Erik Erickson Psychosocial Stages

In this stage the toddler gains ability to use own initiative in planning and carrying out plans; or if cannot live within parents limits develops a sense of guilt over misbehavior. Wuornos grandparent’s limits were distorted and so from a young age she was confused and never developed a sense of guilt.

The first stage is trust vs. mistrust, this occurs in the first year of life. Infants develop a sense of trust when caregivers provide them with their basic needs, but a lack of this will lead to mistrust. If this stage is successful, the infant gains the virtue of hope. When a baby cries and its mom doesn’t come immediately, it knows the mom will come eventually. If the baby doesn’t develop hope, it instead develops fear, a fear that their mom will never come when they need them. The second stage is autonomy vs. shame and doubt in 1 to 3 year olds. In order for the toddler to reach autonomy, they have to be allowed to investigate and do things for themselves. They will gain confidence and self-control and learn to handle their mistakes. Too much independence is dangerous though since they’re fragile and could get hurt, but smothering and limiting them too much will make them doubt themselves and feel that they are unable to do things. If they feel inadequate, they may become very dependent and lack self-esteem. Balance is key in this and many of the other stages for proper growth. If this stage is successful the child will develop the virtue of will. The third stage is initiative vs. guilt, this

     Initiative vs. guilt is Erikson's third stage of development, which occurs between three to six years of age. This is an expansion on the autonomy developed in the second stage. During this stage children begin pretend play with peers and accept responsibilities such as chores. If this stage develops conflict between family members and this child is unable to balance their initiative with the demands of others guilt may begin to form. I was placed in my adopted family at the beginning of this stage. I believe that I developed a little slower in this stage than children who were biological or who were adopted at a young age. I also believe that I developed slower than children who lived in a consistent foster home during this stage and were adopted later did. The reason that I believe this is because I felt very guilty during this stage. I felt that I had abandoned my foster family and the people that I lived with. My biological parents had visitation up until this stage and I thought that I did something wrong that made them not want to see me anymore. I turned this sense of guilt in to a feeling of needing to please everyone. My parents said that I would do anything to help and would get very upset and ask them if they were going to give me away if I spilt something or forgot to put something away and had to be asked to do

The second stage in Erickson’s theory is the stage of autonomy vs. shame and doubt, this stage occurs between the ages of two and three. This is the stage where individuals are supposed to learn personal control (Crandell and Crandell p.36). This is stage where you basically gain control over everything. Erikson believed that an important aspect of this stage is toilet training the child, he believed that proper toilet training and learning how to control body functions, provides for a feeling of control and sense of independence. Other ideas of this stage is that the child learns to make their own food and clothing preferences and their favorite toys. Successful outcomes of this stage are the feelings of confidence and security as you get older. Unsuccessful outcomes lead to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. A perfect combination of this stage would result in the child acting with intention, within their reasons and limits (Erikson’s theory, p 1). During this stage, I was able to pick out my own outfits (I know this because nothing I

The success of this stage is measured by the feeling of safety and security of our world. This will set the child up for success for the rest of their life. The other side is failure that would lead mistrust and the feeling of insecurity of the world around them. This will set them up to have issues especially in relationship. McLeod mentions, “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” (McLeod 19).

Stage 3: Initiative versus Guilty. The child shows initiative, his or her language and imagination are developing faster than the child can comprehend; they

Initiative versus guilt is the third stage of Erickson’s theory and applies to children between three and five years of life. In this stage the child begins emulate the actions of adults and take initiative in creating play situations. They like to make up stories with their toys (i.e. Ninja turtles, matchbox cars, Barbie and Ken) they are like to play out roles as what adults do. Basically learning what it means to be an adult. They also begin to ask question like why so they can find a way to explore the world. Erikson has said that at this stage they become involved in oedipal struggles a resolve these struggles through social role identification.

Erickson’s theory as previously mentioned is based on what he referred to as psychological conflicts, and is defined by eight stages. The four stages of the theory found in childhood development begin with the basic trust versus mistrust stage during infancy. Essentially the infant’s perception of the world is based on the responsiveness or neglect of their caregiver(s). I assume that my needs at this stage of development where in fact met, because I have and do view the world in a positive and trusting manner. The second of Erikson’s stages occurs between the ages of one and three, autonomy versus shame and doubt. During this stage of development when children are honing their newly found mental capabilities and motor skills, it is important that a parent allow the child freedom to express themselves reasonably thus fostering autonomy. The inability to do so can lead to the child feeling shame and doubt, and thus lacking initiative in the following stage. It is at this point, I am certain my own parenting experience went awry. My mother’s anxiety over even the smallest possible issue provoked her to stifle me at this stage. Her inability to allow me to make a mistake, such as fall left me ingrained with

The second stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development is autonomy vs. shame and doubt. This stage occurs around ages 1 to 3. In this stage, the child becomes interested in self-sufficient activities, meaning they don’t need help from others in completing certain tasks. During this stage, they also develop a sense of balance and are experimenting with their bodies more. They start to walk, crawl, feed themselves and are also toileting. The child will want to do everything by themselves if their parents approve of their actions it will allow them to develop a sense of “I am capable.” If a child is trying to open a jar of cookies, they may not get it on the first try or even open it the right way. But as long as the

Once a sense of autonomy has been developed, the next stage in the psychosocial theory is initiative versus guilt. This stage is from about age three to age six and

Early Childhood is roughly from 18 months to 3 years. During early childhood, the second stage of Erikson’s theory manifests; this stage is called Autonomy v. Shame. In this stage, “the psycho social theme of autonomy-shame and doubt is manifested during toddlerhood and leads to self-will or will-power.” (Ginsburg, 1992) If all the needs of the individual are met at this stage they develop a feeling of self-control and power over themselves. If the individual’s needs are not met in this stage they tend to develop feelings of shame and doubt in themselves. “If individuals

Erikson developed eight stages of human development. Briefly I would describe all eight my I will concentrate on stages five and six which are adolescence and young adulthood. Myer describes the stages in the following manner. Stage one occurs during the first year This stage is called infancy (trust vs. mistrust) during this stage if needs are dependably met, infants develop a sense of basic trust. The second stage is called the toddler stage (autonomy vs. shame and doubt). This stage occurs while the baby is two years old, in this stage toddlers learn to exercise will do things for themselves, or they doubt their abilities. The third stage is called the preschooler between the ages of three and five (initiative vs. guilt). During this stage preschoolers learn to initiate

Erikson's second stage of development is Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt. This stage generally occurs between 1-3 years of age, and often children demonstrate their autonomy and independence by saying "No" when asked to do something, showing control over their bodily excretions, and by directing their motor activity and play. Children during this stage of development must develop a favorable balance of autonomy or self-governance, over shame and self-doubt because this leads to the development of a healthy personality. When a favorable balance of autonomy over shame and doubt achieved, the virtue of will is often produced, and children are often able to exercise willpower or free choice and self-restraint. Erikson states that "the human being must early to will what can be, to renounce (as not worth willing) what cannot be, and to believe he willed what is

The second stage of Erikson’s theories of development is, Autonomy VS Shame & Doubt. This stage occurs around the ages of one and three years of age. A child’s energies are directed toward the development of physical skills, including, walking, grasping, and rectal sphincter control. The virtue of this stage is “Willpower.” If denied autonomy, the child will turn against him/herself and will urge the child to manipulate and discriminate. Shame develops with the child’s self-consciousness. “The sense of autonomy fostered in the child and modified as life progresses serves the preservation in economic and political life of a sense of justice.” An important event during this stage is potty training. Children begin to assert their independence. For example, walking away from their mother, picking their own toy they want to play with, and choosing what they want to wear, eat, etc. They become more confident and secure in their ability to survive. If the child/children are criticized, overly controlled, or not given the opportunity to be

The next definable stage is autonomy or shame which begins between the ages of one 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,