Trust and mistrust is the first stage of the Erikson stages of psychological development that occurs between birth and 12 months of age. It is the most fundamental stage as an individual and is utterly dependent, whereas the development of trust is determined by the quality of an infant’s caregivers. A child is dependent on his caregivers from food, clothing, medication, nurturing, and safety, among others. Failure by the parent to provide these basics might lead to a child being distrustful of adults later in life (Ochse & Plug, 1986). I was successful in resolving this stage because I received good care from my parents, who made sure that I lacked nothing. They were reliable, affectionate, and caring to me at this early stage in life. I Had a healthy attachment with my parents, a fact that increased my trust in people. It made me become optimistic about the world and increased my liking for mankind. These types of attributes we made possible because of the hope instilled in me by my parents. Even though trusting people is somewhat difficult, the love and care that was accorded to me by my parents at this stage helped me to strike a good balance between trust and mistrust.
The second stage is the autonomy vs. shame and doubt stage, where a child develops a greater sense of self-control and is able to make simple decisions on their own such as toilet training. It is at this stage that parents and caregivers help them develop a sense of autonomy (Cherry, 2020).I was able to successfully resolve this stage because my parents let me make mistakes and corrected me accordingly, a fact that helped me overcome doubt and shame. I always took the initiative in everything I did and had no fear of failure. Additionally, I was not worried that someone would find fault with me. I was, therefore, not afraid of making mistakes, and this helped me develop confidence and autonomy in making small decisions. All these attributes were possible because I had no inkling that anything could go wrong so long as I had the leeway to9 do what I wanted with the full knowledge that my parents were always there to guide me if anything went wrong.
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The third stage is initiative vs. autonomy and takes place during preschool years. It is a stage where children begin to assert their control and power over their environment through directing their social interactions and play (Erskine, 2019). It helps children to be assertive and perform leadership roles later in life. I successfully resolved this stage because I was always prepared to take risks to get what I wanted in any activity. Also, I was not hesitant in doing what I wanted, and this increased my confidence levels and ability to take the initiative. Additionally, my level of curiosity and inquisitiveness was high, and I try new things every day. All these traits helped me resolve this stage and helped me to become more assertive and in control of my life. I was able to take leadership positions without any fear due to an increased level of confidence and initiative.
The fourth stage is industry vs. inferiority during the early school years from the age of 5-11 years. Children begin to develop a sense of pride through their social interactions by their achievements and abilities. It is a time when they are coping with new academic and social demands. They develop a sense of competence or inferiority depending on their successes or failures. I was able to successfully resolve this stage by making the best of my abilities. This was done by trying new things out and therefore increasing competence levels and skills. I always performed my tasks with zeal, believing that I was capable of doing all things that presented themselves in my life.
The fifth stage is identity vs. role confusion which is a phase that occurs during the turbulent period of teenage. It is a significant stage in an individual since it defines a person’s identity that will be of great influence later into adulthood. It is a period that influences the sense of personal identity and the self. Success leads to being true to oneself, while failure results in a weak sense of self and role confusion. The conflict that manifested in this stage had an effect on my life in that I was not sure of the kind of person I was since people looked at me differently. The changes in my behavior were based on peer pressure and not on the things I wanted. However, certain values and virtues are required in this stage to deal; with conflict. A person needs to recognize his worth and ignore the negative attitudes of others towards him. He should also feel freer to do his things and be certain about his own life.
The sixth stage is intimacy vs. isolation which is a phase where young adults have the urge to form loving, intimate relationships with other people. Strong relationships result in success, and loneliness and isolation is a form of failure. It is important for people to develop such relationships since it brings happiness to individuals with enduring attachments. The seventh stage is the generativity vs. stagnation stage, in which individuals develop the need to nurture things that will outlive them, such as creating change or having children. Success here results in feelings of accomplishment, while failure leads to disgrace and minimal involvement with issues in life. The eighth and final stage is the integrity vs. despair stage, which occurs at old age, where individuals concern themselves with reflecting on life. At this stage, such individuals are reflective and seek to determine whether they have been happy with the life they had lived or not. Success at this stage leads to feelings of fulfillment and wisdom, while failure results in despair and bitterness.
References
Cherry, K. (2020). Erik Erickson stages of psychosocial development. Very Well mind.
Erskine, R. G. (2019). Child development in integrative psychotherapy: Erik Erikson’s first three stages. International Journal of Integrative Psychotherapy , 10 , 11-34.
Ochse, R. & Plug, C. (1986). Cross-cultural investigation of the validity of Erikson’s theory of personality development, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 50 (6), 1240-1252.
