Erikson Timeline by Koalie

Stage 1: Trust vs Mistrust

kmay93 — 2023-12-13 13:44:09 UTC

Erikson's first stage is very important. As a baby, you rely on natural instincts, so you trust few. I interviewed my family member for this timeline. His mother says he was a very quiet baby but had a lot of soul to him even as an infant. He did not cry much.

Stage 2: Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt

kmay93 — 2023-12-13 13:48:36 UTC

You really start to form a personality at this point. My interviewee said his toddler years is when he became very social, which is a trait that stuck with him until puberty. He never was a tantrum thrower.

Stage 3: Initiative vs Guilt

kmay93 — 2023-12-13 13:53:49 UTC

My interviewee did not attend preschool, so he spoke about how he missed out on those first couple of years where you learn social skills and are introduced to the concept of schooling. So, in stage 3 of his life, he learned skills only from his family instead of with peers. He realizes later on how telling this was, because he was a talker and going into elementary school, he did not immediately grasp the rules of a classroom. A preschool environment or something similar would have been very beneficiary and supplemental to him for later on in his school life.

Stage 4: Industry vs Inferiority

kmay93 — 2023-12-13 14:00:45 UTC

Stage 4 is very important in the Erikson timeline. This is where my subject had a lot to tell me. He was extremely social at this point, especially due to having no experience with a schooling environment yet. He often got in trouble for talking, and even if he got moved next to the teacher, he would just talk to them! This is also where you see many skills develop, and even inflated egos. They do not have that "I maybe shouldn't act like this outside of home" mentality yet. My interviewee was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in elementary school, which can make one feel different from their peers, and he recalls feeling that way in middle school. His ego was high, but he recalls being very worried about "fitting in". His mom would send him to camps for other kids with diabetes, so he found people his similar to him and that understood what it was like to be different.

Stage 5: Identity vs Role confusion

kmay93 — 2023-12-13 14:06:44 UTC

By high school, my subject said his insecurity was at an all-time high, and that social trait that had stuck with him almost completely went away. School for him was not an environment that he thrived in. He did not join school clubs or sports, which statistically would have helped him open up more in his high school years instead of almost completely using that social personality he had. But, this was an important time for him as he took interest in music which soon becomes a big part of his life. He also began dating his now wife.

Stage 6: Intimacy vs Isolation

kmay93 — 2023-12-13 14:12:20 UTC

My interviewee did not attend college, so he went right into the work force. He also got his license a bit later than people his age normally do, so that felt like that was something that set him back. He had few friends, and only spoke to his family and wife. This stage was all about isolation for him, he was still trying to identify himself and what he wanted to do with his life.

Stage 6: Generativity vs Stagnation

kmay93 — 2023-12-13 14:16:53 UTC

This is where things started to pick up for him. He focused heavily on his interest of making music and learning more music software. He opened his mind up to new and interesting things, which proved to be great for him. This stage for him was focused much more on generativity!

Stage 7: Integrity vs Despair

kmay93 — 2023-12-13 14:19:55 UTC

Now, he still works full time, but his music making is actually at an all-time high! With this interest in something that makes him happy, he explained that it makes his quiet desk job much more bearable, knowing that it is not his only goal in life.