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Trust vs. Mistrust
At 3 months old, my daughter Nikki, relied on me for her every need. This is a crucial stage in one’s life that Erikson describes as trust vs. mistrust. Essentially if the infant establishes a sense of trust, it's because you are consistent, predictable, and reliable. However, if you don't meet their needs and trust is not met, the child will have trust issues later in life by carrying the basic sense of mistrust with them to other relationships. -
Autonomy vs. shame and doubt
Around the age of 2, Nikki wanted to explore everything. She started to recognize her ability to do things on her own, such as dressing herself or feeding herself. Erikson called this stage autonomy vs. shame and doubt. At this point, children are learning to be independent and this calls for a lot of patience from parents. This stage is important because if the child is not encouraged or supported in their independence, they become overly dependent on others, causing sense of shame and doubt. -
Initiative vs. guilt
At age 5, Nikki was a very active and sociable girl. She had many friends in the neighborhood and they were always making up new games and playing “real life” games (house, or school). During the Initiative vs. guilt stage children learn to make decisions for themselves and ability to lead others. Conversely, if they are critiqued they might develop a sense of guilt and lack self-initiative.
