Personal Narrative: Autonomy Vs Doubt

As a Toddler, according to Erikson, the crisis that arises is that of Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt. This begins at about 18 months of age. It is also the anal stage according to Freud, when potty training is the focal point, and it is during this period of life that children grasp for a sense of self-control and learn how to surrender (Berger, 2014).
Autonomy was a trait I may not have developed without help from my many female mentors, including my mother of course. During my first year of life, we lived in the country and my mom took every opportunity to bring us closer to nature-both mother and human. One of my favorite tales comes from this time, when my mom-who values nudity- made potty training fun by letting my brother and I loose

She exemplified the theorist Vygotsky’s concept of guided participation in which an adult enlists a child’s help in learning new skills (Berger, 2004). To this day I have a distinct memory of when Nina taught me which way to wipe, first showing me exactly how to do so on herself, so we could then practice together. After this experience, I felt very proud and competent with my newfound skill. Vygotsky stressed the importance of role modeling in early childhood, and I certainly owe much of my independence to the exemplary modeling from the many women in my

In this life stage there is amplified importance given to teachers and friends, and achievement and accomplishment in academics is highly valued. This is the time for developing competence and skill-building (Sokol, 2009). Similarly, according to Freud, this is the latency stage, because sexual urges are repressed, and work is emphasized (Berger, 2004). This certainly rang true for me, as I recall this period of my life as one in which I strived for approval from my teachers and gained immense satisfaction proving my competence to authority. I was lucky to be enrolled in a good elementary school and felt very empowered by my teachers to develop intellectually. I also grew socially and remember well the feelings of collaboration and cooperation among my peers on the playground and in the classroom. I excelled in team settings and also independently. In fact, inferiority was not something I started to feel until adolescence. In these early years, I felt supported and valued by my peers and