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Erickon's Psychosocial Stages of Development
| 1 |
Basic Trust vs. Mistrust |
0-1 |
Hope |
Dependency or
Paranoia |
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-when
the parents present consistent, adequate, and nurturing care, the child develops
basic trust and realizes that people are dependable and the world can
be a safe place.
The child develops a sense of hope and confidence; this is a belief that
things will work
out well in the end
-when the parents fail to provide these things, the child develops basic
mistrust, resulting
in depression, withdrawal, and maybe even paranoia |
| 2 |
Autonomy vs Shame &
Doubt |
2-3 |
Will |
Obsessive/Impulsive or Avoidant |
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-if parents guide children gradually and
firmly, praise and accept attempts to be
independent, autonomy develops. The result will be a sense of
will which helps us
accomplish and build self-esteem as children and adults
-if parents are too permissive, harsh, or demanding, the child can feel defeated, and
experience extreme shame and doubt, and grow up to engage in
neurotic attempts to
regain feelings of control, power, and competency. This may take the form of obsessive
behavior; if you follow all rules exactly then you will never be ashamed again. If the
child is given no limits or guidance, the child can fail to gain any shame or doubt and be
impulsive. Some is good, as it causes us to question the outcomes of our actions, and
consider others' well-being. This may also result in Avoidance; if you never allow
yourself to be close to others, they can never make you feel ashamed |
| 3 |
Initiative vs Guilt |
4-5 |
Purpose |
Constricted or
Antisocial/Narcissistic |
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-the child becomes curious about people
and models adults. Erickson believed the child
does attempt to possess the opposite sex parent and experience rivalry toward the same
sex parent; however, a true Oedipal Complex only develops in very severe cases
-if parents are understanding and supportive of a child's efforts to show
initiative, the
child develops purpose, and sets goals and acts in ways to reach them
-if children are punished for attempts to show initiative, they are likely to develop a
sense
of guilt, which in excess can lead to inhibition. Too
much purpose and no guilt can lead
to ruthlessness; the person may achieve their goals without caring who
they step on in the
process |
| 4 |
Industry vs Inferiority |
6-12 |
Competency |
Helplessness or Shallowness |
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-occurs during Latency, but Erickson did
not think this was a rest period; the child begins
school and must tame imagination and impulses, and please others. If adults support the
child's efforts, a sense of competence develops
-if caretakers do not support the child, feelings of inferiority are
likely to develop. Too
much inferiority, and inertia or helplessness occurs (underachievers).
Too much
competency and the child becomes an adult too fast, and develops either into a
Histrionic
or Shallow person |
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One way to divide Erikson's stages is
into two groups of four -- the first four have to do with
figuring out the world, the last four with figuring out yourself |
| 5 |
Identity vs Role Confusion |
13-19 |
Fidelity |
Identity Diffusion or Fanaticism |
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-young adults attempt to develop
identity and ideas about strengths, weaknesses, goals,
occupations, sexual identity, and gender roles. Teens "try on" different identities, going
through an identity crisis, and use their friends to reflect back to them.
Marcia offers
four resolutions: Identity Achievement (crises and commitment), Moratorium (crises and
commitment later), Foreclosure (commitment without crises), and Identity Diffusion (no
crises, no commitment)
-if they resolve this crisis, they develop fidelity, "the ability to
sustain loyalties freely
pledged in spite of the inevitable contradictions of value systems" (can be friends with
very different people)
-if they fail to resolve the crisis, they develop identity diffusion;
their sense of self is
unstable and threatened; too little identity and they may join cults or hate groups, too
much identity and they may show fanaticism |
| 6 |
Intimacy vs Isolation |
20-24 |
Love |
Promiscuity or Exclusion |
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-intimacy is the ability to be close,
loving, and vulnerable with romances and friends. It is
based in part upon identity development, in that you have to know yourself to share it.
The virtue gained here is love. Failure to develop intimacy can lead to
promiscuity
(getting too close too quick and not sustaining it), or exclusion
(rejecting relationships
and those who have them) |
| 7 |
Generativity vs Stagnation |
25-64 |
Care |
Stagnation or Overextension |
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-if you have a strong sense of creativity,
success, and of having "made a mark" you
develop generativity, and are concerned with the next generation; the
virtue is called
care, and represents connection to generations to come, and a love
given without
expectations of a specific return
-adults that do not feel this develop a sense of stagnation, are
self-absorbed, feel little
connection to others, and generally offer little to society; too much stagnation can lead to
rejectivity and a failure to feel any sense of meaning (the unresolved
mid-life crises), and
too much generativity leads to overextension (someone who has no
time for themselves
because they are so busy) |
| 8 |
Ego Integrity vs Despair |
65-? |
Wisdom |
Presumption or Disdain |
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-this entails facing the ending of life,
and accepting successes and failures, ageing, and
loss. People develop ego integrity and accept their lives if they
succeed, and develop a
sense of wisdom a "detached concern with life itself in the face of
death itself"
-those who do not feel a sense of despair and dread their death;
it's too late to change
their lives (Ebenezer Scrooge just managed to avoid it) Too much wisdom
leads to
presumption, too much despair to a disdain for life
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