8 Stages of Psychological Development

June 15th marks the birthday of Erik Erikson, one of the most influential psychologists in the field of developmental psychology!

About Erikson & His Legacy

Erik Erikson is known for his contributions in developmental psychology, but he also practiced psychoanalysis and was a lecturer in major universities like Harvard, Yale, and University of California - Berkeley even though he did not hold a formal degree himself.?

Erikson’s contributions included topics like the 8 stages of psychological development but also the coining of terms like ‘identity crisis.’ He also shows the importance of the intersection between the individual and culture, how the individual fits in the framework of society (Douvan, 1997).???

The American Psychological Association (APA) ranked Erikson as the 12th most influential psychologist of all time, just under Maslow and Allport (Haggbloom et al., 2002).??

The 8 Stages of Psychological Development?

1. Hope: Trust vs. Mistrust (0-2 yrs): An infant needs its basic needs met otherwise it might become anxious and not trust others.?
2. Will: Autonomy vs. shame/doubt (2-4 yrs): Here, infants develop their will by learning to exercise control over their immediate physical environment.?
3. Purpose: Initiative vs. guilt (4-5 yrs): At this stage, toddlers begin to complete tasks on their own which is important for developing their abilities and feeling a purpose.?
4. Competence: Industry vs. inferiority (5-12 yrs): At this stage, children are undertaking more complex tasks and their sense of self-worth and proficiency is established and growing as new skills are developed. The likelihood a child’s self-beliefs will properly form is increased by the surrounding support they receive as they take on more challenging tasks.?

5. Fidelity: Identity vs. role confusion (adolescence, 13-19yrs): During adolescence, support continues to play an important role as children form a more developed sense of who they are while learning to be more independent of others. The importance of successfully completing more and more complex tasks continues.?

6. Love: Intimacy vs. isolation (early & emerging adulthood, 20-40yrs): At this stage, emerging adults establish and nurture relationships with people they value and trust, ultimately learning their own vulnerability.?

7. Care: Generativity vs. stagnation (adulthood, 40-65yrs): During adulthood, Erikson establishes that people learn to care for others, not just themselves. The goal of this stage is learning to care for others without feeling the need for the giving to be reciprocated, leading to a sense of purpose and meaning.

8. Wisdom: Ego integrity vs. despair (maturity): This is the last stage of life where people learn to accept mortality which happens if they believe the life they lived has been successful and fulfilling.?

While this 8-stage model for development is powerful, it only scratches the surface of all that Erikson has contributed to the field (Maree, 2021).?

References

Douvan, E. (1997). Erik Erikson: Critical times, critical theory. Child psychiatry and human development, 28(1), 15-21.

Haggbloom, S. J., Warnick, R., Warnick, J. E., Jones, V. K., Yarbrough, G. L., Russell, T. M., ... & Monte, E. (2002). The 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century. Review of General Psychology, 6(2), 139-152.

Maree, J. G. (2021). The psychosocial development theory of Erik Erikson: critical overview. Early Child Development and Care, 191(7-8), 1107-1121.