Running head: ERIK ERIKSON: THE EIGHT STAGES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL

Erik Erikson: The Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development

Rebekah A. Lockaby
EDUC 121- Child and Adolescent Development
Constance Deardorff
13 Dec 2014

erik erikson: the eight stages of psychosocial development

Abstract
Erik Erikson was an incredibly influential psychoanalyst, author, and theorist whose work helped
to shape the overall understanding of cognitive and emotional development. His work goes into
detail explaining the struggle that is evident between society and the developing personality.
There are eight psychosocial stages to Eriksons theory including trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs.
shame, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, ego identity vs. role confusion, intimacy vs.
isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and ego integrity vs. despair. Within each stage is a virtue
to obtain, and a crisis to resolve. Once the crisis is resolved, and the virtue achieved, the
individual can then move onto the next stage. If the individual fails to achieve this virtue then
there will be relative consequences throughout his or her lifetime. This knowledge is beneficial
to teachers, therapists, caregivers, and many others because it is a guideline that is not only
universal but truly helpful in predicting certain behaviors.

erik erikson: the eight stages of psychosocial development

Erik Erikson was perhaps one of the most influential psychologists whose work helped to
shape the overall understanding of child development. He was not only a psychologist but also a
psychoanalyst, author, and theorist. His eight psychosocial stages of development emphasize the
role of culture and society and how they work together. His work was closely related to that of
Sigmund Freud except Erikson was an ego psychologist whereas Freud was an id psychologist.
Erikson believed that there were struggles within the ego by itself, and Freud focused more on
the conflict between the id and the superego. According to Erikson each psychosocial stage is
reached, causing the ego to develop, only whenever there is a crisis that is resolved. Only when
the crisis is resolved can the person move onto the next psychosocial stage. The result of
Eriksons theory of eight psychosocial stages is a better understanding of our life skills and
abilities and how they work together to find resolution through a crisis that is shared throughout
humanity (McLeod).
Erikson was born June 15th, 1902 in Frankfurt, Germany to a young Jewish
woman. His mother became a widow when Erikson was very young, and she remarried a
pediatrician. Erikson felt different from the rest of his family, being the adopted stepson, and was
made fun of for being Jewish at school. He refused his stepfathers wishes to go to medical
school, and instead went to an art school. Afterward, he found himself traveling in Vienna to
teach art school where he eventually met the daughter of Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud. It was
obvious that he had a way with the children, and Anna Freud began to mentor him. In the
following years Erikson achieved a certificate from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society, his
teaching degree from the University of Vienna, and a certificate in the Montessori Method. He
continued teaching until the Nazis forced his family to move to the United States. Here he
started teaching at Harvard and Yale, and eventually became a research assistant at the University

erik erikson: the eight stages of psychosocial development

of California. It was not long after that Erikson began to practice on his own and develop his
career (2014).
He began his theories on childhood development using his personal experiences
with the children. He had an understanding that children in different cultures learned different
values and were guided and nurtured differently. The eight stages include the entire lifespan of
development from birth to death. The first five stages happen before the age eighteen, and the
other three are beyond that. He seemed to focus on the adolescent stage because that is when
most people focus on finding their own identities. Erikson once said, In the social jungle of
human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity (N.d. Erik).
He believed that personality was something predetermined from birth and was built upon
gradually with each passing stage, something called the epigenetic principle (McLeod). One
great way to put it is its, A little like the unfolding of a rose bud, each petal opens up at a
certain time, in a certain order, which nature, through its genetics, has determined. If we interfere
in the natural order of development by pulling a petal forward prematurely or out of order, we
ruin the development of the entire flower (Boeree, 2008).
Erikson believed that a crisis needed to occur at each developing stage because it
involved the needs of an individual, but society seemed to conflict in various ways. In order to
complete each stage with such success the person must acquire a healthy personality along with
the understanding of basic virtues that differ for each stage. These basic virtues are necessary
because the ego uses them to resolve the crisis at hand. If one does not reach the next stage
successfully it can cause hindrance in going forward to the next stages. This can in turn create an
unhealthy personality and a poor sense of self. The following theory is what Erikson explained as
being universal, so it could be applied to all people (McLeod).

erik erikson: the eight stages of psychosocial development

The first stage is simply trust versus mistrust, and this is learned within the first year of
life. In this stage the infant wonders whether or not the surrounding environment is safe or full of
unpredictable events around every corner. To ease this uncertainty the infant looks to a primary
caregiver in search of stability and consistency. When these are found a sense of trust is
established, which the infant will carry for the rest of his or her life and into most other
relationships. The virtue that is achieved in this stage is hope. So whenever a new crisis is
presented the individual will have hope that there will always be others that are there for support.
Without this achieved virtue fear would be developed instead, along with mistrust, anxiety, and
insecurities which carry over to other relationships (McLeod).
The second stage is autonomy versus shame and doubt. As a children grow older they
become more independent through dressing themselves, walking away from their parents,
making their own food, etc. This generally begins around eighteen months, and this stage can last
until children turn three years old. They now understand that they have the ability to make their
own choices, and even the skills to do so. It is important that parents with children this age allow
them to explore their capabilities, and be understanding of failures by being patient. In order to
keep a balance, The parents should not discourage the child, but neither should they push
(Boeree, 2008). However, constant failure can cause a lack of self-esteem and make the child feel
as though they are inadequate which could fill them with constant doubt. The virtue achieved in
this stage is will, which is important in the real world where failures are all around. If all goes
well the child will feel confident and secure whilst practicing self-control (McLeod).
Next, the third stage is initiative versus guilt and deals with children age three to five. In
this stage children begin to take initiative and practice their interpersonal skills. As they explore
being the leader, making up games, planning out activities, and maybe even being a little bossy,

erik erikson: the eight stages of psychosocial development

they are also feeling more and more secure about their ability to lead and make strong decisions.
It is when parents or a guardian begin to control or criticize the child that guilt surfaces. This will
lead the child to believe that he or she is an annoyance and regress back to being a follower
instead of a leader. Too much of this guilt can put a damper on childrens creativity and cause
them to be somewhat antisocial. The virtue achieved in this stage is one of purpose. Children
need to feel as though they serve a purpose on this earth, and letting them take initiative is very
important (McLeod).
Moving into the fourth stage, industry (competence) versus inferiority, these children are
now ages five to about twelve years old. Most children are in school by this time so they are
learning reading, writing, and other specific sets of skills. Now the children will begin to make
more friends, and those friends will play a very important role in individual self-esteem. Children
in this stage will feel as though they need to compete with their peers in order to win approval,
and feel a sense of pride in their actions. They need to be reinforced with encouragement in order
to achieve the virtue competence. Without such success in this stage the children will feel
inferior in what they believe to be a very demanding society (McLeod). This is also when
inferiority complexes can be developed or the if you dont succeed dont try again mentality.
Which is why people who do poorly in certain subjects tend to never take those type of classes,
or continue doing poorly (Boeree).
The fifth stage occurs mostly during adolescence, age twelve to eighteen, and deals with
identity versus role confusion. The process of changing from a child to an adult is extremely
important, and these individuals are beginning to look to the future and decide where and how
they will fit in. Adolescents will reevaluate their own identity in a search to figure out just
exactly who they are individually. Erikson believed this stage to be especially important because

erik erikson: the eight stages of psychosocial development

two identities are now introduced including sexual and occupational. If the adolescent does well
in this stage she will achieve the virtue fidelity, which is being committed to and accepting of
those with different beliefs or viewpoints. Role confusion can come about if they do not find
their identity. This may lead to an identity crisis which can cause them to experiment with
negative lifestyles (McLeod). Eriksons suggestion for this important stage includes psychosocial
moratorium. In other words get out there and smell the roses, travel wherever and whenever
possible. People in America tend to want success as fast as they can, but never really take the
time out they need to enjoy this stage of life (Boeree).
Now that the stages have reached adulthood there are only three remaining. Intimacy
versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and ego integrity versus despair. The sixth stage
is intimacy versus isolation and covers a large amount of time up until age forty. The virtue
learned in this stage is love. As longer more meaningful relationships are created a sense of
commitment, care, and safety are also established. Failure to be successful in this stage may lead
to depression, isolation, and loneliness. The seventh stage is generativity versus stagnation, and
this deals with adults age forty to sixty-five. By this time adults have settled into their lives with
homes, families, and careers. They give back to society by raising their children, being
productive at work, and learning to care, the achieved virtue. Failure in this stage will lead to
feeling unproductive in society. The last stage is ego integrity versus despair that involves all
adults over the age sixty-five. As people grow older they ponder their lives and look at
everything that has been accomplished. If the individual feels as though he has led a successful
life he will feel a sense of integrity, and obtain the virtue of wisdom. Erikson believed that those
who looked back and felt as though they led an unproductive lifestyle developed despair, which
led to depression and a feeling of hopelessness (McLeod).

erik erikson: the eight stages of psychosocial development

The eight very unique, very reliable stages of psychosocial development have been used
for decades in studying development. While there are many critics of Eriksons theory, there was
one interesting point in particular about the crisis and how vague Erikson tended to be. For
example Erikson never really gave exact experiences that people went through in order to go
from one stage to the next, but instead just said there was a crisis. If the reader is unaware of
what experiences to look forward to in order to continue on from stage to stage, how will the
steps be beneficial? The answer is that Erikson did not intend for this theory to be so specific
because lives are lived so differently, and he wanted to create a theory that applied universally
(2014). "It has been proven difficult to create objectives to evaluate Erikson's identity theory. Not
only do many different threads enter into the process of establishing an identity, but each person
must create a unique synthesis of all the disparate parts" (Waterman).
His theory helped connect the dots as to why children who had trouble with trust at a very
young age also had trouble with trust as an adult. Psychologist and therapists can now address
specific problems, identify the stage, and understand the virtue that was missing. This allows for
a balance to be restored in their lives. His theory has also helped teachers, parents and child
caregivers all over to understand the significance of nurturing certain skills in children (2014).
Everyone who understands his theory is given the tools to also understand how to foster
cognitive and emotional development in children. These eight psychosocial stages are the key to
a better understanding of how our life skills and abilities can be found and nurtured. When we
find resolution for a crises in our lives we also find happier healthier lives.

erik erikson: the eight stages of psychosocial development

References
(2014). Erik Erikson. NNDB: tracking the entire world.
(N.d.). Erik Erikson. Brainyquote.com.
Boeree, C. G. (2006). Personality Theories. Erik Erikson 1902-1994.
Mcleod, S. A. (2008). Simply Psychology. Erik Erikson.
Waterman, A.S. (1985). Indentity in the context ofadolescent psychology. In A.S. Waterman
(Ed.), Indentity in adolescence:Progress and contents: (New directions for child
development, No.30). SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass.