Erik Erikson’s 8 Stages of Development

Background Information Born in 1902 near Germany First studied art & variety of languages To escape Nazi Germany, he came to the U.S. and became Boston’s first child analyst at Harvard.

stages 1 and 2 Infancy- Trust vs. Mistrust (0-18 months) Infants look to their primary caregiver. Success leads to virtue of hope, if not they develop a sense of mistrust. Early childhood- Autonomy vs. Shame(18 months- 3 years) Become more independent; success leads to virtue of will Parents should give more freedom Failure in this stage leads to feelings of shame and self doubt

stages 3 and 4 Preschool Age- Initiative vs. Guilt (ages 3-5) Children tend to become more independent Success leads to virtue of purpose, failure leads to feelings of guilt School Age- Industry vs. Inferiority (ages 6-11) Learning to read, write, doing things on their own Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of competence and confidence (if encouraged) Failure leads to feeling of inferiority

stages 5 and 6 Adolescence- Identity vs. Identity Diffusion (ages 12-18) Success leads to virtue of true identity, failure leads to identity diffusion (not knowing who you are) Developing independently Young Adulthood- Intimacy vs. Isolation ( ages 19-40) Trying to seek love Success leads to virtue of intimacy, failing could lead to isolation (depression can follow)

stages 7 and 8 Middle Adulthood- Generativity vs. Stagnation (ages 40-65) Settled down with children Success leads to virtue of generativity, failure leads to stagnation Giving back to society (moral compass) Maturity- Ego Integrity vs. Despair (ages 65+) Usually retired Success leads to virtue of ego integrity (had a full life), failure leads to feelings of depression and hopelessness (didn’t have a full life)