and who you want to spend the rest of your life with. Similar to the last stage, the textbooks says,”Close on the heels of the identity conflict comes the competition between intimacy versus isolation. The task here, in young adulthood, is to find an intimate life partner to share important experiences and further development, rather than becoming isolated and lonely,” (pg. 404). The idea is to experiment with dating and romantic relationships.

For me, I was dating throughout high school. I wasn’t in many relationships, but I often found myself wanting to go on dates and have more attraction to people. I started dating my current boyfriend my junior year of high school when I was 16. I learned a lot of what I did and didn’t want from a partner and being in a relationship.

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Erikson’s Seventh Stage: Generativity vs. Stagnation

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Erikson’s Seventh Stage: Generativity vs. Stagnation

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In Erikson’s seventh stage, we learn about generativity vs. stagnation. This stage is usually experienced by people entering middle age. This is when a person had trouble determining what to do. Kind of like a mid-life crisis. They have a hard time deciding between settling and moving their concerns for the next generation, or figuring out what more they want to do in their lifetime. The textbook says, “The challenge here is to avoid the temptation to simply cash in one’s savings and go fishing, and instead to raise and nurture children and generally to do what one can to ensure the progress of the next generation,” (pg. 404). A lot struggle with finnicals as they could be paying a lot more every year depending on certain circumstances.

Now obviously I am in college and not in my middle age, but I can understand the struggles with financials. I am broke (as most college students are) and I understand the balances of responsibilities that many adults need to care of. I feel that I have a fairly clear image of the path I want to go down in my future.

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This is a very recent photo of me. I am now 19.

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Erikson’s Eighth Stage: Integrity vs. Despair

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Erikson’s Eighth Stage: Integrity vs. Despair

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In Erikson’s final stage of development, we look at integrity vs. despair. This stage doesn’t develop in a person’s life thill they are a lot older and looking towards their final days. This stage is often used as a big reflection of their own life. They often think of regrets or mistakes they made and wonder how to feel about it. The textbook says,” Does the person regret earlier mistakes and feel that, basically, he blew it? Or from experience, has the person developed wisdom? The test is: After 70, 80, or 90 years of life, does the person have anything of interest and value to say to the next generation? Or not?“ (pg. 404).

Similar to the seventh stage, I have not reached this stage yet. However, I think many of us overthink about certain choices we have made and figure out what kind of regrets we feel and how string they are. I have always wanted to live life with no regrets and mistakes, but nobody’s perfect and everyone fails at times.