Erikson's Psychosocial Development Theory

The assignment compares the author's life experiences with Erik Erikson's psychosocial developmental stages, from Trust vs. Mistrust to Integrity vs. Despair. The author reflects on their relationships, career, and parenting journey through the lens of these stages, identifying strengths and challenges. By applying Erikson's theory, the author gains insight into their own development and learns how to navigate future circumstances with their children.

Running head: ERIKSON’S EIGHT STAGES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
ERIKSON’S EIGHT STAGES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Name of University:
Name of Student:
Author Note:

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ERIKSON’S EIGHT STAGES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Introduction
I am a regular Nigerian man who has grown up with a good set of values in the town of
Epe, Lagos. I have had48 years of a comfortable and interesting life. I am presently married to a
beautiful woman and we have four wonderful daughters aged 18, 16, 14 and 6 years respectively.
I have been gifted with a magnificent set of parents who have given their best to raise me well.
However I did have to face certain difficulties in my developmental stages because of certain
indifferent ideologies that traditional Nigerians have when it comes to dealing with children, but
all of that has helped shape me as the individual I am today. Erik Erikson was greatly influenced
by Freud and in 1959 he proposed a psychosocial theory of development, encompassing the
entire life of a person. His theory consists of 8 stages of development. The following essay is
about the comparison of experiences from my childhood, past and the present experiences with
the eight psychosocial developmental stages put forward by Erikson.
Discussion
Trust vs. Mistrust (0- 1.5 years)
……………..X…………………………………………………………………………………..
Trust Mistrust
According to Erikson the first crisis in psychosocial development takes place in the first
year of birth. At this stage the infants are filled with feelings of uncertainty about the world.
They look up to their mothers or primary care givers for consistency, reliability and a stable
amount of care which in turn helps them to develop a sense of trust about their surroundings
(McLeod, 2013). This feeling of trust would eventually be carried by them in to their future

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relationships and they would have the ability to feel secure even in times of crisis. In case of
successful completion of this stage, the infant attains the virtue of hope , and failure to complete
this stage leads infants to develop fear or withdrawal from the society (Rosenthal, Gurney &
Moore, 1981). I am a confident man and I believe that there can be solutions to any problems or
obstacles. The information that my family gives me suggests that I was a wholesome baby and
was fed well, I had the constant presence of my mother and that is where I get the sense of
security and confidence from. These are the reasons why I placed myself at that point in the scale
Autonomy vs. Shame (1.5 – 3 years)
………………………….X……………………………………………………………………..
Autonomy Shame
This next stage is where the child begins to develop more while slowly moving towards
independent behavior. The children discover in this stage about their new found abilities to pick
their own toys, move on their own, and choose their own clothes. This is a crucial stage, the
successful completion of which leads to the virtue of will in the child and the failure leads in lack
of self-esteem (McLeod, 2013). It is essential to support and encourage the children about their
independent behavior so that they could become more confident and secure in the world. If the
children in this stage are over criticized or controlled, they might begin to feel inadequate and
that would weaken their ability to survive in the world without being dependent. A careful
balance needs to be struck for the child to become a well-adjusted human (Cherry, 2015). I feel
like my parents helped me pass this stage successfully. Although I’m a slightly controlling
person and that maybe because according to the information from my relatives, my parents
were particularly strict during my potty training. Otherwise I am a well adjusted individual and

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my parents supported a lot of my independent behavior and were very much proud of me. My
close relatives tell me that my mother would let me pick out my own clothes and get me to eat
food by myself until I asked her for help. Therefore, my reasons to place myself at the point on
the scale.
Initiative vs. Guilt (3 - 5 years)
………………………….…………x…………………………………………………………..
Initiative Guilt
This is the stage where children get more involved with their peers and develop bonds
with other children. Play is the centre- piece of this stage and thus provides the children with an
opportunity to develop their interpersonal skills. Make belief games and role playing are key
characteristics of this stage. Children in this stage begin to enhance their initiation skills and feel
confident about their ability to make decisions and lead others and a sense of guilt arises in the
children if these behavior of the children are criticized of controlled (Munley, 1975). A healthy
initiative-guilt balance is required and successful completion of the stage would lead to
development of the virtue of purpose. I have faded yet fond memories with my playmates during
that age. I am still friends with a few. My parents helped me mix up with more children and
develop some deeper friendships. I feel like I have leadership qualities and am an extrovert
person and that is because of well adjustment in this stage.
Industry vs. inferiority ( 5- 12 years )
………………………….…………………………………………………x…………………..
Industry Inferiority

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ERIKSON’S EIGHT STAGES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
This is a stage where learning takes the front seat, teachers become important parts in this
stage and peers tend to become of great significance (Friesen & Besley, 2013). The children in
this stage try to win societal approval and make as many achievements as possible.
Accomplishments help the children to be industrious and confident. However in case a child is
unable to develop a specific skill to excel on, he/she might develop a feeling of inferiority. This
was a fairly difficult stage for me and most of my inferiority complex must have arisen from
here. I never liked attending school as the teachers would beat me up for not being able to study
hard despite me trying hard. The teachers would beat students up for minor reasons like getting
late to the class. This was a very embarrassing time for me and I could hardly form good
friendships. My parents did not help the case much either.
Identity vs. Role confusion (12- 18 years)
……x…………………….……………………………………………………………………..
Identity Role confusion
This is the adolescent period and at this stage the children are in constant search for their
personal identity through vigorous exploration of their personal values, skills and goals. This is a
tricky stage between childhood and adulthood and is the time where individuals for the
understanding about the roe in the society (Munley, 1975). Failure to complete this stage would
lead to Role confusion of the individuals n which they would not have a proper sense of purpose.
This is the time when I realized that I loved going to church and that I loved music. This is the
time when I decided that I would go ahead and carry on with further studies to become a
preacher. Therefore I did find out my identity in the society.

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ERIKSON’S EIGHT STAGES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Intimacy vs. Isolation (18 – 40 years)
………………x………….……………………………………………………………………..
Intimacy Isolation
This is the stage where individuals share themselves more intimately with other people,
especially their partners. Individuals start exploring their relationships which usually lead to long
term commitments. Completing this stage successfully leads to long-term and happy
relationships with feelings of commitment, care and safety within the relationship (Sokol, 2009).
Given the fact that I have a beautiful relationship with my wife and we share an amazing bond
despite the ups and downs, I think this stage has been successfully completed by both me and my
wife.
Generativity vs. Stagnation ( 40- 65 years)
This is the middle adulthood stage where individuals successfully establish their careers,
form families , settle down in relationships and start forming the idea of the bigger picture. This
is the stage where individuals try and give back to the society, raise their children, become more
productive and get involved in more and more community activities (McLeod, 2013). I am still a
part of this stage and have only begun. I hope to achieve all the required objectives and such that
I do not become stagnant or unproductive.
Integrity vs. Despair (65 plus years)
This is the stage where individuals start growing older and their productivity slows down.
They start exploring their life as a retired person while contemplating their accomplishments.
Individuals, who find their lives unproductive or unaccomplished, tend to fall into despair and

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hopelessness (McLeod, 2013). Individuals who successfully complete this stage learn the virtue
of wisdom in their lives.
Conclusion
Therefore I made comparisons between events of my life and that of the psychosocial
developmental stages. This comparison helped me get a deep insight and understanding to why I
am the way I am and also helped me understand how to overcome circumstances to come in the
future. Dealing with my children now will be entirely different, given the fact that I now have the
knowledge of where I could go wrong. This definitely helped me understand myself some more.

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References
Cherry, K. (2015). Erikson’s psychosocial stages summary chart. About. com. Accessed July, 25.
Franz, C. E., & White, K. M. (1985). Individuation and attachment in personality development:
Extending Erikson's theory. Journal of personality, 53(2), 224-256.
Friesen, M. D., & Besley, S. C. (2013). Teacher identity development in the first year of teacher
education: A developmental and social psychological perspective. Teaching and Teacher
Education, 36, 23-32.
McLeod, S. (2013). Erik Erikson. Retrieved August, 9, 2013.
Munley, P. H. (1975). Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development and vocational
behavior. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 22(4), 314.
Rosenthal, D. A., Gurney, R. M., & Moore, S. M. (1981). From trust on intimacy: A new
inventory for examining Erikson's stages of psychosocial development. Journal of Youth
and Adolescence, 10(6), 525-537.
Sokol, J. T. (2009). Identity development throughout the lifetime: An examination of Eriksonian
theory. Graduate Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1(2), 14.

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Appendix
The purpose of the assignment was to understand the psychosocial theories of development by
Erik Erikson such that they knowledge would consolidate in our memories.
I learnt the reasons about why I am the way I am.
The most valuable achievement is the fact that I learnt how to deal with my children so that they
can grow up as well adjusted individuals.
My greatest strength is my confidence and leadership skills.
The greatest challenge was to compare the stages with my life, especially early life as They
brought back nostalgic memories.
The assignment was very enjoyable and helped me a lot too. I would not like to change anythi g
about the project.
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I feel that I earned about 40 points given the fact that I tried to meet all the required criteria.