Erikson's psychosocial development theory erik erikson's psychosocial crisis life cycle model the eight stages of human development

(To direct behaviour 

outward or be 

retentive. Of course 

very Freudian...)

 

progression through this period. The significance of parental reaction is 

not limited to bottoms and pooh - it concerns all aspects of toddler 

exploration and discovery while small children struggle to find their 

feet - almost literally - as little people in their own right. The 'terrible 

twos' and 'toddler tantrums' are a couple of obvious analogies which 

represent these internal struggles and parental battles. The parental 

balancing act is a challenging one, especially since parents themselves 

are having to deal with their own particular psychosocial crisis, and of 

course deal with the influence of their own emotional triggers which 

were conditioned when they themselves passed through earlier 

formative crisis stages. What are the odds that whenever a parent 

berates a child, "That's dirty.." it will be an echo from their own past 

experience at this very stage? 

3. Initiative v Guilt 

 

'To make (= going 

after)'

 

 

'To "make like" (= 

playing)'

 

 

(To make and 

complete things, and 

to make things 

together. To pursue 

ideas, plans)

 

Initiative is the capability to devise actions or projects, and a 

confidence and belief that it is okay to do so, even with a risk of failure 

or making mistakes. Guilt means what it says, and in this context is the 

feeling that it is wrong or inappropriate to instigate something of one's 

own design. Guilt results from being admonished or believing that 

something is wrong or likely to attract disapproval. Initiative flourishes 

when adventure and game-playing is encouraged, irrespective of how 

daft and silly it seems to the grown-up in charge. Suppressing 

adventure and experimentation, or preventing young children doing 

things for themselves because of time, mess or a bit of risk will inhibit 

the development of confidence to initiate, replacing it instead with an 

unhelpful fear of being wrong or unapproved. The fear of being 

admonished or accused of being stupid becomes a part of the 

personality. "If I don't initiate or stick my neck out I'll be safe.." (from 

feeling guilty and bad). Parents, carers and older siblings have a 

challenge to get the balance right between giving young children 

enough space and encouragement so as to foster a sense of purpose and 

confidence, but to protect against danger, and also to enable a sensible 

exposure to trail and error, and to the consequences of mistakes, 

without which an irresponsible or reckless tendency can develop. 

 

This crisis stage correlates with Freud's psychosexual Phallic stage, 

characterised by a perfectly natural interest in genitals, where babies 

come from, and as Freud asserted, an attachment to the opposite sex 

parent, and the murky mysteries of the Oedipus Complex, Penis Envy 

and Castration Anxiety, about which further explanation and 

understanding is not critical to appreciating Erikson's theory. 

 

What's more essential is to recognise that children of this age are not 

wicked or bad or naughty, they are exploring and 

4. Industry v 

Industry here refers to purposeful or meaningful activity. It's the 

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Inferiority 

 

'To make (= going 

after)'

 

 

'To "make like" and 

complete things, and 

to make things 

together'

 

 

(To initiate projects 

or ideas, and to 

collaborate and 

cooperate with others 

to produce 

something.)

 

development of competence and skills, and a confidence to use a 

'method', and is a crucial aspect of school years experience. Erikson 

described this stage as a sort of 'entrance to life'. This correlates with 

Freud's psychosexual Latency stage, when sexual motives and concerns 

are largely repressed while the young person concentrates on work and 

skills development. A child who experiences the satisfaction of 

achievement - of anything positive - will move towards successful 

negotiation of this crisis stage. A child who experiences failure at 

school tasks and work, or worse still who is denied the opportunity to 

discover and develop their own capabilities and strengths and unique 

potential, quite naturally is prone to feeling inferior and useless. 

Engaging with others and using tools or technology are also important 

aspects of this stage. It is like a rehearsal for being productive and 

being valued at work in later life. Inferiority is feeling useless; unable 

to contribute, unable to cooperate or work in a team to create 

something, with the low self-esteem that accompanies such feelings. 

 

Erikson knew this over fifty years ago. How is it that the people in 

charge of children's education still fail to realise this? Develop the child 

from within. Help them to find and excel at what they are naturally 

good at, and then they will achieve the sense of purpose and industry 

on which everything else can then be built. 

5. Identity v Role 

Confusion 

 

'To be oneself (or not 

to be)'

 

 

'To share being 

oneself'

 

 

(To be yourself and to 

share this with others. 

Affirmation or 

otherwise of how you 

see yourself.)

 

Identity means essentially how a person sees themselves in relation to 

their world. It's a sense of self or individuality in the context of life and 

what lies ahead. Role Confusion is the negative perspective - an 

absence of identity - meaning that the person cannot see clearly or at all 

who they are and how they can relate positively with their 

environment. This stage coincides with puberty or adolescence, and the 

reawakening of the sexual urge whose dormancy typically characterises 

the previous stage. 

 

Young people struggle to belong and to be accepted and affirmed, and 

yet also to become individuals. In itself this is a big dilemma, aside 

from all the other distractions and confusions experienced at this life 

stage. 

 

Erikson later replaced the term 'Role Confusion' with 'Identity 

Diffusion'. In essence they mean the same. 

6. Intimacy v 

Isolation 

 

'To lose and find 

oneself in another'

 

 

Intimacy means the process of achieving relationships with family and 

marital or mating partner(s). Erikson explained this stage also in terms 

of sexual mutuality - the giving and receiving of physical and 

emotional connection, support, love, comfort, trust, and all the other 

elements that we would typically associate with healthy adult 

relationships conducive to mating and child-rearing. There is a strong 

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