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Eleanor's Safe zone: Basic Trust versus Mistrust
Eleanor (Age 1) starts to wonder about her surroundings and the people around her. Her mom always makes sure she provides everything that she needs. She would always make her feel loved and be there for her when she feels scared. Eleanor viewed her mother as her safe place and comfort zone. In Erikson's first stage, basic trust versus mistrust, the crisis is between receiving stability and consistency of care (basic trust) or being uncomfortable, developing fear and feeling unsafe (mistrust). -
Eleanor's Freedom: Autonomy versus Shame & Doubt
At this time, both Eleanor's parents are more involved with her. Eleanor at 4, starts to eat food on her own. She often spills it on the floor but her parents would still let her do it, so she can learn it properly on her own. In Erikson's second stage, autonomy versus shame & doubt, the crisis is between developing a sense of freedom and self-confidence on being independent (autonomy) or being overly controlling or dismissive on an individual's effort creating hesitation (shame and doubt). -
Eleanor's Interests: Industry versus Inferiority
Eleanor who's now in school, starts exploring her interests. At the age of 9, she learned that she's good at math. Her teacher saw her potential and allowed her to compete on any math related events at their school. Eleanor's teacher would often acknowledge her talent in Math. In Erikson's fourth stage, industry versus inferiority, the crisis is between developing a sense of pride on accomplishments and abilities (industry) or getting negative feed back and loosing self-motivation (inferiority).