Erikson’s Eight Stages of Human Development
Stage Value Age Favorable/Unfavorable Outcome
1. Trust vs. Mistrust ---------- Hope ----- to 18 months -----Sensory distortion/Withdrawal
2. Autonomy vs. Shame ------Will Power ---to 3 years -------Impulsivity/Compulsion
3. Initiative vs. Guilt --------- Purpose -------to 6 years -------Ruthlessness/Inhibition
4. Industry vs. Inferiority ----Competence ---6 to 12 yrs ------ Narrow Virtuosity/Inertia
5. Identity vs. Identity -------- Fidelity -------13 to 20 yrs ------- Fanaticism/Repudiation
Confusion
6. Intimacy vs. Isolation ----- Love ---------- 20-35 yrs --------- Promiscuity/Exclusivity
7. Generativity vs. ----------- Care ----------- To retirement ----- Overextension/Rejectivity
Self-Absorption
- Integrity vs. Despair ------ Wisdom ------- Retirement --------- Presumption/Despair
**** Erikson maintains that developmental delays or conflicts can be resolved if:
****They are understood
****Given the appropriate opportunity to resolve them
BEHAVIOR EXPRESSIONS OF A SENSE OF TRUST AND MISTRUST |
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Characteristic Behaviors of People who have a High Sense of Basic Trust |
Characteristic Behaviors of People who have a Low Sense of Basic Trust |
Are able to ask others for help or emotional support without overdoing it. |
Tend to have trouble asking others for help or emotional support. |
Are inclined to believe that others will come through for them, unless there is good reason not to believe that. |
Are inclined to believe that others will not come through for them, even when there is no reason to believe that. |
Start with the assumption that people are generally good. |
Start with the assumption that people are generally bad or evil. |
Tend to focus on the positive aspects of others ’ behavior. |
Tend to focus on the negative aspects of others ’ behavior. |
Tend to behave in a relatively disclosing and open manner when around others. |
Tend to behave in a relatively guarded and closed manner when around others. |
Find it relatively easy to receive (favors, compliments, gifts, etc.) from other people, but prefer a balance of giving and receiving. |
Find it rather difficult to receive (favors, compliments, gifts, etc.) from other people, and find it easier to be the giver than the taker. |
Have no trouble sharing their possessions, the “ things ” in their lives, with other people. |
Have problems sharing their possessions, the “ things ” in their lives, with other people. |
Are not particularly fearful of disclosing themselves, even their more negative qualities, to themselves or other people. |
Are very hesitant about disclosing themselves, particularly their negative qualities, to other people. |
Tend to have a generally optimistic world view without being Pollyannaish or unrealistic about it. |
Tend to have a generally pessimistic world view, even when things are going well. |
Are inclined to believe that other people know what is best for themselves, even though they may privately feel differently about others ’ choices. |
Are inclined to believe that other people usually do not know what is best for themselves, and prefer to tell others what to do. |
Implicit Attitude: - You ’ re O.K. - Life is generally fair and good to me. - I ’ m willing to share what I have. |
Implicit Attitude: - You ’ re not O.K. - Life is generally unfair and unkind to me. - I ’ m not wiling to share what I have. |
BEHAVIORAL EXPRESSION OF A SENSE OF AUTONOMY, SHAME AND DOUBT |
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Characteristic Behaviors of People who have a Sense of Autonomy |
Characteristic Behaviors of People who have a Sense of Shame and Doubt |
Like to make their own decisions, particularly about matters important to them. |
Prefer being told what to do, rather than making their own decisions. |
Are unable to say no to requests made of them without feeling guilty. |
Have problems saying no to requests made of them. |
Are inclined to express themselves in terms of what they “ will ” do or “ want ” to do. |
Are inclined to express themselves in terms of what they “ should ” do or “ ought ” to do. |
Tend to resist being dominated by people wanting to control them. |
Tend to allow themselves to be dominated by others, even though they may not like it. |
Are able to work well by themselves or with others, depending on the situation. |
Are not comfortable working by themselves, particularly when they know work will be judged or evaluated. |
Are inclined to get on with what needs to be done and remain task-persistent until finished. |
Have trouble getting started with what needs to be done; procrastination may be a key feature of their personality. |
Can work easily with either open-ended or structured work assignments, although they may prefer more open-endedness. |
Have problems working with open-ended work assignments, preferring more structure and direction. |
Are able to listen to their own inner feelings when deciding what is right or wrong, appropriate or inappropriate. |
Have difficulty listening to their own inner feelings when deciding what is right or wrong, appropriate or inappropriate. |
Tend to feel relatively un-self-conscious and at ease when in group situations. |
Tend to feel uneasy and self-conscious, even embarrassed, when in group situations. |
Tend to want a certain amount of order and organization in their lives to reinforce feelings of personal control and self-approval. |
Tend to want things “ just so ” as one way of avoiding others ’ disapproval and criticism. |
Implicit Attitude: - I think I can do it. - This is what needs to be done. - I have something of value to offer. |
Implicit Attitude: - I don ’ t think I can do it. - Tell me what needs to be done. - I have little of value to offer. |
BEHAVIORAL EXPRESSIONS OF A SENSE OF INITIATIVE AND GUILT |
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Characteristic Behaviors or People who have a Sense of Initiative |
Characteristic Behaviors of People
who have a Sense of Guilt |
Prefer to get on with what needs to be done to complete the task at hand. |
Tend to postpone, put off, put aside, and generally procrastinate starting. |
Like accepting new challenges now and then. |
Are inclined to resist new challenges. |
Tend to be fast self-starters. |
Tend to be slow self-starters |
Tend to be effective leaders when in that position. |
Tend to be ineffective leaders when in that position. |
Tend to set goals and then set out to accomplish them. |
May set goals, but have problems getting them accomplished. |
Tend to have high energy levels. |
Tend to have low energy levels. |
Have a strong sense of personal adequacy. |
Have a weak sense of personal adequacy. |
Seem to enjoy “ making things happen. ” |
Prefer to remain in the background, preferring not to stir things up. |
Are able to emotionally appreciate the idea that initiative begins and ends with the person, not the production it generates. |
May try to outrun their guilt with a tireless show of accomplishment, believing that efficient production may compensate for being a deficient person. |
Have a balanced sense of right and wrong without being overly moralistic. |
Tend to focus moralistically on those things in life that are “ wrong. ” |
Implicit Attitude: - I will start now. - I enjoy new challenges. - This is what needs to be done and I will do it. |
Implicit Attitude: - I will start tomorrow. - I prefer sticking with what I know. - This is what needs to be done, but who will do it? |
BEHAVIORAL EXPRESSIONS OF A SENSE OF INDUSTRY AND INFERIORITY |
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Characteristic Behaviors of People who have a Sense of Industry |
Characteristic Behaviors of People who have a Sense of Inferiority |
They enjoy learning about new things and ideas. |
They do not particularly enjoy learning about new things and ideas. |
They reflect a healthy balance between doing what they have to do and what they like. |
They tend to concentrate mostly on what they believe they have to do, neglecting what they like to do. |
They reflect strong curiosities about how and why things work the way they do. |
They are not terribly curious about why and how things work. |
They enjoy experimenting with new combinations, new ideas, and arriving at new synthesis. |
They prefer staying with what they know; new ways do not attract them so much as do proven ways. |
They are excited about the ideas of being producers. |
They tend to be threatened, even guilty, about the idea of being producers. |
They like the recognition that producing things brings, which reinforces their sense of industry. |
They would like the recognition that production brings, but their sense of inferiority stands in the way. |
They develop a habit of work competition through steady attention and persevering diligence. |
They have problems taking pride in their work, believing it not worth it. |
They take criticism well and use it to improve their performance. |
They take criticism poorly and use it as a reason to stop trying. |
They tend to have a strong sense of persistence. |
They tend to have a weak sense of persistence. |
Implicit Attitude: - I ’ m a pretty good learner. - Being a producer excites me. - I ’ ll work hard to succeed. |
Implicit Attitude: - I ’ m not a very good learner. - Being a producer frightens me. - I ’ ll work hard to avoid failing. |
BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS OF A SENSE OF IDENTITY AND IDENTITY CONFUSION |
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Characteristic Behaviors of People who have a Sense of Identity |
Characteristic Behaviors of People who have a Sense of Identity Confusion |
They have a stable self-concept that does not easily change. |
They tend to have an unstable self-concept marked by ups and downs. |
They are able to combine short-term goals with long-range plans. |
They tend to set short-term goals, but have trouble establishing long-range plans. |
They are less susceptible to the shifting whims of peer pressure influences. |
They are more susceptible to the shirting whims of peer pressure influences. |
They tend to have reasonable high levels of self-acceptance. |
They tend to have rather low levels of self-acceptance. |
They are able to make decisions without undue wavering and indecisiveness. |
They are apt to have trouble making decisions, fearing that they will be wrong. |
They tend to be optimistic about themselves, others, and life in general. |
They tend to have a somewhat cynical attitude about themselves, others, and life in general. |
They tend to believe that they are responsible for what happens to them, good or bad. |
They tend to believe that what happens to them is largely out of their hands; a matter of fate or breaks. |
They are able to seek self-acceptance directly by being their own person. |
They are inclined to seek self-acceptance indirectly by being what they believe others want them to be. |
They are able to be physically and emotionally close to another person without fearing a loss of self. |
They are inclined to have trouble being physically and emotionally close to another person without being either too dependent or too separate. |
They tend to be cognitively flexible; their sense of self does not depend on being “ right. ” |
They tend to be cognitively inflexible; their sense of self resides heavily on being “ right. ” |
Implicit Attitude: - I am this kind of person ... - I ’ m not perfect, but I ’ m still O.K. - I can accept your shortcomings because I can accept my own. |
Implicit Attitude: - I am not sure who I am as a person. - I should be much better/more than I am. - I have trouble accepting your shortcomings, just as I have trouble accepting my own. |