Erik Erikson’s Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development
Erik Erikson¡¯s Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development
Erik Erikson was a German-born American developmental psychologist and
psychoanalyst known for his theory on psychosocial development of human
beings. He may be most famous for coining the phrase ¡°identity crisis.¡± Although
Erikson lacked even a bachelor's degree, he served as a professor of prominent
institutions such as Harvard and Yale. He believed that every human being goes
through a certain number of stages to reach his or her full development,
theorizing eight stages that one goes through from birth to death.
Stage
Basic Conflict
Important
Events
Outcome
Infancy (birth to Trust vs.
18 months)
Mistrust
Feeding
Children develop a sense of trust when caregivers provide
reliability, care, and affection. A lack of this will lead to mistrust.
Early Childhood
(2 to 3 years)
Toilet Training Children need to develop a sense of personal control over physical
skills and a sense of independence. Success leads to feelings of
autonomy, failure results in feelings of shame and doubt.
Autonomy vs.
Shame and
Doubt
Preschool (3 to 5 Initiative vs.
years)
Guilt
Exploration
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.
School Age (6 to Industry vs.
11 years)
Inferiority
School
Children need to cope with new social and academic demands.
Success leads to a sense of competence, while failure results in
feelings of inferiority.
Adolescence (12 Identity vs. Role Social
to 18 years)
Confusion
Relationships
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.
Young
Intimacy vs.
Adulthood (19 to Isolation
40 years)
Young adults need to form intimate, loving relationships with other
people. Success leads to strong relationships, while failure results in
loneliness and isolation.
Relationships
Middle
Generativity vs. Work and
Adulthood (40 to Stagnation
Parenthood
65 years)
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.
Maturity (65 to
death)
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.
Ego Integrity vs. Reflection on
Despair
Life
More About Stage Eight ¨C Ego Integrity vs. Despair
This stage affects the age group of 65 and up. During this time one has reached the last chapter in his or her life and
retirement is approaching or has already taken place. People who have achieved what was important to them look back
on their lives and feel great accomplishment and a sense of integrity. However, those who are unsuccessful in their
life¡¯s goals will feel that their life has been wasted and will experience many regrets. The individual will be left with
feelings of bitterness and despair over a life misspent.
Old for a Day
Today, you¡¯re going to put yourself in the mindset of someone nearing the end of his or her life. You will be completing
three assignments ¨C a bucket list, a final will and testament, and an epitaph. These will hopefully point toward a time of
integrity, not despair, in your future.
Bucket List: A list of things to do before you die; comes from the term "kicked the bucket" referring to death. Include
five things you want to do before you ride off into the sunset.
Epitaph: a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but
also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the
burial. An epitaph may be in poem or verse. Write it on the provided tombstone.
Examples of famous epitaphs
I am ready to meet my Maker.
Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.
¡ª Winston Churchill
To save your world you asked this man to die:
Would this man, could he see you now, ask why?
¡ª Epitaph for the Unknown Soldier, written by W. H. Auden
Final Will and Testament: Provides all of the essential details of who will inherit your property, when and how they will
inherit it, and who will be put in charge of settling your final affairs. The testament portion is a final statement to one¡¯s
family and friends ¨C a goodbye letter of sorts.
_______________¡¯s Bucket List
Before I die, I will¡
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
My Epitaph
My Final Will and Testament
To ______________ I leave my favorite piece of property, my ____________________.
To________________ I leave all of the money in my possession.
To _____________________ I leave my pet.
To _________________ I leave my organs.
To _________________ I leave my house.
To __________________ I leave my car.
I am naming _________________ as the person who should execute this will. I have good faith that
they will fulfill all of my last requests to the best of their abilities.
To my loved ones, I would like to leave the following message:
................
................
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