Erikson's stages of
psychosocial
development
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Erikson's stages of psychosocial development
were developed by Erk Erikson and describe
eight development stages through which a
healthily developing human should pass from
infancy to late adulthood. In each stage the
person confronts, and hopefully masters, new
challenges. Each stage builds on the successful
completion of earlier stages. The challenges of
stages not successfully completed may be
expected to reappear as problems in the future.
Age
Psychosoc Significant
ial crisis
relations
0-1,
trust vs
Infant mistrust
mother
Psychosoc.
modalities
Psychosoci
al virtues
to get, to give
hope, faith
in return
Maladaptations/
malignancies
sensory
distortion,
withdrawal
Età
Crisi
psisociale
0-1,
Fiducia vs
Infant sfiducia o
diffidenza
Relazioni
significat.
madre
Modalità
psicosociali
Dare e
ricevere
Virtù
psisociali
Speranza
fede
Disadattamento
negatività
Distorsione
sensoriale
rinchiudimento
Stage 1: Infancy -- Age 0 to 1
Crisis: Trust vs. Mistrust
Description: In the first year of life, infants depend on others for
food, warmth, and affection, and therefore must be able to blindly
trust the parents (or caregivers) for providing those.
Positive outcome: If their needs are met consistently and
responsively by the parents, infants not only will develop a secure
attachment with the parents, but will learn to trust their
environment in general as well.
Negative outcome: If not, infant will develop mistrust towards
people and things in their environment, even towards themselves.
2-3,
Toddler
autonomy vs
shame and doubt
3-6,
Preschoo initiative vs guilt
ler
par to hold on,
ents to let go
will,
impulsivity,
determinat
compulsion
ion
fami to go after,
ly
to play
purpose,
courage
ruthlessness,
inhibition
2-3,
Primi
passi
Autonomia vs
vergogna o
dubbio
geni Trattenere
tori o lasciar
andare
Volontà,
determina
zione
Impulsività
compulsione
3-6,
Prescol.
Iniziativa vs colpa
fami imitare
glia giocare
Proposta
coraggio
Avventatezza
inibizione
Stage 2: Toddler -- Age 1 to 2
Crisis: Autonomy (Independence) vs. Doubt (or Shame)
Description: Toddlers learn to walk, talk, use toilets, and do
things for themselves. Their self-control and self-confidence
begin to develop at this stage.
Positive outcome: If parents encourage their child's use of
initiative and reassure her when she makes mistakes, the child
will develop the confidence needed to cope with future situations
that require choice, control, and independence.
Negative outcome: If parents are overprotective, or disapproving
of the child's acts of independence, she may begin to feel
ashamed of her behavior, or have too much doubt of her abilities.
Stage 3: Early Childhood -- Age 2 to 6
Crisis: Initiative vs. Guilt
Description: Children have newfound power at this stage as they
have developed motor skills and become more and more engaged
in social interaction with people around them. They now must
learn to achieve a balance between eagerness for more
adventure and more responsibility, and learning to control
impulses and childish fantasies.
Positive outcome: If parents are encouraging, but consistent in
discipline, children will learn to accept without guilt, that certain
things are not allowed, but at the same time will not feel shame
when using their imagination and engaging in make-believe role
plays.
Negative outcome: If not, children may develop a sense of guilt
and may come to believe that it is wrong to be independent.
7-12, età
scolare
intrapresa vs
inferiorità
Vicinato
scuola
12-18,
Adolesc.
Identità dell’io Gruppo dei
vs confusione pari,
di ruolo
modelli di
ruolo
Portare a
termine fare
cose insieme
comp
etenz
a
Virtuosità
o inerzia
Essere se stessi, Fedelt Fanatismo
condividere il
à
ripudio
proprio io
lealtà
Stage 4: Elementary and Middle School Years -- Age 6 to 12
Crisis: Competence ("Industry") vs. Inferiority
Description: School is the important event at this stage. Children
learn to make things, use tools, and acquire the skills to be a
worker and a potential provider. And they do all these while
making the transition from the world of home into the world of
peers.
Positive outcome: If children can discover pleasure in intellectual
stimulation, being productive, seeking success, they will develop a
sense of competence.
Negative outcome: If not, they will develop a sense of inferiority.
Stage 5: Adolescence -- Age 12 to 18
Crisis: Identity vs. Role Confusion
Description: This is the time when we ask the question "Who am
I?" To successfully answer this question, Erikson suggests, the
adolescent must integrate the healthy resolution of all earlier
conflicts. Did we develop the basic sense of trust? Do we have a
strong sense of independence, competence, and feel in control of
our lives? Adolescents who have successfully dealt with earlier
conflicts are ready for the "Identity Crisis", which is considered by
Erikson as the single most significant conflict a person must face.
Positive outcome: If the adolescent solves this conflict
successfully, he will come out of this stage with a strong identity,
and ready to plan for the future.
Negative outcome: If not, the adolescent will sink into confusion,
unable to make decisions and choices, especially about vocation,
sexual orientation, and his role in life in general.
20-45,
Young
adult
intimacy vs
isolation
partners,
friends
30-65,
Middle
aged adult
generativity
vs selfabsorption
household
to make be, to take
cocare of
workers
overextens
car
ion,
e
rejectivity
50+, Old
adult
integrity vs
despair
mankind
or 'my
kind'
wis
presumptio
do
n ,despair
m
to lose and find
oneself in another
to be, through
having been, to face
not being
lov promiscuity
e
exclusivity
partners,
amici
Promiscuit
Perdere
am
à
o trovare se stessi in ore
esclusività
un altro
20-45,
giovane
adulto
Intimità vs
isolamento
30-65,
adulto di
mezza età
Generatività Compagni Far
vs
di lavoro o esistere,prendersi
fagocitazione profession cura di
e
Ca
re
(st
ab)
Sovraesten
sione,
attegg.
rifiuto
50+,
Adulto
anziano
integrità vs
disperazione
sa
gg
ez
za
Presunzion
e,
disperazio
ne
Genere
umano o
la mia
razza
Essere, sfidare il
non essere
Stage 6: Young Adulthood -- Age 19 to 40
Crisis: Intimacy vs. Isolation
Description: In this stage, the most important events are love
relationships. No matter how successful you are with your work,
said Erikson, you are not developmentally complete until you are
capable of intimacy. An individual who has not developed a sense
of identity usually will fear a committed relationship and may
retreat into isolation.
Positive outcome: Adult individuals can form close relationships
and share with others if they have achieved a sense of identity.
Negative outcome: If not, they will fear commitment, feel isolated
and unable to depend on anybody in the world.
Stage 7: Middle Adulthood -- Age 40 to 65
Crisis: Generativity vs. Stagnation
Description: By "generativity" Erikson refers to the adult's ability
to look outside oneself and care for others, through parenting, for
instance. Erikson suggested that adults need children as much as
children need adults, and that this stage reflects the need to
create a living legacy.
Positive outcome: People can solve this crisis by having and
nurturing children, or helping the next generation in other ways.
Negative outcome: If this crisis is not successfully resolved, the
person will remain self-centered and experience stagnation later
in life.
Stage 8: Late Adulthood -- Age 65 to death
Crisis: Integrity vs. Despair Important
Description: Old age is a time for reflecting upon one's own life
and its role in the big scheme of things, and seeing it filled with
pleasure and satisfaction or disappointments and failures.
Positive outcome:If the adult has achieved a sense of fulfillment
about life and a sense of unity within himself and with others, he
will accept death with a sense of integrity. Just as the healthy child
will not fear life, said Erikson, the healthy adult will not fear death.
Negative outcome: If not, the individual will despair and fear
death.
All of the stages in Erikson's epigenetic theory are present at birth,
but unfold according to an innate plan, with each stage building on
the preceding stages, and paving the way for subsequent stages.
Each stage is characterized by a psychosocial crisis, which is
based on physiological development, but also on demands put on
the individual by parents and/or society. Ideally, the crisis in each
stage should be resolved by the ego in that stage, in order for
development to proceed correctly. The outcome of one stage is
not permanent,but can be altered by later experiences. Everyone
has a mixture of the traits attained at each stage, but personality
development is considered successful if the individual has more of
the "good" traits than the "bad" traits.
Ego Psychology
Erikson's theory of ego psychology holds certain tenets that
differentiate his theory from Freud's. Some of these include:
•The ego is of utmost importance.
•Part of the ego is able to operate independently of the id and
the superego.
•The ego is a powerful agent that can adapt to situations,
thereby promoting mental health.
•Social and sexual factors both play a role in personality
development.
Erik Erikson and Identity Crisis
Are you confused about the direction of your life?
Don't know who you are?
Can't decide on where you stand in terms of
philosophy of life?
Fail to see your role in life?
You are probably experiencing an "identity
crisis".
According to Erikson's stages, the onset of the identity crisis
is in the teenage years, and only individuals who succeed in
resolving the crisis will be ready to face future challenges in
life. But the identity crisis may well be recurring, as the
changing world demands us to constantly redefine
ourselves. Erikson suggested that people experience an
identity crisis when they lose "a sense of personal
sameness and historical continuity". Given today's rapid
development in technology, global economy, dynamics in
local and world politics, identity crises are expected to be
more common now than 30 years ago, when Erikson
formed his theory.
If you find yourself (again) in an identity crisis, you can look at
seven areas of difficulty in which to work towards a resolution.
•Time Perspective
Can you distinguish immediate gratification from long-term
goals? Have you learnt to balance between jumping at
opportunities as soon as they are presented to you and
working steadily and patiently towards your long-term goal?
•Self-Certainty
Do you feel consistent in your self-image and the image you
present to others?
•Role Experimentation
Have you tried different roles in search of the one that feels
right to you?
•Anticipation of Achievement.
Do you believe that you will be successful in what you choose
to do -- whether your role is at the work front or home front?
•Sexual Identity
Do you feel comfortable being a male or a female, and dealing
with others as such?
•Leadership polarization
Are you able to become both a leader and a follower,
whichever is called for in a given situation?
•Ideological convictions
Have you found a set of basic social, philosophical, or religious
values that your outlook on life can be based upon?