Evolution

 Erik Erikson believed…..

 Development is social in nature
and a result of a desire to
affiliate with other people.
 A person encounters 8
developmental stages in life.
 Each stage presents individuals
with a crisis that must be
faced.
 “The more successfully an
individual resolves the crisis,
the healthier development will
be” (Santrock, 2008, p. 18).
 Age
 Infancy: First year of life
 Virtue
 Hope
 Question
 Is the world a good and pleasant place to live?
 Characteristics
 Infants need food, comfort, and warmth to
develop a sense of trust. If these needs are
not meet, a sense of mistrust will follow.
 Age
 Infancy: 1 to 3 years
 Virtue
 Will
 Question
 Can I do things by myself or must I always rely
on others?
 Characteristics:
 Caregivers provide a strong sense of security
and encourage children to accomplish self-
sufficient behaviors such as crawling, walking,
changing clothes, and bathing. “If restrained too
much or punished too harshly, they are likely to
develop shame and doubt.”
 Age
 Preschool: 3 to 5 years
 Virtue
 Purpose
 Question
 Am I good or bad?
 Characteristics
 Children are faced with new challenges and
learning to master the world around them. They
begin to act with purpose and also experience guilt
when a particular action does not occur as planned.
It is important not to belittle or make a child feel
anxious about their attempts.
 Age
 Elementary: 6 years to puberty
 Virtue
 Competence
 Question
 Am I successful or worthless?
 Characteristics
 Children begin mastering knowledge and intellectual
skills. This stage is imperative to foster self-
confidence. Children should be encouraged to create
and do things and then receive praise. If children are
made to feel incompetent, they will develop feelings
of inferiority and may be unwilling to try new things.
 Age
 Adolescence: 10 to 20 years
 Virtue
 Fidelity
 Question
 Who am I and what am I all about?
 Characteristics
 Adolescents try a variety of roles to identify
where they fit in. They must decide who they
are and decipher who society expects them to
be. They start using their experiences to
influence their future.
 Age
 Early adulthood: 20s and 30s
 Virtue
 Love
 Question
 Am I loved or wanted by someone?
 Characteristics
 Upon establishing identity, people are able to
form long term commitments. Without healthy
friendships and intimate relationships, isolation
occurs.
 Age
 Middle adulthood: 40s and 50s
 Virtue
 Care
 Question
 Will I produce something of real value?
 Characteristics
 “Generativity” is a concern for helping the
younger generation lead successful lives. In
contrast, feeling like they’ve done nothing to help
leads to stagnation.
 Age
 Late adulthood: 60s onward
 Virtue
 Wisdom
 Question
 Was my life well spent?
 Characteristics
 A person reflects on the past. If a person feels their
life was well spent, they develop a sense of integrity.
If they look back on a life of disappointments and
missed goals, they develop a sense of despair or
gloom.
Santrock, J. W. (2008). Essentials of life-span
development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Erikson's psychosocial development theory. Retrieved

from
http://www.businessballs.com/erik_erikson_psychos
ocial_theory.htm.