1. Theory of Psychosocial Development
Erik Erikson’s
Theory of Psychosocial Development

2. Erik Erikson and his wife

3. Some background information about Erikson:
Erikson was a psychoanalyst by training, however instead of reducing everything to one’s childhood, as Freud did, he divided the life span into eight stages and believed that each stage had it’s own crisis or dilemma to resolve.

4. A crisis or dilemma is:
Where the strengths and skills specific to that stage are developed and tested.
For example, Stage 1 (Birth–1 year/18 months), the crisis is: “Trust vs. Mistrust.”
Each subsequent stage is set up this way as well.

5. Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory
The outcome of each stage varies along a continuum from positive to negative.
If there is a positive resolution, the individual progresses with increased functioning, clearer judgment, and inner unity.
If there is a negative resolution, the person may not be as well equipped in future stages.
These areas may provide the soil for personal growth and healing and be revisited in adulthood, in order for the person to enact the healthier side of the dilemma for more fluid and healthier functioning.

6. Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory
Additionally, Erikson took Freud’s theory and emphasis on the psyche, and added the social component (hence, theory of psychosocial development).
Which means that each stage has it’s own social agent, which changes over the life span.
For example, the people of primary importance to an infant is different from that of a teenager and even still to a young adult.

7. Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory
Let’s look at each stage individually, and then the last slide will have a table of all of the stages together.

8. Stage 1 (Birth–12/18 months) Trust vs. Mistrust

9. Stage 1 (Birth–12/18 months) Trust vs. Mistrust
Infants must rely entirely on others for care.
Consistent and dependable care giving and meeting of infant’s needs leads to a sense of trust.
The main social agent is the Primary Caregiver.

10. For example:
Infants who are not well cared for, such as their cries not answered, diapers not changed, nor fed when hungry, may develop mistrust in others as well as themselves and life.
On the other hand, infants that do have their basic needs met consistently may develop a sense of innate trust in others, life and themselves.

11. Self-reflection
Please take a moment to reflect on your basic trust or basic mistrust in others, life and yourself. And, how might this correlate to your infancy?

12. Now let’s move on to the next stage:
Stage 2 (1–3 years) -Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

13. Stage 2 (1–3 years) Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Children are discovering their own independence, for example learning to put on their own shoes, use the toilet, and, overall, trying to do everyday activities on their own (hence the “terrible twos” and their favorite word being “No!”).

14. For example:
Those given the opportunity to experience independence will gain a sense of autonomy. This may require patience on the caregivers’ part and a relinquishing to some degree of how it “should” be or of adult standards.
Children that are overly restrained or punished harshly will develop shame and doubt. If your child tries to separate the towels from the rest of the laundry and you yell, “Don’t you know what a towel looks like?!” this can have a detrimental affect on the child’s willingness to risk-take and develop a sense of something wrong with him or herself (shame).

15. Self-reflection
Now, take a moment to reflect on your level of autonomy and independence, as well as whether you experience a lot of shame and doubt in yourself. How might this correlate to your toddler years?

16. Stage 3 (3–5 years) Initiative vs. Guilt
Children are now exposed to a wider social world and given greater responsibility.
They are increasingly curious and their favorite question is “Why?”
A sense of accomplishment leads to initiative, whereas feelings of guilt can emerge if the child is made to feel too anxious or irresponsible.

17. For example:
Imagine a preschool-aged child taking the initiative to help his parent cook by cutting celery with a plastic knife.
If s/he is praised by her/his caregiver, this will make her/him feel proud and feed her/his confidence to initiate more tasks.
If the child is ridiculed that the celery pieces were not the right size, s/he may develop a sense of guilt, that what s/he did was wrong.
Notice that shame is where a person feels that s/he is bad and guilt is where s/he feels s/he did something bad.

18. Self-reflection
Take a moment to reflect on the degree of initiative you take in life. Also, to what degree might you feel guilty? And, how might this correlate to your preschool years?

19. Stage 4 (5–12 years) Industry vs. Inferiority
This is the stage of life surrounding mastery of knowledge and intellectual skills.
The main social agent changes for the first time to include: teachers and peers (as this may be the child’s first time in a school setting), along with primary care givers.
Sense of competence and achievement leads to industry.
Feeling incompetent and unproductive leads to inferiority.

20. For example:
This is the stage where kids are trying out their skills that will be used in adulthood.
Imagine a kid trying to do his best at kickball or her best with reading. In part, because hopefully it is fun for the child, and also to feel the acceptance of peers and that s/he can be a productive member of society.
In fact, one definition of “industry” is productive.
If a kid does not feel like s/he plays kickball or reads well, s/he may feel inferior to others.

21. Self-reflection
Reflect on your elementary and middle school years. Did you tend to feel like you had a certain mastery of knowledge and intellectual skills that were important to society? If not, did you deal with feelings of inferiority? Did you feel both of these feelings, perhaps, in different areas, and to what degree?
Were there ways that your social agents could have supported you more in mastering these skills?
Might the prior stages’ conflicts come into play here? For example, how could your sense of basic trust, autonomy, and initiative might have helped fuel your industriousness?

22. Stage 5 (Adolescence, 13-19 years) Identity vs. Confusion
This is where a person develops a sense of who one is and where one is going in life.
The primary question is: “Who Am I?”
Peers are the primary social agent.
Successful resolution leads to positive identity.
Unsuccessful resolution leads to identity confusion or a negative identity.
Erikson focused most of his research on this stage because he believed it was the bridge between childhood and adulthood.

23. For example
A teenager experiments hanging out with different groups of people, incorporating different aspects of the various groups to gather a deeper sense of self, discovering what one likes and dislikes, and eventually leading to a positive identity.
People can also be heavily peer-pressured and lose oneself in what others want and like, not having the autonomy of initiative, perhaps, from earlier stages to distinguish oneself from the group, particularly if the group’s values goes against one’s own, can lead to a negative identity.

24. Self-reflection
Reflect on your teenage years. Did you or might you still (if you currently fall under this stage) fall prey to what the group wants and not having the courage to voice your own opinion? Or, might you consider what other’s want, and ultimately check-in with yourself to do what is best for you, which may or may not be aligned with the group?
Additionally, do you take the time to discover interests, develop talents, and spend time with others that bring you joy and help shape who you are?

25. Stage 6 (Young adulthood, 20-39 years) Intimacy vs. Isolation
This is the stage and time for sharing oneself more intimately with another person.
In adolescence, being acquaintances with many people might be more important, however, in this stage it is not the quantity, but the quality of relationships that matters.
You might notice, if you have been or are currently in this stage, that you have a fewer friends than in high school, however, these friendships are more meaningful.
Think also about the amount of time you might have had or currently have balancing, perhaps, work, with studies, and not having the quantity of time to allot to your social life. Fewer, quality friends is a natural progression for your overall life picture as well, practically speaking.
Likewise, the more you know yourself (from prior adolescent stage), the more equipped you are to have meaningful relationships and love another person.
The capacity to hold commitments with others leads to intimacy.
Failure to establish commitments leads to feelings of isolation.
Partner(s) or close friends are the main social agent.

26. Self-reflection
If you are currently in this stage or have been in this stage, were your love relationships your major priority (whether they were tumultuous or harmonious)? Did you ever feel lonely and isolated if you didn’t have close friends and/or a partner to share your life experiences with? How might you have navigated this loneliness and cultivated a feeling of love toward yourself no matter the social circumstance?

27. Stage 7 (Middle adulthood, 40-64 years) Generativity vs. Stagnation
This is where caring for others (family, friends, and work) leads to sense of contribution to later generations.
You can imagine a person who is experiencing a mid-life crisis. He followed what society deemed as success (stable career, financial means, and kids), however, he feels empty inside because he lacks joy and meaning in what he does, hence stagnation.
If a person begins to give back to his/her community and future generations, then a person feels productive and generative, and purposeful.
This is what a lot of people during their potential midlife crisis experience – an inward awakening of redefining success, which is connected to what brings them happiness and being of service to others.

28. Self-reflection
If you are currently in this stage or have been in this stage, did you experience a shift in priorities, perhaps, being more externally driven to internal satisfaction?
Likewise, if you are not yet at this stage, do you see, at least in part, some of yourself wanting to give back to younger generations and leaving a meaningful legacy?
Is your career choice aligned more with being of service to others or what society deems as successful, or both?
Do you currently engage in activities and with people that bring you joy to minimize stagnation and enhance generativity in your life?

29. Stage 8 (Late adulthood, 60 years, to Death) Integrity vs. Despair
This is a time of reflecting on one’s life.
Successful resolutions of all previous crises leads to integrity and the ability to see broad truths and advise those in earlier stages.
Successful resolution of this stage results in wisdom.
Despair arises from feelings of helplessness, depression, fear of death, the feeling that life is too short, and the bitter sense that life has been incomplete and full of regret.

30. Self-reflection
If you are currently in this stage or are not in this stage, how can you transcend the fear of death, be at peace with yourself and life, and cultivate wisdom?

31. Conclusion As we see, each stage builds on the prior one.
It is like climbing a ladder, where you transcend the stage you are in and include the prior ones.
We can also note that Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development includes the importance of childhood, and outlines that each stage has a psychosocial crisis to resolve so that we take the virtue or skills specific to that stage to equip us for the remainder of our lives.