Life Stages
Infant Stages
1) Basic Trust vs. Mistrust (Birth to 18 months)
In infancy, children begin to explore the world and may feel a sense of fear or mistrust. When caregivers are responsive and attend to a child's needs, the infant learns the world is a good and pleasant place and is willing to explore the world around him/her. In contrast, if the child's needs are left unmet by the caregiver, the child may feel unprotected and withdraw from the world.
Early Childhood Stage
2) Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (18 months to 3 years)
During the toddler years, Erikson believed children begin to assert their independence and develop autonomy or the ability to do things independently. If a child encounters too much restraint or harsh punishment during this stage, Erikson believed the child would experience shame.
Childhood Stages
3) Initiative vs. Guilt (3 to 5 years, preschool years)
According to Erikson, this is when children begin to understand morality and the idea of right and wrong. At this stage, children are expected to assume responsibility for their behavior and to take on new tasks. If children take the initiative and are supported and encouraged, then they will successfully complete the stage. If children are made to feel anxious, it will result in feelings of guilt.
4) Industry vs. Inferiority (6 years to puberty, the elementary school years)
The elementary school years are the years when a child learns to master tasks (e.g., the ABC's, math problems) and to develop social skills. More importantly, this is the time in development when adults besides one's parents, such as teachers, coaches, etc. are beginning to influence development. If a child experiences repeated failures, Erikson believed they would develop an inferiority complex and remain in this stage.
Adolescent Stage
5) Identify vs. Identity Confusion (puberty to young adulthood)
This is the stage that takes place during adolescence, a time of rapid physical and emotional growth, where changes in appearance that make you look more like an adult may change the way you are treated. This is the stage when one engages in identity exploration and determines the type of adult s/he would like to become in the future. If the conflicts of early stages have not been satisfactorily resolved, then the adolescent may find herself in state of role confusion, where she is unprepared to face the psychological challenges of adulthood.
Early Adulthood Stage
6) Intimacy vs. Isolation (young adulthood)
During this stage, Erikson believed a person formed an intimate romantic relationship and made a commitment to a romantic partner. For Erikson, intimacy was finding and losing oneself in another person and developing a "couple identity." Researchers now consider this stage to be a time where people form intimate, meaningful relationships with friends as well as with romantic partners.
Midlife Stage
7) Generativity vs. Stagnation (middle adulthood)
For Erikson, this stage involved having children, raising a family, and giving of oneself to the next generation. Today, we recognize there are many other ways to be generative besides having children. For example, teachers, politicians, volunteers, scientists, and philanthropists can all be generative by influencing others, generating ideas, and benefiting others.
Late Life Stage
8) Integrity vs. Despair (older adulthood)
In late life, Erikson believed it was necessary to look back on your life, try to make sense of it all, and determine if you accept your life or if you feel regret or disappointment. If you gain acceptance then you have achieved integrity, whereas if you feel regret you could be trapped in despair.
Gerontologists (those who study aging) criticize this stage because research shows that those who only look back can become more depressed and feel worse about their lives than those who also look forward into the future.
Strengths of Erikson's Theory
- The theory stresses the importance of the social environment
- It is a true lifespan theory from infancy to late life
In the course activity that corresponds to this lesson, you are asked to consider which of Erikson's stages you feel best describes the stage you are currently in, and whether the stage corresponds to your chronological age. In this activity, you will have the opportunity to describe whether or not you accept the stage theorists' beliefs that all individuals experience the stages in the same way, that one must pass through the stages in a specific order, and that one cannot go back to a previous stage once one has passed through the stage.