LESSON 3

ERIKSON
Introduction to the Erik Erikson’s Stage Theory of Development

Stage 1: Trust versus Mistrust

Trust vs. mistrust is the first stage in Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. This
stage begins at birth continues to approximately 18 months of age. During this stage, the infant
is uncertain about the world in which they live, and 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.
If these needs are not consistently met, mistrust, suspicion, and anxiety may develop.
If the care has been inconsistent, unpredictable and unreliable, then the infant may develop a
sense of mistrust, suspicion, and anxiety. In this situation the infant will not have confidence in
the world around them or in their abilities to influence events.

Maladaptation/Malignancy
Please understand that this doesn’t mean that the parents have to be perfect. In fact, parents
who are overly protective of the child, who are there the minute the first cry comes out, will lead
into the maladaptive tendency which Erikson calls sensory maladjustment: overly trusting,
even gullible, this person who did him wrong. Worse, of course, is the child whose balance is
tipped way over on the mistrust side. They will develop the malignant tendency of withdrawal,
characterized by depression, paranoia, possibly psychosis.
Virtue
If the proper balance is achieved, the child will develop the virtue of hope, the strong belief that,
even when things are not going well, they will work out well in the end. One of the signs that a
child is doing well in the first stage is when the child isn’t overly upset by the need to wait a
moment for the satisfaction of his or her needs.
Stage 2: Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt
Autonomy versus shame and doubt is the second stage of Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial
development. This stage occurs between the ages of 18 months to approximately 3 years.
According to Erikson, children at this stage are focused on developing a sense of personal
control over physical skills and a sense of independence.
The child is developing physically and becoming more mobile, and 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.
For example, during this stage 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.
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 while 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).
Maladaptation/Malignancy
Nevertheless, a little “shame and doubt” is not only inevitable, but beneficial. Without it, you
will develop the maladaptive tendency. Erikson calls impulsiveness, a sort of shameless
willfullness that leads you, in later childhood and even adulthood, to jump into things without
proper consideration of your abilities. Worse, of course, is too much shame and doubt, which
leads to the malignancy Erikson calls compulsiveness. The compulsive person feels as if their
entire being rides on everything they do, and so everything must be done perfectly. Following all
the rules precisely keeps you from mistakes, and mistakes must be avoided at all costs.
Virtue
If you get the proper, positive balance of autonomy and shame and doubt, you will develop the
virtue of willpower or determination. One of the most admirable – and frustrating – things
about two- and three-year olds is their determination. “Can do” is their motto. If we can
preserve that “can do” attitude (with appropriate modesty to balance it) we are much better off
as adults.
Stage 3: Initiative versus Guilt
Initiative versus guilt is the third stage of Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development.
During the initiative versus guilt stage, children assert themselves more frequently through
directing play and other social interaction.
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 is play, as it provides children with the opportunity to
explore their interpersonal skills through initiating activities.
Children begin to plan activities, make up 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. 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”.
Maladaptation/Malignancy
Too much initiative and too little guilt means a maladaptive tendency Erikson calls
ruthlessness. To be ruthless is t be heartless or unfeeling or be “without mercy”. The extreme
form of ruthlessness is sociopathy.
Ruthlessness is bad for others, but actually relatively easy on the ruthless person. Harder on the
person is the malignancy of too much guilt, which Erikson calls inhibition. The inhibited person
will not try things because “nothing ventured, nothing lost” and, particularly, nothing to feel
guilty about. They are so afraid to start and take a lead on a project.
Virtue
A good balance leads to the psychosocial strength of purpose. A sense of purpose is something
many people crave for in their lives, yet many do not realize that they themselves make their
purposes, through imagination and initiative. An even better word for this virtue would have
been courage, the capacity for action despite a clear understanding of your limitationsand past
failings.
Stage 4: Industry versus Inferiority
Erikson's fourth psychosocial crisis, involving industry (competence) vs. Inferiority occurs
during childhood between the ages of five and twelve.
Children are at the stage 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
(competent) 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 inferiour,
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.
Maladaptation/Malignancy
Too much industry leads to the maladaptive tendency called narrow virtuosity. We see this in
children who aren’t allowed to “be children”, the ones that parents or teachers push into one
area of competence, without allowing the development of broader interests. These are the kids
without a life: child actors, child athletes, child musicians, child prodigies of all sorts. We all
admire their industry, but if we look a little closer, it’s all that stands in the way of an empty life.
Much more common is the malignancy called inertia. This includes all of us who suffer from
the “inferiority complexes” Alfred Adler talks about. Others were humiliated instead in the gym
class, so we never try out for a sport or play a game of basketball. Others never developed social
skills – the most important skills of all – and so we never go out in public. We become inert.
Virtue
A happier thing is to develop the right balance of industry and inferiority – that is, mostly
industry with just a touch of inferiority to keep us sensibly humble. Then we have the virtue
called competency.
Stage 5: Identity versus Role Confusion
The fifth stage of Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development is identity vs. role
confusion, and it occurs during adolescence, from about 12-18 years. During this stage,
adolescents search for a sense of self and personal identity, through an intense exploration of
personal values, beliefs, and goals.
During adolescence, 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.
The adolescent mind is essentially a mind or moratorium, a psychosocial stage between
childhood and adulthood, and between the morality learned by the child, and the ethics to be
developed by the adult (Erikson, 1963, p. 245)
This is a major stage of development where the child has to learn the roles he 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.
Maladaptation/Malignancy
There is such thing as too much “ ego identity”, where a person I so involved in a particular role
in a particular society or subculture that there is no room left for tolerance. Erickson calls this
maladaptive tendency fanaticism. A fanfic believes that his way is the only way. Adolescents
are, of course, known for their idealism, and for their tendency to see things in black-and-white.
These people will gather others around them and promote their beliefs and life-styles without
regard to others’ rights to disagree.
The lack of identity is perhaps more difficult still, and Erickson refers to the malignant tendency
here as repudiation. To repudiate is to reject. They reject their membership in the world of
adults and, even more, they reject their need for identity. Some adolescents prefer to go to
groups that go against the norms to form their identity: religious cults, militaristic
organizations, groups founded on hatred, groups that have divorced themselves from the painful
demands of mainstream society. They may be involved in destructive activities – drugs, or
alcohol – or they may withdraw into their own psychotic fantasies. After all, being “bad” or
being “nobody’ is better than not knowing who you are.
Virtue
If you successfully negotiate this stage, you will have the virtue Erickson called fidelity. Fidelity
means loyalty, the ability to live by societies standards despite their imperfections and
incompleteness and inconsistencies. We are not taking about blind loyalty, and we are not
talking about accepting the imperfections. After all, if you love your community, you will want to
see it become the best it can be. But fidelity means that you have found a place in that
community, a place that will allow you to contribute.

Stage 6: Intimacy versus Isolation

Intimacy versus isolation is the sixth stage of Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development.
This stage takes place during young adulthood between the ages of approximately 18 to 40 yrs.
During this stage, the major conflict centers on forming intimate, loving relationships with other
people.
During this stage, we begin to share ourselves more intimately with others. We explore
relationships leading toward longer-term commitments with someone other than a family
member.
Maladaptation/Malignancy
Erickson calls the maladaptive form promiscuity, referring particularly to the tendency to
become intimate too freely, too easily, and without any depth to your intimacy. This can be true
of your relationships with friends and neighbors and your whole community as well as with
lovers.
The malignancy he calls exclusion, which refers to the tendency to isolate oneself from love,
friendship, and community, and to develop a certain hatefulness in compensation for one’s
loneliness.
Virtue
If you successfully negotiate this stage, you will instead carry with you for the rest of your life the
virtue or psychosocial strength Erickson calls love. Love, in the context of his theory, means
being able to put aside differences and antagonisms through ‘mutuality of devotion.” It includes
not only the love we find in a good marriage, but the love between friends and the love of one’s
neighbor, co-worker, and compatriot as well.
Stage 7: Generativity versus Stagnation
Generativity versus stagnation is the seventh of eight stages of Erik Erikson's theory of
psychosocial development. This stage takes place during during middle adulthood (ages 40 to 65
yrs).
Psychologically, generativity refers to "making your mark" on the world through creating or
nurturing things that will outlast an individual. During middle age individuals experience a need
to create or nurture things that will outlast them, often having mentees or creating positive
changes that will benefit other people.
We give back to society through raising our children, being productive at work, and becoming
involved in community activities and organizations. Through generativity we develop a sense of
being a part of the bigger picture.

Generativity is an extension of love into the future. It is a concern for the next generation and all
future generations. As such, it is considerably less “selfish” than the intimacy of the previous
stage: Intimacy, the love between lovers or friends, is a love between equals, and it is necessarily
mutual. With generativity, the individual, like a parent, does not expect to be repaid for the love
he gives to his children, at least not as strongly. Few parents expect a “return on their
investment” from their children; if they do, we don’t think of them as very good parents.
Maladaptation/Malignancy

Virtue
Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of care, you will have a capacity for caring that
will serve you through the rest of your life.

Stage 8: Ego Integrity versus Despair

Ego integrity versus despair is the eighth and final stage of Erik Erikson’s stage theory of
psychosocial development. This stage begins at approximately age 65 and ends at death. It is
during this time that we contemplate our accomplishments and can develop integrity if we see
ourselves as leading a successful life.
Individuals who reflect on their life and regret not achieving their goals will experience feelings
of bitterness and despair.
Erikson described ego integrity as “the acceptance of one’s one and only life cycle as something
that had to be” (1950, p. 268) and later as “a sense of coherence and wholeness” (1982, p. 65).
As we grow older (65+ yrs) and become seniour citizens, we tend to slow down our productivity
and explore life as a retired person.
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.
Wise people are not characterized by a continuous state of ego integrity, but they experience
both ego integrity and despair. Thus, late life is characterized by both integrity and despair as
alternating states that need to be balanced.