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Sarah (Age 1) believes that her caregivers will continue to take good care of her as they feed her when she's hungry, change her when needed, comfort her when she's scared, and provide a stable safe environment for her to continue to grow. This is Erikson's first stage, trust vs. mistrust. Trust being knowing that she will be taken good care of, and mistrust thinking that you are unsafe or in danger. -
As Sarah (Age 4) becomes older, she does not wish to try new things for the fear of failing. When Sarah has tried new things and failed, her parents have been very disappointed in her, leaving her feeling guilty. This is Erikson's 3rd stage, Initiative vs Guilt which occurs between the ages of 3 and 5. Initiative to try new things and learn from them, or guilt that she will not be able to perform to her parent's standards and will then get ridiculed for it -
Sarah (age 29) is a lawyer and meets a man, after some time she decides to take the leap with Michael and trusts that he will continue to take care of her as her parents have. They share their thoughts, feelings, and hardships with one another. This is Erikson's 6th stage, Intimacy vs. Isolation. In this stage, intimacy is allowing someone to know you and love you, while isolation is not allowing people close to you