Psychosocial Development in Child: Stages, Factors and Significance

Running head: PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 1
Psychosocial Development in child
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PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT STAGES 2
Introduction
The psychosocial development stage for children aged between 2-5 years is referred to as
the pre-school growth stage where the child starts to discover the environment around them.
During this stage, the baby establishes a sense of autonomy through association with different
members of the family including relatives and friends. The child identifies himself/herself as a
person and develops a favorable self-concept. At this stage, children begin to realize that they are
authors of their own actions. Initially, the child does not deliberately act upon the world but react
to it, for the instant the child does not suck when it intends but rather when stimulation is
provided. At this stage self-trust and self-belief start to show up. At this stage, the parent is
advised to be less protective of the child. The level at which parents protect the child will affect
the ability of the child to realize autonomy.
Psychosocial development
Psychosocial development is a process of continuous interaction between the child and
the surrounding. During this stage, the child acquires social attitude, relevant skills and also
several changes occurs in their body. The psychosocial development is mostly predisposed by
environment and physical growth. Body and brain changes assist in determining the identity of
the children and their association with each other. Intellectual development is an essential feature
because it helps a child to gain the ability to handle challenges (Newman, & Newman, 2017). As
it can be observed in the case study, Julie can be able to effectively communicate her needs by
way of interacting with caregivers. Erikson theory is of great importance in understanding the
stages of psychosocial development. According to the theory, the characteristics of
understanding psychosocial development may include; life history, current development stage,
historical and cultural factors, and physical weakness and strength. Erikson enumerated stages

PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT STAGES 3
that depict how children increase psychomotor control, increase brain functioning and develop
physically as their complexity increases cognitively (Berk, 2017).
Physical and cognitive changes assist the children to grow psychosocially, form
independent identities and associate with others effectively. According to Erikson theory
psychosocial development begins during the stage of trust versus mistrust. At this stage, a child
needs love and security from the guardians and parent so as to create a sense of trust and develop
a favorable self-security for own self and others. The predicament of autonomy versus shame
and doubt psychosocial development occurs at the age of 1-3 years. During this stage, there is the
development of a sense of self-concept through interactions with family members and friends
(Blatt, & Bless, 2013). When an individual demonstrates disreputable behavior in future which
he or she could correct in development stages is a clear inference of the psychosocial
development. For instance, when a child receives adequate toilet training between the age of 12
months and 3 years, he or she will develop a sense of self-recognition and favorable self-concept.
Self-recognition helps the child to fully identify himself or herself with peers, which improves
peer relations and reduce humiliation (LeBlanc, et al 2012). As a result, the child will eventually
develop a sagacity of voluntary control and satisfaction. Without appropriate toilet training
during the early stage, a child might have complications later in life such as being stingy,
mistrust, growing to be a rigid person or being unable to develop a sense of self-awareness.
Parents and peers play key parts in the psychosocial development of any child. Children are able
to acquire traits of life like social-emotional skills, problem-solving skills, and language through
the communication with peers and parents. Parents are able to notice unusual behavior in the
child through with the child. For instance, in the case scenario, Victoria was able to notice that
Julie did not acquire the toilet training skills like other children. (McLeod, 2013)