THEORIES PSYCHOSOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

Erik Erikson's Stages of

Psychosocial Development
By Kendra Cherry | Reviewed by Steven Gans, MD

Updated October 29, 2018

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Illustration by Joshua Seong. © Verywell, 2018.

More in Theories
 Psychosocial Psychology
 Behavioral Psychology
 Biological Psychology
 Cognitive Psychology
 Developmental Psychology
 Personality Psychology
 Social Psychology

Erik Erikson was an ego psychologist who developed one of the most popular and
influential theories of development. While his theory was impacted by psychoanalyst
Sigmund Freud's work, Erikson's theory centered on psychosocial development rather
than psychosexual development. The stages that make up his theory are as follows:
  Stage 1 - Trust vs. Mistrust

 Stage 2 - Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

 Stage 3 - Initiative vs. Guilt
 Stage 4 - Industry vs. Inferiority
 Stage 5 - Identity vs. Confusion
 Stage 6 - Intimacy vs. Isolation
 Stage 7 - Generativity vs. Stagnation
 Stage 8 - Integrity vs. Despair

Let's take a closer look at the background and different stages that make up Erikson's
psychosocial theory.

What Is Psychosocial Development?

So what exactly did Erikson's theory of psychosocial development entail? Much

like Sigmund Freud, Erikson believed that personality developed in a series of stages.
Unlike Freud's theory of psychosexual stages, Erikson's theory described the impact of
social experience across the whole lifespan. Erikson was interested in how social
interaction and relationships played a role in the development and growth of human
beings.

Each stage in Erikson's theory builds on the preceding stages and paves the way for
following periods of development.

In each stage, Erikson believed people experience a conflict that serves as a turning point
in development. In Erikson's view, these conflicts are centered on either developing a
psychological quality or failing to develop that quality. During these times, the potential
for personal growth is high but so is the potential for failure.

If people successfully deal with the conflict, they emerge from the stage with
psychological strengths that will serve them well for the rest of their lives. If they fail to
deal effectively with these conflicts, they may not develop the essential skills needed for
a strong sense of self.
Erikson also believed that a sense of competence motivates behaviors and actions. Each
stage in Erikson's theory is concerned with becoming competent in an area of life. If the
stage is handled well, the person will feel a sense of mastery, which is sometimes referred
to as ego strength or ego quality. If the stage is managed poorly, the person will emerge
with a sense of inadequacy in that aspect of development.

Psychosocial Stage 1 - Trust vs. Mistrust

The first stage of Erikson's theory of psychosocial development occurs between birth and
one year of age and is the most fundamental stage in life.

Because an infant is utterly dependent, developing trust is based on the dependability and
quality of the child's caregivers. At this point in development, the child is utterly
dependent upon adult caregivers for everything that he or she needs to survive including
food, love, warmth, safety, and nurturing.

Everything. If a caregiver fails to provide adequate care and love, the child will come to
feel that he or she cannot trust or depend upon the adults in his or her life.

If a child successfully develops trust, he or she will feel safe and secure in the world.
Caregivers who are inconsistent, emotionally unavailable, or rejecting contribute to
feelings of mistrust in the children under their care. Failure to develop trust will result in
fear and a belief that the world is inconsistent and unpredictable.

Of course, no child is going to develop a sense of 100 percent trust or 100 percent doubt.
Erikson believed that successful development was all about striking a balance between
the two opposing sides.

When this happens, children acquire hope, which Erikson described as an openness to
experience tempered by some wariness that danger may be present.

Psychosocial Stage 2 - Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

The second stage of Erikson's theory of psychosocial development takes place during
early childhood and is focused on children developing a greater sense of personal control.
At this point in development, children are just starting to gain a little independence. They
are starting to perform basic actions on their own and making simple decisions about
what they prefer. By allowing kids to make choices and gain control, parents and
caregivers can help children develop a sense of autonomy.

Like Freud, Erikson believed that toilet training was a vital part of this process. However,
Erikson's reasoning was quite different than that of Freud's. Erikson believed that
learning to control one's bodily functions leads to a feeling of control and a sense of
independence.

Other important events include gaining more control over food choices, toy preferences,
and clothing selection.

Children who successfully complete this stage feel secure and confident, while those who
do not are left with a sense of inadequacy and self-doubt. Erikson believed that achieving
a balance between autonomy and shame and doubt would lead to will, which is the belief
that children can act with intention, within reason and limits.

Psychosocial Stage 3 - Initiative vs. Guilt

The third stage of psychosocial development takes place during the preschool years.

At this point in psychosocial development, children begin to assert their power and
control over the world through directing play and other social interactions.

Children who are successful at this stage feel capable and able to lead others. Those who
fail to acquire these skills are left with a sense of guilt, self-doubt, and lack of initiative.

When an ideal balance of individual initiative and a willingness to work with others is
achieved, the ego quality known as purpose emerges.

Psychosocial Stage 4 - Industry vs. Inferiority

The fourth psychosocial stage takes place during the early school years from
approximately age 5 to 11.
Through social interactions, children begin to develop a sense of pride in their
accomplishments and abilities. Children who are encouraged and commended by parents
and teachers develop a feeling of competence and belief in their skills. Those who receive
little or no encouragement from parents, teachers, or peers will doubt their abilities to be
successful.

Successfully finding a balance at this stage of psychosocial development leads to the

strength known as competence, in which children develop a belief their abilities to handle
the tasks set before them.

Psychosocial Stage 5 - Identity vs. Confusion

The fifth psychosocial stage takes place during the often turbulent teenage years. This
stage plays an essential role in developing a sense of personal identity which will
continue to influence behavior and development for the rest of a person's life.

During adolescence, children explore their independence and develop a sense of self.
Those who receive proper encouragement and reinforcement through personal
exploration will emerge from this stage with a strong sense of self and feelings of
independence and control. Those who remain unsure of their beliefs and desires will feel
insecure and confused about themselves and the future.

When psychologists talk about identity, they are referring to all of the beliefs, ideals, and
values that help shape and guide a person's behavior. Completing this stage successfully
leads to fidelity, which Erikson described as an ability to live by society's standards and
expectations.

While Erikson believed that each stage of psychosocial development was important, he
placed a particular emphasis on the development of ego identity. Ego identity is
the conscious sense of self that we develop through social interaction and becomes a
central focus during the identity versus confusion stage of psychosocial development.

According to Erikson, our ego identity constantly changes due to new experiences and
information we acquire in our daily interactions with others. As we have new
experiences, we also take on challenges that can help or hinder the development of
identity.

Our personal identity gives each of us an integrated and cohesive sense of self that
endures through our lives. Our sense of personal identity is shaped by our experiences
and interactions with others, and it is this identity that helps guide our actions, beliefs,
and behaviors as we age.

Psychosocial Stage 6 - Intimacy vs. Isolation

This stage covers the period of early adulthood when people are exploring personal
relationships.

Erikson believed it was vital that people develop close, committed relationships with
other people. Those who are successful at this step will form relationships that are
enduring and secure.

Remember that each step builds on skills learned in previous steps. Erikson believed that
a strong sense of personal identity was important for developing intimate relationships.
Studies have demonstrated that those with a poor sense of self do tend to have less
committed relationships and are more likely to suffer emotional isolation, loneliness, and
depression.

Successful resolution of this stage results in the virtue known as love. It is marked by the
ability to form lasting, meaningful relationships with other people.

Psychosocial Stage 7 - Generativity vs. Stagnation

During adulthood, we continue to build our lives, focusing on our career and family.

Those who are successful during this phase will feel that they are contributing to the
world by being active in their home and community. Those who fail to attain this skill
will feel unproductive and uninvolved in the world.
Care is the virtue achieved when this stage is handled successfully. Being proud of your
accomplishments, watching your children grow into adults, and developing a sense of
unity with your life partner are important accomplishments of this stage.

Psychosocial Stage 8 - Integrity vs. Despair

The final psychosocial stage occurs during old age and is focused on reflecting back on
life.

At this point in development, people look back on the events of their lives and determine
if they are happy with the life that they lived or if they regret the things they did or didn't
do.

Those who are unsuccessful during this stage will feel that their life has been wasted and
will experience many regrets. The individual will be left with feelings of bitterness and
despair.

Those who feel proud of their accomplishments will feel a sense of integrity.
Successfully completing this phase means looking back with few regrets and a general
feeling of satisfaction. These individuals will attain wisdom, even when confronting
death.

Psychosocial Stages Summary Chart

Stage 1: Infancy (birth to 18 months)

Basic Conflict: Trust vs. Mistrust

Important Events: Feeding

Outcome: During the first stage of psychosocial development, children develop a sense of trust
when caregivers provide reliability, care, and affection. A lack of this will lead to mistrust.

Stage 2: Early Childhood (2 to 3 years)

Basic Conflict: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Important Events: Toilet Training

Outcome: Children need to develop a sense of personal control over physical skills and a sense
of independence. Potty training plays an important role in helping children develop this sense of
autonomy. Children who struggle and who are shamed for their accidents may be left without a
sense of personal control. Success during this stage of psychosocial development leads to
feelings of autonomy, failure results in feelings of shame and doubt.

Stage 3: Preschool (3 to 5 years)

Basic Conflict: Initiative vs. Guilt

Important Events: Exploration

Outcome: Children need to begin asserting control and power over the environment. Success in
this stage leads to a sense of purpose. Children who try to exert too much power experience
disapproval, resulting in a sense of guilt.

Stage: School Age (6 to 11 years)

Basic Conflict: Industry vs. Inferiority

Important Events: School

Outcome: Children need to cope with new social and academic demands. Success leads to a
sense of competence, while failure results in feelings of inferiority.

Stage: Adolescence (12 to 18 years)

Basic Conflict: Identity vs. Role Confusion

Important Events: Social Relationships

Outcome: 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.

Stage: Young Adulthood (19 to 40 years)

Basic Conflict: Intimacy vs. Isolation

Important Events: Relationships

Outcome: Young adults need to form intimate, loving relationships with other people. Success
leads to strong relationships, while failure results in loneliness and isolation.

Stage: Middle Adulthood (40 to 65 years)

Basic Conflict: Generativity vs. Stagnation

Important Events: Work and Parenthood

Outcome: 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.

Stage: Maturity(65 to death)

Basic Conflict: Ego Integrity vs. Despair

Important Events: Reflection on life

Outcome: Erikson's theory differed from many others because it addressed development
throughout the entire lifespan, including old age. Older adults need to look back on life and feel
a sense of fulfillment. Success at this stage leads to feelings of wisdom, while failure results in
regret, bitterness, and despair. At this stage, people reflect back on the events of their lives and
take stock. Those who look back on a life they feel was well-lived will feel satisfied and ready to
face the end of their lives with a sense of peace. Those who look back and only feel regret will
instead feel fearful that their lives will end without accomplishing the things they feel they
should have.

A Word From Verywell

Erikson's theory also has its limitations and criticisms. What kinds of experiences are
necessary to successfully complete each stage? How does a person move from one stage
to the next? One major weakness of psychosocial theory is that the exact mechanisms for
resolving conflicts and moving from one stage to the next are not well described or
developed. The theory fails to detail exactly what type of experiences are necessary at
each stage in order to successfully resolve the conflicts and move to the next stage.

One of the strengths of psychosocial theory is that it provides a broad framework from
which to view development throughout the entire lifespan. It also allows us to emphasize
the social nature of human beings and the important influence that social relationships
have on development.

Researchers have found evidence supporting Erikson's ideas about identity and have
further identified different sub-stages of identity formation. Some research also suggests
that people who form strong personal identities during adolescence are better capable of
forming intimate relationships during early adulthood.

Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development

1. 1. Module 7 : Erikson‟s Psycho-Social Theory of Development
2. 2. Introduction of the 8 stages: Psychosocial („psycho‟ relating to the mind, brain,
personality, etc. and „social‟ which means the external relationships and environment).
Biopsychosocial, in which “bio” refers to life as in biological.
3. 3.  The theory is a basis for broad or complex discussion and analysis of personality and
behavior, and also facilitating personal development – of self and others. It can help the
teacher in becoming more knowledgeable and at the same time understanding of the various
environmental factors that affect his own and his students‟ personality and behavior.
4. 4.  Syntonic – for the first listed “positive” disposition in each crisis. Dystonic – for the
second listed “negative” disposition.
5. 5.  If a stage is managed well, we carry away a certain virtue or psychosocial strength
which will help us through the rest of the stages of our lives.
6. 6.  Malignancy – it involves too little of the positive and too much of the negative aspects of
the tasks, such as a person who can‟t trust others. Maladaptation – is not quite as bad and
involves too much of the positive and too little of the negative such as a person who trusts
too much.
7. 7.  Mutuality – reflects the effect of generation on each other, especially among families,
and particularly between parents and children and grandchildren. Generativity – actually a
named disposition with one of the crisis stages (Generativity v Stagnation, stage seven),
reflects the significant relationship between adults and the best interest of children - one‟s
own children, and in a way everyone else‟s children – the next generation, and all the
following generation.
8. 8. STAGE ONE (Infancy)Trust vs. Mistrust  .
9. 9. Psychosocial Crisis: The firststage is infancy, is approximatelythe first year or year and a
halfof life. The goal is to developtrust without completelyeliminating the capacity formistrust.
If the primarycaregivers, like the parents cangive the baby a sense offamiliarity, consistency,
andcontinuity, then the baby willdevelop the feeling that theworld is a safe place to be,
thatpeople are reliable and loving.
10. 10. Maladaptation/Malignancy  Sensory Maladjustment: Overly trusting, even gullible, this
person cannot believe anyone would mean them harm, and will use all the defenses at their
command to find an explanation or excuse for the person who did him wrong.
11. 11.  Withdrawal: characterized by depression, paran oia, and possibly psychosis.
12. 12. VIRTUE If the proper balance is achieved, the child will develop the virtue of Hope.
13. 13. STAGE TWO (Early Childhood)Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt
14. 14.  He begins to make choices and express his will. If encouraged, he develops a sense of
autonomy and independence. In this stage Erikson believes that the child may develops a
sense of doubt and shame manifested in feelings of worthless and incompetence. We should
keep in mind that even something as innocent as laughing at the toddler‟s efforts can lead
the child to feel deeply ashamed and to doubt his or her abilities.
15. 15. Maladaptation/Malignancy Impulsiveness – a sort of shameless willfulness that leads
you, in a later childhood and even adulthood, to jump into things without proper consideration
of your abilities. Compulsiveness – feels as if their entire being rides on everything they do,
and so everything must be done perfectly.
16. 16. VIRTUE If you get the proper, positive balance of autonomy and shame and doubt, you
will develop the virtue of willpower or determination.
17. 17. STAGE THREE (Early Childhood)Initiative vs. Guilt
18. 18.  Psychosocial crisis: Child begins to explore his social and physical worlds discovering
what he can accomplish. Erikson refers to this as a time for developing a sense of initiative
or a positive attitude of personal accomplishment. At this time, the child gradually becomes
aware of the various social roles presented by his environment. In Erikson‟s view, the basic
influence during this period is the child‟s families who can help him learn to be responsible
for his behavior and actions.
19. 19. Maladaptation/Malignancy Ruthlessness – to be heartless or unfeeling or be “without
mercy”. Inhibition - the inhibited person will not try things because “nothing ventured,
nothing lost” and, particularly, nothing to feel guilty about.
20. 20. VIRTUE A good balance leads to the psychosocial strengths of purpose.
21. 21. STAGE FOUR (School-age)Industry vs. Inferiority Psychosocial Crisis: the child‟s world
broadens technical skills are learned and feelings of competence, enlarged. Children enter
new world of the neighborhood and the school. In Erikson‟s view, when children come to
believe that they cannot achieve according to their school, family, or peers, their sense of
mastery will give way to personal inferiority. Thus, they become incapable of facing the
transitory adolescent years which lie directly ahead. Parents must encourage, teachers must
care, peers must accept.
22. 22. Maladaptation/Malignancy Narrow Virtuosity: we see this in children who aren‟t allowed
to “be children” the ones that parents or teachers push into one area of competence, without
allowing the development of broader interests. Inertia: this includes all of us who suffer from
the “inferiority complexes” Alfred Adler talked about.
23. 23. VIRTUE A happier thing is to develop the right balance of industry and inferiority – that
is, mostly industry with just a touch of inferiority to keep us sensibly humble. Then we have
the virtue called competency.
24. 24. STAGE FIVE (Adolescence)Identity vs. Role Confusion
25. 25.  Psychosocial Crisis: According to Erikson, is characterized by an identity – formation
crisis. The question “Who am I and what can I do when I become an adult?” confronts the
adolescent. His struggle is based not only on societal demands as an emerging adult, but
also on the pubescent age. Since an adolescent spends more time with his friend, the peer
group now becomes an essential source of general rules of behavior.
26. 26. Maladaptation/Malignancy Fanaticism – believes that his way is the only way.
Repudiation – they reject their membership in the world of adults and, even more, they reject
their need for an identity.
27. 27. VIRTUE If you successfully negotiate this stage, you will have the virtue Erikson called
fidelity.
28. 28. STAGE SIX (Young Adulthood)Intimacy vs. Isolation
29. 29.  In this stage the individual develops a warm and intimate relationship with another
person. If such sense of intimacy is not acquired during this time of life, a sense of isolation
develop instead. Such attitude is reflected in the ability to trust others in a close and intimate
manner.
30. 30. Maladaptation/Malignancy Promiscuity – referring particularly to the tendency to
become intimate too freely, too easily, and without any depth to you intimacy. Exclusion –
which refers to the tendency to isolate oneself from love, friendship, and community, and to
develop a certain hatefulness in compensation.
31. 31. VIRTUE If you successfully negotiate this stage, you will instead carry with you for the
rest of your life the virtue Erikson calls love.
32. 32. STAGE SEVEN (Middle Adulthood)Generativity vs. Stagnation
33. 33.  The middle years of stage comprise the productive years of adulthood. In this stage,
the individual‟s productivity is gauged by his contributions to his family and to society.
According to Erikson, the person who fails to develop this sense of generativity becomes
preoccupied instead with his personal needs and interests with his personal needs and
interests or both with a sense of self-absorption.
34. 34. Maladaptation/Malignancy Overextension – illustrates the problem. Some people try to
be so generative that they no longer allow time for themselves, for rest and relaxation.
Rejectivity – too little generativity and too much stagnation and you are no longer
participating in or contributing to society.
35. 35. VIRTUE  But if you are successfully at this stage, you will have a capacity for caring
that will serve you through the rest of your life.
36. 36. STAGE EIGHT (Late Adulthood)Ego Integrity vs. Despair
37. 37.  In the last stage, a person comes to terms with the temporal limits of his life. It is the
fulfillment and culmination. In Erikson‟s view, it is the achievement of a sense of integrity
 resulting from identification with mankind. If a person, however, develops an attitude of regret
and fear of the end of life, then a sense of despair emerges instead.
38. 38. Maladaptation/Malignancy Presumption – this is what happens when a person
“presumes” ego integrity without actually facing the difficulties of old age. Disdain – by
which Erikson means a contempt of life, one‟s own or anyone‟s.
39. 39.  Someone who approachesVIRTUE death without fear has the strength Erikson calls
wisdom.
40. 40.  THE END. 