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Neglected as a infant for a short period of time.
Lily was just 22 days old and her mother was home by herself as a brand new parent overwhelmed unable to give Lily all that she needed, she cried and cried. Erikson's first stage trust vs. mistrust. The crisis is Lily had an unresponsive caregiver who was unable to meet her baby's needs. This caused feelings of anxiety, fear, and mistrust. If this type of care continues throughout lily's life she may grow up with a sense of mistrust for people in the world. -
Lily only wears dresses
Lily is now 2 and adamant about only wearing dresses to school. She's in the "do it herself" stage and wants to be independent even though a tank top and shorts are not appropriate for the weather conditions. Erikson's autonomy vs. shame/doubt. The crisis is with her input in such basic decisions has an effect on her sense of independence. If denied the opportunity to act on her environment, she may begin to doubt her abilities, which could lead to low self-esteem and/or shame. -
Elementary Exploration
Lily is now 7 and is consistently comparing herself to her peers. She is the person to have read the most books so far in her class and feels a sense of pride and accomplishment in her schoolwork. Erikson's industry vs inferiority. The crisis is if Lily had a negative experience with her reading abilities she may feel she doesn't measure up to her peers and a inferiority complex may start to develop.
