PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

• Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development (Erik Erikson)

  • Infancy (0 to 18 months)
  • Early Childhood (2 to 3 years old)
  • Preschool (3 to 5 years old)
  • School Age (6 to 11 years old)
  • Adolescence (12 to 18 years old)
  • Young Adult (19 to 40 years old)
  • Middle Adulthood (40 to 65 years old)
  • Maturity (65 years old to death)
• Infancy (0 to 18 months)

  Trust vs Mistrust
• Infancy (0 to 18 months)


  • Children develop a sense of trust when caregiver's provide reliability, care and affection. A lack of this will lead to mistrust.
  • Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of hope. By developing a sense of trust, the infant can have hope that as new crises arise, there is a real possibility that other people will be there as a source of support.
• Early Childhood (2 to 3 years old)

  Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
• Early Childhood (2 to 3 years old)


  • Children need to develop a sense of personal control over physical skills and sense of independence. Success leads to feeling of autonomy, failure results in feelings of shame and doubt.
  • Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of will. If children in this stage are encouraged and supported in their increased independence, they become more confident and secure in their own ability to survive in the world.
• Preschool (3 to 5 years old)

  Initiative vs Guilt
• Preschool (3 to 5 years old)


  • Children need to begin asserting control and power over the environment. Success leads to a sense of purpose.
  • Children begin to plan activities, make up games, and initiate activities with others. If given this opportunity, children develop a sense of initiative and feel secure in their ability to lead others and make decisions.
• School Age (6 to 11 years old)

  Industry vs Inferiority
• School Age (6 to 11 years old)


  • Children need to cope with new social and academic demands. Success leads to a sense of competence, while failure results in feeling of inferiority.
  • Some failure may be necessary so that the child can develop some modesty. Again, a balance between competence and modesty is necessary. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of competence.
• Adolescence (12 to 18 years old)

  Identity vs. Role Confusion
• Adolescence (12 to 18 years old)


  • Teens need to develop a sense of self and personal identity. Success leads to an ability to stay true to yourself, while failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self.
  • Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of fidelity.
  • Failure to establish a sense of identity within society ("I don't know what I want to be when I grow up") can lead to role confusion. Role confusion involves the individual not being sure about themselves or their place in society.
• Young Adult (19 to 40 years old)

  Intimacy vs. Isolation
• Young Adult (19 to 40 years old)


  • Young adults need to form intimate, loving relationships with other people. Success leads to strong relationships, while failure results in loneliness and isolation.
  • Successful completion of this stage can result in happy relationships and a sense of commitment, safety, and care within a relationship.
  • Avoiding intimacy, fearing commitment and relationships can lead to isolation, loneliness, and sometimes depression. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of love.
• Middle Adulthood (40 to 65 years old)

  Generativity vs. Stagnation
• Middle Adulthood (40 to 65 years old)


  • Adults need to create or nurture things that will outlast them, often by having children or creating a positive change that benefits other people. Success leads to feelings of usefulness and accomplishment, while failure results in shallow involvement in the world.
  • By failing to find a way to contribute, we become stagnant and feel unproductive. These individuals may feel disconnected or uninvolved with their community and with society as a whole. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of care.
• Maturity (65 years old to death)

  Ego Identity vs. Despair
• Maturity (65 years old to death)


  • Older adults need to look back on life and feel a sense of fulfillment. Success at this state leads to a feeling of wisdom, while failure results in regret, bitterness, and despair.
  • It is during this time that we contemplate our accomplishments and can develop integrity if we see ourselves as leading a successful life.
  • Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of wisdom. Wisdom enables a person to look back on their life with a sense of closure and completeness, and also accept death without fear.