Group presentation on Erik Erikson's Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development from the fall 2015 semester of HUR-101-99Y.

1. Erikson’s
Eight Stages
of
Psychosocial
DevelopmentPresentation by Renee Illerbrun,
Heather Kleinsmith, Kevin
McMullen, and Ann Pallifrone

2. Erik Erikson
and his psychosocial stages
 Ideas influenced by Freud’s work
with personalities
 Ego psychologist
 Believed the ego develops as it
successfully resolves social crises
 Maintained that personality
develops in a predetermined
order and each stage completed
builds upon the previous stage
 Interested in how children
socialize and how that affects
their sense of self

3. Eight Stages
of Psychosocial Development

5. Stage One:
Trust vs. Mistrust
Can I trust the people around me?
The most important period in a person’s life
Infancy

6. Trust
• Stability
• Consistency
• Building blocks that are necessary to
construct the trust for success in life
• Virtue of hope

7. Mistrust
• Failing to complete the stage of virtue
of hope
• Increased/heightened sense of fear
• Anxiety
• General feeling of mistrust in the world
around them

8. Stage Two:
Autonomy vs. Shame and
Doubt
Can I do things myself or am I reliant on
the help of others?
Children at this stage are focused on
developing a greater sense of self-control.
Early Childhood

9. Autonomy
• Ages of 1-3 years old
• Independence
• Self-confidence
• Positive or negative

10. Shame and Doubt
• Positive reassurance
• Over protective
• Feeling shameful
• Learn doubt
• Toilet training
“Erikson believes that
children who
experience too much
doubt at this stage will
lack confidence in their
powers later in life”
(Woolfolk, 1987).

11. Stage Three:
Initiative vs. Guilt
Am I good or bad?
Children begin to assert their power and
control over the world through social
interaction.
Preschool

12. The Facts
Initiative vs. Guilt
• Play age (years 3-5)
• Child develops fundamental understanding of morals
and values
• Gain self-esteem and learn to cooperate with peers
• Sense of power and control of environment
• Positive outcome of this stage is self-purpose and
worth

13. Stage Four:
Industry vs. Inferiority
How can I be good?
Children begin to develop a sense of pride in
their accomplishments and abilities.
School Age

14. The Facts
Industry vs. Inferiority
• School age (years 5-12)
• Main goal of this stage is the individual’s ability to
rely on themselves
• Child will learn about
• Friendship
• Self-Evaluation
• Teamwork
Provides a sense of competence and capability in
terms of educational achievement.

15. Stage Five:
Identity vs. Role Confusion
Who am I? Who can I be?
Children are exploring their independence
and sense of self.
Adolescence

16. The Facts
Identity vs. Role Confusion
• Ages 13-19 years old (adolescence)
• Fidelity is the main virtue
• Development of social relationships is important
• Concerned with appearances
• Sense of sexual identity
• Figuring out future roles in the adult world
• Risk of “identity crisis”

17. Stage Six:
Intimacy vs. Isolation
Will I be loved or will I be alone?
The major conflict centers on forming
intimate, loving relationships with other
people.
Young Adulthood

18. The Facts
Intimacy vs. Isolation
• Ages 18-40
• Newfound identity and meaningfulness
• Developing intimacy and willingness to
express feelings and share experiences

19. Possible Outcomes
Intimacy vs. Isolation
Failure to Establish Intimacy Results in:
1. Loneliness
2. Feeling or being uncared for
Success in Establishing Intimacy Results in:
1. Close intimate friendships
2. Feeling secure in relationships
What is the importance in understanding
this stage?

20. Stage Seven:
Generativity vs. Self-
Absorption (Stagnation)
How can I contribute to the world?
Adults strive to create or nurture things that
will outlast them.
Middle Adulthood

21. The Facts
Generativity vs. Self-Absorption
- Ages 40-65
- Goes further into looking beyond and toward the future
- Establishing family and productivity in the community
- If they do not feel productive or that they have
accomplished their goals, they feel like they are losing the
meaning of life
- mid-life crisis
Why is this important to understand?

22. Stage Eight:
Ego Integrity vs. Despair
Did I live a meaningful life?
People reflect on the life they have lived and
come away with either a sense of fulfillment or
a sense of regret.
Maturity

23. The Facts
Ego Integrity vs. Despair
• Age 65 until death
• Wisdom is the main virtue
• Retrospection (the final developmental task)
• Can occur out of sequence
ex. Terminal disease diagnosis

24. Possible Outcomes
Ego Integrity vs. Despair
Seeing Your Life as Productive/Successful:
- Contemplate accomplishments
- Develop integrity
Seeing Your Life as Unproductive/Unsuccessful:
- Dissatisfied with life
- Develop despair
- Can lead to depression/hopelessness

25. So, how is this theory
relevant to us and what
we’ve studied in class?
and
How does this theory help
us to better understand
ourselves?