Erikson's 8 Stages of Development

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Erikson’s 8 Stages of Development Our personality traits come in opposites. We think of ourselves as optimistic or pessimistic, independent or dependent, emotional or unemotional, adventurous or cautious, leader or follower, aggressive or passive. Many of these are inborn temperament traits, but other characteristics, such as feeling either competent or inferior, appear to be learned, based on the challenges and support we receive in growing up. Erikson’s philosophy may be said to go along two major themes: 1. the world gets bigger as we go along and 2. Failure is cumulative. The first point is pretty obvious; we might take an exception to the second. In many cases in individual who has to deal with horrendous circumstances as a child nay be unable to get through later stages as easily as someone who didn’t have as many challenges early on. For example, orphans who weren’t held or touched as infants have an extremely hard time connecting with others when they become adults. There is a chance though that somewhere along the way the strength of human spirit can be started and deficits can be overcome. My case study is on Suzie, my mother; I will add bits of her sister Dale in relating some of Erikson’s stages of development. Suzie’s mother was an alcoholic, as was her dad. She has no memory of stage 1, or living family to relate information from, but was sure her mom took care of her, her 2 sisters, and brother as well as she could. 1. Infancy: Birth to 18 months, Trust vs. Mistrust Because an infant is utterly dependent, the development of trust is based on the dependability and quality of the child’s caregivers. In this stage Susie was nursed, fed, and taken care of. The most significant relationship is with the maternal parent. 2. Early Childhood: 18 Months to 3 years, Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt Suzie was able to master the skills of fine motor
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