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Infancy: Trust vs Mistrust
At 6 months old, a child's guardian consistently tucks them in and comforts them. This stage is about trusting or not trusting guardian figures. Infants are extremely dependent and will learn to trust when the guardian consistently returns or takes care of the baby. They can learn to mistrust if the guardian does not care for them well or leaves them unattended without returning often. If the guardian is dependable, the child will pass trust vs mistrust. -
Preschool: Initiative vs Guilt
A child is made fun of for their ideas by their classgroup.
This stage is about learning to initiate ideas or activities and gaining resilience, or feeling guilty and falling back and never trying hard or scary things. If the child is encouraged and supported by others in their decisions, they will feel strong initiative and succeed this stage. If they are shot down for their ideas and made fun of, they will develop a strong guilt and fail. -
Adolesence: Identity vs Role Confusion
A teenager feels lost and doesn't know what they like or want to do with their life.
This stage is about adolescents finding themself or not having an identity. A person who can find hobbies and have ambitions and be supported succeeds at this stage. A person who is indecisive and unaware of what they want to do/is discouraged from interests fails this stage. Failing at this stage often results in lack of independence, success leads to confidence.