Psycho- Social Theory of Development (Erikson)

Erik Erickson, the famous psychoanalyst is considered with developing the theory of psycho-social development which covers normal development over the entire life span of human beings. Erikson postulated that the development of an individual is the result of his interaction with his social environment.
      Erickson discovered eight such issues or crisis of life arising at different ages or periods of one’s development and linked them with the eight stages of one’s psycho social development covering one’s entire life span.

Table: Age span for the stages of psycho-social development:


Stage of psycho-social development

Specific age or period

Trust Vs mistrust

Birth to One year

Autonomy Vs shame & Doubt

One to Three Years

Initiative Vs Guilt

Three to Five years

Industry Vs Inferiority

Five to Eleven years

Identity Vs Role Confusion

Eleven to Eighteen Years

Intimacy Vs Isolation

Eighteen to Thirty Five Years

Generativity Vs Stagnation

Thirty Five to Sixty Five Years

Integrity Vs Despair

Over Sixty Five Years


Stage I: Period of Trust Vs Mistrust (Birth to 1 year)

In the first one year of life, the infant is confronted with the crisis termed trust Vs mistrust. During the period the baby is completely dependent upon its mother or caretaker for the satisfaction of its needs. The sense of trust or mistrust with regard to the environment gained in this way at this stage of development may then be carried over to the stage of development to follow and consequently reflected in the developing personality.


Stage II: The Period of Autonomy Vs Shame and Doubt (1 to 3 years)

Having gained a primary sense of trust and security with regard to his environment in the second and third years of his life, the child now passes through the second stage of psycho-social development. With the newly developed motor or physical skills and language ability, the child now engages in exploring his environment and experimenting with his strength and limitations for achieving a sense of autonomy and independence.
     Children who are denied the opportunity to develop a sense of independence by over-protective, harsh or restricted parents begin to doubt their ability and ultimately begin to feel embarrassment or ashamed in the presence of others.


Stage III: The Period of Initiative Vs Guilt (3 to 5 years)

The third stage of psycho-social development between three to five years of age is characterized by the crisis of initiative versus guilt. Equipped with the sense of trust and autonomy the child now begins to take initiative in interacting with his environment.
          In the case the child is discouraged from taking the initiative by his parents and guardians not having faith in him or is pulled down by unhealthy criticism, punished or rebuke for minor failures, the child is sure to develop a sense of guilt leading to hesitation, indecision and lack of initiative in planning and carrying out life activities.


Stage IV: Period of Industry Vs Inferiority (5 years to 11 years)

The teachers and school environment thus play a very significant role in helping the child out of the industry versus inferiority crisis, for the child. The school becomes the place where success and failure are defined. Therefore, it is the duty of the teachers and school authorities to structure their classroom and school environment in such a way as to help the students to maintain a positive attitude and view themselves as capable and valuable individuals.


Stage V: Period of Identity Vs Role Confusion (11 Years to 18 Years)

This stage, beginning with the advent of puberty, is marked with the crisis ofidentit vs role confusion. Equipped with the sense of trust, autonomy, initiative and industry, adolescents begin to search for their own personal identity. The sudden changes in the bodies and mental functioning and the altered demands of society compel then to ask and questions of themselves like, who am I ?.
   Teachers and parents can play a very constructive role in helping, adolescents through this identity versus confusion crisis. The adolescents craving for identity must be fully recognized and it should be clearly understood that adolescents want to be identified as adults and must, therefore be treated as such and not as children as many teachers and parents tend to do.


Stage VI: The Period of Intimacy Vs Isolation (18 years to 35 years)

This is the sixth stage of psycho-social development the span of years of early adulthood. During this stage the individual tends to develop a sense of intimacy or commitment to a close relationship with another person. Thus, during this stage the individual seeks to form close personal attachments by merging his identity with that of another person. The relationships develop into such a close involvement that he tends to risk even the loss of his ego or image as is evidenced in the harmonious relationship between husband and wife and intimate friends, and is the ideal relationship between a teacher and his pupil.
     The opposite of intimacy is isolation. When one fails to develop an adequate sense of intimacy by merging one’s identity with that of another person or when relations deteriorate for one reason or another one tends to develop a sense of isolation.


Stage VII : The Period of Creativity Vs Stagnation (35 years to 65 years)

An individual’s life up to this stage is taken up with trying to establish himself in a professional career. Now, he needs to satisfy his need for generativity, a concern to establish and guide the new generation.
As opposed to the some of Generativity, there is a tendency on the part of the individual to become egoistic and selfish. This leads to stagnation and personal impoverishment.


Stage VIII :The Period of Ego-Integrity Vs Despair (Over Sixty Five Years)

This stage of psycho-social development is associated with later adulthood or old age. During this last stage of psycho-social development one is confronted with the final crisis of one’s life span, termed ego-integrity Vs despair. Ego integrity refers to the integration or culmination of the successful resolution of all the seven previous crisis provides a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction to one’s ego.


When one reflects on one’s past and feel satisfied over what could have been or for what should have been done differently. On the other hand, person who have not been to successfully resolve the previous crisis of the developmental stages are sure to feel differently. They look back on their lives both despair and feel dissatisfied with the way they have lived their lives.