Erikson's Nine Stages of Psychosocial Development

Erikson's Nine Stages of Psychosocial Development was the first model of development that covered the life span of a human as a whole (Crandell, 2009, pg. 42).

The first stage in Erikson's theory is the Trust vs. Mistrust stage. Crandell (2009) describes it as the stage where infants before the age of one begin to trust or mistrust themselves and others (p. 43). Without the favored outcome of trust, the infant will not feel secure in his or hers environment. Being that I had a somewhat ‘normal' childhood, if you will, I assume I reached trust in my parents. Growing up, I never had a hint of insecurity in my parents.

The next stage in Erikson's theory spans from the ages two to three years of age. Crandell (2009) defines Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt as the stage where a toddler becomes increasingly mobile, "decides whether to assert their will," while the favorable outcome is a "sense of self-control without the loss of self-esteem" (pg. 43). A milestone I reached during this period was becoming potty trained. Kendra Cherry (2012) mentions, "Toilet training plays a major role; learning to control one's body functions leads to a feeling of control and a sense of independence." The other milestone I had reached was the choice of clothing. Even though the choices may not have been exactly something that matched or was acceptable to wear to a certain place, the idea that the first choice was my choice was instrumental in development and added to the sense of independency that I was building.

The third stage in Erikson's model in the Initiative vs. Guilt Stage. The ages of the stage span between four and five years of age. Crandell (2009) describes the stage as children, "Are curious and manipulate objects," with the favorable outcome being that the children "learn direction and purpose in activities." At five years old I began playing soccer. My parent's always said that I was ahead of the curve with my coordination and ability to absorb the concepts of the game. Obviously I was able to manipulate the soccer ball to affect the game, and I knew that the purpose of the game was to attempt to score goals in order to win. Also learned during the activity was teamwork, the idea of working as a team in order to achieve a goal.

The next stage in Erikson's model is Industry vs. Inferiority. Crandell (2009) describes it as when kids "are curious about how thing are made and how they work," with the favorable outcome being that they "develop a sense of mastery and competence" (pg. 43). I was definitely one of those kids that asked a million questions, and then had more questions for the answers to those questions. In Educational Psychology, Woolfolk (1987) says, "In this stage children are learning to see the relationship between perseverance and the pleasure of a job completed." In school I felt a great deal