My Erikson Development Timeline by Lexcia Hernandez

Stage One: Trust Vs. Mistrust

lhernandez133_1 — 2023-12-12 00:49:51 UTC

The first stage of Erikson's Psychosocial Stages of Development is the Trust vs Mistrust stage which occurs from infancy to around 18 months. During this stage, infants develop their sense of trust by interacting positively with their primary caregivers, usually parents. When caregivers are consistent, reliable, nurturing, and attentive to an infant's needs, the infant learns to trust that their basic needs will be met. This helps them develop a sense of trust that their caretakers can be relied upon.

Example from a family member: The child needs to be changed and must rely on the caregiver. It knew that if it started to cry, the caregiver would check its pamper. According to the scholarly book called 'Progressive Education, How Children Learn': for a child to have trust that the caregiver will take care of it, it must have a "sensitive, responsive, and consistent caregiver" (Martorell, 2022, pp. 150). This child had enough trust that if it started to cry, the caregiver would come to take care of it.

Stage Two: Autonomy Vs. Shame and Doubt

lhernandez133_1 — 2023-12-12 01:04:24 UTC

The second stage of Erikson's Psychosocial Stages of Development is Autonomy Vs. Shame and Doubt which occurs from around 12 to 18 months to 3 years of age. During this stage, toddlers are encouraged to be independent and explore their environment. However, they may also feel hesitant or shy. The goal of this stage is to help children develop a sense of independence and confidence in completing tasks and making simple choices and decisions by themselves with reasonable support from caregivers.

Example from a family member: The child is about to eat lunch and wants to use the spoon for himself. He spills some of the food and feels unsure about it but the parent encourages him. According to the scholarly book called 'Progressive Education, How Children Learn': the child is becoming more "powerful and independent" (Martorell, 2022, pp. 156). The child continued to practice his eating skills and eventually mastered it.

Stage Three: Initiative Vs. Guilt

lhernandez133_1 — 2023-12-12 01:19:07 UTC

The third stage of Erikson's Psychosocial Stages of Development is Initiative vs Guilt. This stage typically occurs during the preschool years, ages 3-6. During this stage, children assert more independence and initiative in play and other activities. They explore new capabilities and try new roles, without as much help or needing constant interaction from adults.

Example from a family member: The child wants to take the leadership role in a pretend scenario and game but does something that isn't seen as "right" in today's society. According to the scholarly book called 'Progressive Education, How Children Learn': this urges the Child to "pursue goals with reservations about doing them" (Martorell, 2022, pp. 210). So, when the child did something that made him feel guilty, he understood what and what he should not be doing.

Stage Four: Industry Vs. Inferiority

lhernandez133_1 — 2023-12-12 01:34:51 UTC

This stage occurs during middle childhood, approximately between the ages of 6 to puberty. During this stage, children begin school and are often involved in organized activities outside the home. They are learning new skills and trying to keep up with physical and academic demands. A sense of competence is developed from being recognized for doing things well through productivity and achievement. Children who feel capable and effective in their abilities develop a sense of industry. Those who feel inadequate or inferior about their efforts and abilities may form feelings of inferiority and doubts about their skills or talents.

Example from a family member: The child succeeds and enjoys activities like academic subjects and receives positive feedback that leads to feelings of industry and confidence in their abilities. According to the scholarly book called 'Progressive Education, How Children Learn': children "must learn the productive skills their culture requires or else face feelings of inferiority" (Martorell, 2022, pp.276 ). Since this child understood that his culture likes academic subjects, it led to the feelings of industry.

Stage Five: Identity Vs. Identity Confusion

lhernandez133_1 — 2023-12-12 18:25:03 UTC

Erikson proposed that during adolescence, typically occurring from puberty to young adulthood, individuals confront the psychosocial crisis of identity vs. role confusion. At this stage, adolescents are challenged with developing a sense of personal identity - including their values, beliefs, and goals. They start to question who they are and what roles they will play in life as they transition into adulthood. They start to form their own identity by testing different roles through their peers, academics, and extracurricular activities, and developing interests. Those who emerge from this stage with a strong sense of identity have a clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, while those still struggling may face role confusion as they have not clearly defined who they are and their place in the world. Overall, the main challenge is forming and committing to an identity based on their talents, beliefs, and history.

Example from a family member: The teenager is about to graduate High School and realizes he has to start exploring career options. According to the scholarly book called 'Progressive Education, How Children Learn': the child is trying to understand the role he "is to play in society" (Martorell, 2022, pp.336 ) The teenager realizes that he wants to become a firefighter and understands his role in society.

Stage Six: Intimacy Vs. Isolation

lhernandez133_1 — 2023-12-13 00:57:35 UTC

The sixth stage of Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development is Intimacy vs. Isolation. During this stage, typically occurring during young adulthood, individuals focus on forming intimate, loving relationships with other people. Someone at this stage may experience struggles with commitment and intimacy. They may have doubts about fully trusting others and difficulty balancing independence with emotional and physical intimacy. Developing a sense of commitment, loyalty, and intimacy with another person helps one establish a sense of identity and close connection.

Example from a family member: Started to date and established a close relationship with the person, of course not fully trusting the person at first. According to the scholarly book called 'Progressive Education, How Children Learn': making "commitments to others" is necessary to grow in intimacy (Martorell, 2022, pp.11). As time passed, he began to trust his partner more and more.

Stage Seven: Generativity Vs. Stagnation

lhernandez133_1 — 2023-12-14 19:10:26 UTC

The seventh stage of Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development is Generativity vs. Stagnation. This stage typically occurs during middle adulthood. Someone experiencing Generativity would be focused on guiding the next generation and leaving a positive legacy. They may feel motivated to have children, mentor younger people, or contribute value through their work and community involvement. If experiencing Stagnation at this stage, a person may feel unproductive, unmotivated, and like they have not made a meaningful impact or contribution. They may dwell on past regrets and feel disappointment in themselves or the direction their life has taken.

Example from a family member: The adult feels like they have not done enough in their life for the community. Therefore, he started to look for volunteer work to help out with his community. According to the scholarly book called 'Progressive Education, How Children Learn': many individuals in middle adulthood are “concerned with establishing or guiding the next generation (Martorell, 2022, pp.11). The adult joined a recycling team and found a sense of purpose in his community.

Stage Eight: Integrity Vs. Despair

lhernandez133_1 — 2023-12-14 19:18:02 UTC

Coming to terms with one's life story is the overall task of this final stage in Erikson’s Theory and starts in late adulthood. During this stage, older adults reflect on their lives and the accomplishments they have achieved. They evaluate feelings of satisfaction or regret over how their lives have unfolded. If individuals feel positively about their lives and the impacts they have had on others, they develop feelings of wisdom, integrity and fulfillment. However, if older adults feel that their lives have been wasted or unfulfilling, they develop feelings of bitterness and despair about the paths their lives have taken. Coming to terms with one's life story is the overall task of this final stage in Erikson's psychosocial development theory.

Example from a family member: The adult starts to reflect on his life in order to determine if he had a good life. According to the scholarly book called 'Progressive Education, How Children Learn': the purpose of this last stage of for elderly people to achieve a “acceptance of own life, allowing acceptance of death” (Martorell, 2022, pp.11). The adult happens to be a grandparent and reflected on his family, feeling happy that he was able to raise children who have gone on to lead purposeful lives themselves.