Psychosocial Stages

Subject: Behavioral Science

Overview

Eight separate stages make up Erikson's (1959) theory of psychological development. Erikson, like Freud, thinks a crisis happens at every stage of development. These crises, according to Erikson (1963), are of a psychosocial origin since they include individual psychological needs (psycho) that clash with societal demands (i.e. social). The theory holds that once each step is successfully completed, a healthy personality and the attainment of fundamental qualities ensue. Basic virtues are defining qualities that the ego may draw upon to get through later crises. A lessened capacity to complete subsequent stages and, thus, a more disordered personality and sense of self, might come from failing to finish a stage effectively. However, these phases can be effectively handled in the future.

The theory holds that once each step is successfully completed, a healthy personality and the attainment of fundamental qualities ensue. Basic virtues are defining qualities that the ego may draw upon to get through later crises.

A lessened capacity to complete subsequent stages and, consequently, a more unhealthy personality and sense of self, can result from failing to complete a stage successfully. However, these phases can be successfully resolved in the future.

Trust vs. Mistrust

Is the world secure, or is it rife with unforeseen occurrences and calamities just waiting to happen? Like Freud's oral stage of psychosexual development, Erikson's first psychosocial crisis occurs within the first year or two of life. Trust against mistrust is the issue at hand.

The infant is still unsure of their surroundings during this stage. The infant looks to their primary caregiver for stability and consistency of care to alleviate these feelings of uncertainty.

When an infant receives consistent, predictable, and dependable care, they will grow to trust that will carry over into other relationships and allow them to feel safe even in the face of danger.

Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of hope. By developing a sense of trust, the infant can have hope that as new crises arise, there is a real possibility that other people will be there is a source of support. Failing to acquire the virtue of hope will lead to the development of fear.

For instance, if the care was harsh, inconsistent, unexpected, or untrustworthy, the child may grow to mistrust others and lose faith in their ability to affect events or the environment around them.

The fundamental lack of trust that this infant feels will follow them into future relationships. It might lead to stress, heightened anxieties, and an excessive sense of mistrust in the people and things around them.

Erikson stressed the value of trust, and research by Bowlby and Ainsworth has shown how the quality of early attachment experiences may influence relationships with others in later life.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Physical growth and increased mobility are occurring in the youngster. Children start to demonstrate their independence between the ages of 18 months and three by wandering away from their mothers, choosing which toy to play with, and making decisions about what they prefer to dress, eat, etc.

The kid is realizing how many skills and talents they have, such dressing himself, putting on shoes, playing with toys, etc. These aptitudes reveal the child's developing feeling of autonomy and independence. According to Erikson, it is essential for parents to provide their kids the freedom to test the boundaries of their skills in a supportive setting that is forgiving of failure.

For instance, a kind parent should have the patience to wait until the kid asks for help or succeeds before putting on the child's clothes. Therefore, the youngster must be protected while also being encouraged to grow increasingly independent by the parents in order to prevent continual failure.

The parent must strike a fine balance. They should try to avoid doing everything for the child, but if the child makes a mistake or fails at a task, they shouldn't berate them. The goal must be "self-control without losing one's sense of self." Achieving this goal will result in the virtue of will.

Children at this period get more self-assurance and security in their capacity to survive in the world if they are encouraged and supported in their growing independence.

Children who experience criticism, excessive control, or lack of chance to assert themselves start to doubt their capacity for survival. As a result, they may become unduly reliant on others, suffer from low self-esteem, and harbor feelings of guilt or shame over their accomplishments.

Initiative vs. Guilt

Children start asserting themselves more often at the age of three and keep doing so until they are five. A child's life is very active and developing quickly throughout these years. It is a "period of vigor of activity and of actions that the parents may view as hostile," according to Bee (1992).

The youngster regularly engaging with other kids at school is the main characteristic of this time. The ability for kids to improve their interpersonal skills through leading activities is a key component of these stage performances.

Children start to organize events, create games, and start interactions with others. Children grow a sense of initiative and feel confident in their capacity to guide others and make decisions if given the chance to do so.

On the other hand, if this propensity is curbed, either via criticism or regulation, kids start to feel guilty. They may feel like a bother to other people and hence will continue to be followers, lacking in initiative.

When a youngster takes action, parents frequently try to stop them in order to keep them safe. The risk is that the parents will overreact by punishing the child and severely curtailing his initiative. The child will frequently overstep the line in his assertiveness.

The youngster will start to ask a lot of questions at this point as his appetite for information rises. The kid may feel guilty for "being a nuisance" if the parents view the child's inquiries as petty, annoying, or humiliating, or if other parts of their conduct are perceived as threatening.

An excessive amount of guilt can make a child socially awkward and potentially stifle their creativity. Of course, the child needs to feel some guilt; otherwise, they wouldn't know how to control themselves or have a conscience.

It's critical to strike a healthy balance between initiative and guilt. The virtue of purpose will result from success in this stage.

Industry (competence) vs. Inferiority

Children (5 to 12 years old) are now in the period where they are learning to read and write, do math, and do tasks independently. As they impart certain abilities to the youngster, teachers start to play a bigger part in their lives.

At this point, the child's peer group will become more significant and a key contributor to the child's self-esteem. The child now feels the need to gain acceptance by displaying particular abilities that are valued by society, and they start to feel proud of their achievements.

When children are praised and reinforced for taking the initiative, they start to feel motivated and confident in their capacity to succeed. The child may not develop to their full potential if this initiative is not supported by parents or teachers, is restricted, or otherwise made to feel inferior.

A sense of inferiority may develop in the child if they are unable to acquire the particular skill they believe society demands of them (for example, being athletic). It might be necessary for the child to fail a little in order for them to learn modesty. Once more, it's important to strike a balance between competence and modesty. The quality of competence will result from success in this phase.

Identity vs. Role Confusion

The transition from infancy to adulthood is particularly crucial during adolescence (ages 12 to 18). As they grow older and more autonomous, kids start to think about things like careers, relationships, families, homes, etc. The person aspires to blend in and be a part of society.

The kid must learn the role she will play as an adult throughout this crucial stage of development. The adolescent will revisit his or her identity during this stage and attempt to determine their exact identity. Erikson contends that there are two identities at play: the sexual and the professional.

"A reintegrated sense of self, of what one wants to do or be, and of one's proper sex role" should occur at the end of this stage, according to Bee (1992). The adolescent's body image alters during this phase.

According to Erikson, the adolescent may initially feel uneasy about their body before they can adjust and "grow into" the changes. Gaining this stage's success will result in the virtue of fidelity.

The ability to commit oneself to others while accepting others, despite possible ideological differences, is what is meant by loyalty.

They investigate options during this time, and based on the results of their investigations, they start to develop their own identities. Role confusion can result from a lack of social identity formation ("I don't know what I want to be when I grow up"). Role confusion occurs when a person is uncertain of their identity or social position.

An teenager may start experimenting with various lifestyles as a result of role confusion or identity crisis (e.g. work, education or political activities). Additionally, forcing someone into an identity might lead to resistance in the form of developing a bad identity, along with this unpleasant emotion.

Intimacy vs. Isolation

Young adulthood (ages 18 to 40 years) is when we start sharing more personal information with others. We look at connections with people who are not family members that lead to longer-term commitments.

A sense of commitment, safety, and care within a relationship can result from this stage being completed successfully. Isolation, loneliness, and occasionally depression can result from avoiding intimacy and dreading commitment and relationships. If this stage is completed successfully, love will become a virtue.

Generativity vs. Stagnation

We establish our jobs, settle into relationships, start our own kids, and have a sense of belonging to the wider picture during middle adulthood (ages 40 to 65 years).

By raising our children, working hard, and participating in neighborhood events and organizations, we contribute back to society.

We experience stagnation and a lack of productivity when we are unable to accomplish these goals. The virtue of care will result from success in this stage.

Ego Integrity vs. Despair

As we become older (65 years and beyond) and become senior citizens, we tend to become less productive and consider living a retired life. We can acquire integrity during this period of reflection on our successes if we believe we are leading successful lives.

According to Erik Erikson, if we feel that our lives have been ineffective, guilty about the past, or like we haven't achieved our life goals, we become dissatisfied with life and experience despair, which frequently results in depression and hopelessness.

Success in this phase will result in wisdom as a virtue. A person can look back on their life with a sense of completion and closure when they are wise, and they can also accept death without fear.

Things to remember

Eight separate stages make up Erikson's (1959) theory of psychological development. Erikson, like Freud, thinks a crisis happens at every stage of development.
These crises, according to Erikson (1963), are of a psychosocial origin since they include individual psychological needs (psycho) that clash with societal demands (i.e. social).
The theory holds that once each step is successfully completed, a healthy personality and the attainment of fundamental qualities ensue.
Basic virtues are defining qualities that the ego may draw upon to get through later crises.
A lessened capacity to complete subsequent stages and, thus, a more disordered personality and sense of self, might come from failing to finish a stage effectively.
However, these phases can be successfully resolved in the future.

Questions and Answers

Explain the psychosocial stages of life ?

1. Trust vs. Mistrust

Is the world a safe place or is it full of unpredictable events and accidents waiting to happen? Erikson's first psychosocial crisis occurs during the first year or so of life (like Freud's oral stage of psychosexual development). The crisis is one of trust vs. mistrust.

During this stage, the infant is uncertain about the world in which they live. To resolve these feelings of uncertainty the infant looks towards their primary caregiver for stability and consistency of care.

If the care the infant receives is consistent, predictable and reliable, they will develop a sense of trust which will carry with them to other relationships, and they will be able to feel secure even when threatened.

For example, if the care has been harsh or inconsistent, unpredictable and unreliable, then the infant will develop a sense of mistrust and will not have confidence in the world around them or in their abilities to influence events.

This infant will carry the basic sense of mistrust with them to other relationships. It may result in anxiety, heightened insecurities, and an over feeling of mistrust in the world around them.

Consistent with Erikson's views on the importance of trust, research byBowlbyandAinsworthhas outlined how the quality of the early experience of attachment can affect relationships with others in later life.

2. Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

The child is developing physically and becoming more mobile. Between the ages of 18 months and three, children begin to assert their independence, by walking away from their mother, picking which toy to play with, and making choices about what they like to wear, to eat, etc.

The child is discovering that he or she has many skills and abilities, such as putting on clothes and shoes, playing with toys, etc. Such skills illustrate the child's growing sense of independence and autonomy. Erikson states it is critical that parents allow their children to explore the limits of their abilities within an encouraging environment which is tolerant of failure.

For example, rather than put on a child's clothes a supportive parent should have the patience to allow the child to try until they succeed or ask for assistance. So, the parents need to encourage the child to become more independent whilst at the same time protecting the child so that constant failure is avoided.

A delicate balance is required from the parent. They must try not to do everything for the child but if the child fails at a particular task they must not criticize the child for failures and accidents (particularly when toilet training). The aim has to be “self-control without a loss of self-esteem” (Gross, 1992). Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of will.

If children in this stage are encouraged and supported in their increased independence, they become more confident and secure in their own ability to survive in the world.

If children are criticized, overly controlled, or not given the opportunity to assert themselves, they begin to feel inadequate in their ability to survive, and may then become overly dependent upon others,lack self-esteem, and feel a sense of shame or doubt in their own abilities.

3. Initiative vs. Guilt

Around age three and continuing to age five, children assert themselves more frequently. These are particularly lively, rapid-developing years in a child’s life. According to Bee (1992), it is a “time of vigor of action and of behaviors that the parents may see as aggressive".

During this period the primary feature involves the child regularly interacting with other children at school. Central to this stage plays, as it provides children with the opportunity to explore their interpersonal skills through initiating activities.

Children begin to plan activities, makeup games, and initiate activities with others. If given this opportunity, children develop a sense of initiative and feel secure in their ability to lead others and make decisions.

Conversely, if this tendency is squelched, either through criticism or control, children develop a sense of guilt. They may feel like a nuisance to others and will, therefore, remain followers, lacking in self-initiative.

The child takes initiatives which the parents will often try to stop in order to protect the child. The child will often overstep the mark in his forcefulness and the danger is that the parents will tend to punish the child and restrict his initiatives too much.

It is at this stage that the child will begin to ask many questions as his thirst for knowledge grows. If the parents treat the child’s questions as trivial, a nuisance or embarrassing or other aspects of their behavior as threatening then the child may have feelings of guilt for “being a nuisance”.

Too much guilt can make the child slow to interact with others and may inhibit their creativity. Some guilt is, of course, necessary, otherwise, the child would not know how to exercise self-control or have a conscience.

A healthy balance between initiative and guilt is important. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of purpose.

4. Industry (competence) vs. Inferiority

Children are at the stage (aged 5 to 12 yrs) where they will be learning to read and write, to do sums, to do things on their own. Teachers begin to take an important role in the child’s life as they teach the child specific skills.

It is at this stage that the child’s peer group will gain greater significance and will become a major source of the child’s self-esteem. The child now feels the need to win approval by demonstrating specific competencies that are valued by society, and begin to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments.

If children are encouraged and reinforced for their initiative, they begin to feel industrious and feel confident in their ability to achieve goals. If this initiative is not encouraged, if it is restricted by parents or teacher, then the child begins to feel inferior, doubting his own abilities and therefore may not reach his or her potential.

If the child cannot develop the specific skill they feel society is demanding (e.g. being athletic) then they may develop a sense of inferiority. Some failure may be necessary so that the child can develop some modesty. Yet again, a balance between competence and modesty is necessary. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of competence.

5. Identity vs. Role Confusion

During adolescence (age 12 to 18 yrs), the transition from childhood to adulthood is most important. Children are becoming more independent and begin to look at the future in terms of career, relationships, families, housing, etc. The individual wants to belong to a society and fit in.

This is a major stage in development where the child has to learn the role she will occupy as an adult. It is during this stage that the adolescent will re-examine his identity and try to find out exactly who he or she is. Erikson suggests that two identities are involved: the sexual and the occupational.

According to Bee (1992), what should happen at the end of this stage is “a reintegrated sense of self, of what one wants to do or be, and of one’s appropriate sex role”. During this stage, the body image of the adolescent changes.

Erikson claims that the adolescent may feel uncomfortable about their body for a while until they can adapt and “grow into” the changes. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of fidelity.

Fidelity involves being able to commit one's self to others on the basis of accepting others, even when there may be ideological differences.

During this period, they explore possibilities and begin to form their own identity based upon the outcome of their explorations. Failure to establish a sense of identity within society ("I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up") can lead to role confusion. Role confusion involves the individual not being sure about themselves or their place in society.

In response to role confusion or identity crisis, an adolescent may begin to experiment with different lifestyles (e.g. work, education or political activities). Also pressuring someone into an identity can result in rebellion in the form of establishing a negative identity, and in addition to this feeling of unhappiness.

6. Intimacy vs. Isolation

Occurring in young adulthood (ages 18 to 40 yrs), we begin to share ourselves more intimately with others. We explore relationships leading toward longer-term commitments with someone other than a family member.

Successful completion of this stage can lead to comfortable relationships and a sense of commitment, safety, and care within a relationship. Avoiding intimacy, fearing commitment and relationships can lead to isolation, loneliness, and sometimes depression. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of love.

7. Generativity vs. Stagnation

During middle adulthood (ages 40 to 65 yrs), we establish our careers, settle down within a relationship, begin our own families and develop a sense of being a part of the bigger picture.

We give back to society through raising our children, being productive at work, and becoming involved in community activities and organizations.

By failing to achieve these objectives, we become stagnant and feel unproductive. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of care.

8. Ego Integrity vs. Despair

As we grow older (65+ yrs) and become senior citizens, we tend to slow down our productivity and explore life as a retired person. It is during this time that we contemplate our accomplishments and are able to develop integrity if we see ourselves as leading a successful life.

Erik Erikson believed if we see our lives as unproductive, feel guilt about our past, or feel that we did not accomplish our life goals, we become dissatisfied with life and develop despair, often leading to depression and hopelessness.

Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of wisdom. Wisdom enables a person to look back on their life with a sense of closure and completeness, and also accept death without fear.