-
Initiative Versus Guilt
Jimmy, age 8, asks his parents if he is allowed to walk to the general store about 1 mile away with his friends to buy candy. His parents tell him no, that it is not safe for him to go so far unsupervised. The crisis in this third stage of Erikson's theory, initiative verses guilt, is either developing independence by encouraging a child to take initiative and plan their own activities, or developing a sense of guilt when a child is shamed for taking initiative. -
Industry Verses Inferiority
Jimmy, age 11, shows interest in learning to care for his family's garden. His dad shows him how to use the lawnmower, how to fertilize and plant seeds, and other useful skills. Jimmy becomes confident in these technical skills and helps dad with increasingly difficult projects. In this fourth stage, industry verses inferiority, the crisis is mastering skills and becoming industrious, or failure to learn or be taught required skills (in a given culture) which results in inferiority. -
Identity Verses Identity Confusion
Jimmy, now age 15, is highly involved in his local church youth group. He is also a soccer player has a group of friends who are committed athletes. Jimmy is developing his values, beliefs, and interests at this time as he solidifies his identity in adolescence. This is the fifth stage in Erikson's theory, called identity verses identity confusion. The stage is classified by a crisis between developing a firm sense of self, or not being sure who you are or where you fit in.