Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

Name: Period:
Finally, in old age,
Ego integrity and wisdom,
Will be attained as we turned the page,
And our lives, a beautiful prism.
Erikson's stages, a guide,
Through the journey of life,
With each one successfully tried,
We've found peace and avoided strife.
Trust vs. Mistrust (birth to about 18 months)
After being born, the first that I had to confront was whether to trust the world around me. The elders in my family, mostly my aunts and uncle tells me that I was heavily attached to my mother and would cry whenever she left me alone. Erikson notes that infants learn to trust their caregivers when their basic needs are met consistently and reliably. They learn that the world is a safe and predictable place and that people can be trusted to provide for them. If their needs are met consistently, infants will develop a sense of trust, which allows them to feel safe and secure and to explore their environment.
0-254000Though I was a difficult child in the first few months, I eventually developed trust for my caregivers as I learned that I could rely on the adults in my family and the extended family as my needs were consistently met.
left45720000Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (18 months to about 3 years)
As I progressed to a toddler, I moved to the autonomy vs. shame and doubt stage, where I had to learn how to become independent. My mum still tells me that I will have to refund her dozens of plates and cups I broke when I was two years. Erikson notes that the children begin to explore their environment and assert their independence in the second stage of their psycho-development. They learn to walk and talk, and they begin to make choices for themselves. They also start to develop a sense of self-control, learning to control their bodily functions and to dress and feed themselves. My habit of breaking plates was due to the changes that I was given to make choices about how I interacted with the environment. The independence that my mother afforded me helped me develop a sense of self-esteem and confidence in myself.
Initiative vs. Guilt (about 3 to 6 years)
As a pre-schooler, I moved to the initiative vs. guilt stage as posited by Erikson’s theory. It is a stage where children become increasingly curious and becomes active participants in the world around them. I was complaining about how my 4-year-old niece kept asking questions and my aunt pointed out that I was more curious than my niece.
0-317500Erikson notes that children become more interested in exploring their environment and understanding how things work at this stage. They begin to initiate their own activities and play with others. They also start to develop a sense of purpose and direction in their actions.
I feel that I took initiative at this stage, though mainly it was based on my own perception of what initiative entailed. To this end, my father complains that I was very destructive and it would take me two days to dismantle the various toys that he bought for me. As a consequence, I feel that my sense of self-motivation and self-direction was developed in the third stage of my development. The successful navigation of the stage means that...