Erik Erikson's Psycho-Social Stages

Hello!

I'd like to talk about Erik Erikson, and his psycho social stages today. God, I sound like some sort of morning show host, but a bad one.... *sips coffee*

Anyways, I digress. In Ed Psych we recently discussed Erik Erikson and his stages of psychosocial development which his proposes occur over the course of someones life. Now, these stages are framed in a way that highlights a variety of major conflicts that may be present in one's life, as they age. I will now recite all of the stages, from memory without my notes and talk a bit about them (I love Psych courses...comes in handy):

Trust vs. Mistrust
Autonomy vs. Shame
Initiative vs. Guilt
Industry vs. Inferiority
Identity vs. Role Confusion
Intimacy vs. Isolation
Generativity vs. Stagnation
Integrity vs. Despair

The first stage of Trust vs. Mistrust occurs from birth until around 18 months, and it's rather self explanatory. In this period the infant will need attention, and if he/she is not receiving attention/care when they desire/need it. If the infant is consistently given what he/she needs and cries are answered, needs met, then the infant will develop a sense of trust. This conflict could be related to attachment styles, but...thats another topic.

Moving through the next two stages through early childhood and pre-school ages, children are concerned with exploring their world and their own actions, as well as what effects they have on the world. A child needs to explore and learn to take initiative and be comfortable interacting with his/her environment.

Industry vs. Inferiority is best seen in K-6 age (elementary kids - Pre-adolescence) in competing with peers in a variety of areas. Academic marks, athletic ability, prowess at different games and hobbies are very important to kids in this stage; they need to feel as if they are capable and (Compared to their peers) they are competent and able.

Identity conflicts usually begin with the onset of adolescence, and can go on all the way through the end of grade 12, even into early twenties at times. This is an important stage in which adolescents need to discover their role in the world at large, and what they want to see themselves as, in many ways. I'll leave this for now, as I plan to elaborate in my next post.

The next three stages are loosely situated in Early, middle, and late adulthood. Where early adults are more focused on finding companionship and forming meaningful relationships with others, middle-aged adults are concerned with their contributions to society and how productive their life is in the PRESENT, rather than falling into meaningless-ness. Lastly, late-adulthood or seniors struggle with finding a sense of integrity and pride in what they have done and accomplished in life, and perhaps even what they still stand for after all of their experiences. A lack of this feeling can lead to despair and depression, which is dangerous in people of late age.

Thats about an overview of Erikson and my thoughts on his stages, until next time!

Zach