Finding one’s self and discovering one’s own identity is crucial for positive development. People develop their own personal identity in different ways, however, most identities are developed through the experiences and crises that a person faces throughout life. These crises can be observed through Erik Erikson’s 8 physical, emotional, and psychological stages of development (Mudrey, Psychosocial Timeline, 2018, p. 1). These stages include: Trust vs. Mistrust, Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt, Initiative vs. Guilt, Industry vs. Inferiority, Identity vs. Role Confusion, Intimacy vs. Isolation, Generativity vs. Stagnation, and Integrity vs. Despair. These 8 stages of development occur from infancy to older adulthood. Humans develop a sense of identity to help face these challenges in life. These challenges also influence a person’s identity and self awareness. My own personal meaning of psychosocial would be the social factors that impact the development of one’s identity. I believe that social influences play the greatest role in the finding of one’s self. …show more content…
Mistrust. The first stage of psychosocial development occurs at infancy and has to do with hope. During this time in an infant’s life, the infant is uncertain of what or who it should trust. This is an important time for infants to develop attachments with their personal caregivers, such as the parents (McLeod, 2017). It is the caregivers primary job to ensure the child feels safe and certain about the environment and others around them. A stable environment for the infant will lead to the infant developing a trusting nature and sense of hope. Mistrust can be developed if an infant is placed in an unstable and unpredictable environment. If an infant has a mustrusting relationship with their primary caregivers, they will have a distrusting attitude in future personal relationships. An important aspect is a child’s development of attachment during these early
When this happens, it will cause a strain in the relationship between the caregiver and infant. Based on Erik Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development mentioned earlier, an infant undergoes the first stage known as trust versus mistrust. This stage is a period whereby an infant develops either trust or mistrust of the world around them and it can impact a person’s behaviour or interactions for the rest of their life. Thus, it is important that the caregiver responds promptly to the infant’s signals of distress in order for them to develop a sense of trust and understand that someone cares for them and will be responsive to their
Everybody has their own identity, it is something that is specific to each individual, and describes who one is, and how they fit into society. This identity develops throughout the entirety of one’s life. Many psychologists such as Freud, Piaget, and Kohlberg have created theories explaining this identity development. They divide this development into distinct stages that all people go through. One theory that is particularly effective in explaining the stages of life is the one by Erik Erikson. In his theory, Erikson states that the development of personality and identity in people is strongly influenced by the culture surrounding them. He says that people develop in eight distinct stages, spanning the entirety of their lives. In each stage,
Human development or developmental psychology is a scientific approach of developing psychological adaptations that occur in human beings throughout their lifespan. Knowledge of developmental psychology is highly gratifying and important in terms of enhancing skills to make a purposeful difference in children’s lives. By understanding developmental psychology, nurses or caregivers can plan appropriate care for their clients. Human development is not just a part of psychology, it also deals with biology, anthropology, sociology and history. Developmental psychology appraises change across a wide range of factors which encompass motor skills, problem solving abilities, cognitive thinking, conceptual and moral understanding and other
Many philosophers and psychologist from Jean Piaget to William James have theorized what makes a person who they are, their identity. Jean Piaget believed that the identity is formed in the sensorimotor stage and the preoperational stage. This means that a child is forming his identity as late to the age of seven (Schellenberg, 29) However, identity is strongly impacted by society such as school, church, government,and other institutions. Through our interactions with different situations our personality develops (Schellenberg 34). "In most situations there is a more diversified opportunity for the development of social identities, reflecting what the individual wants to put forth to define the self as well as what others want to accept,"(Schellenberg 35). Therefore, humans, much like animals, adapt to different situations based on who they are with. Individuals are always changi...
Human development is a highly complex lifelong process. Identity is a self-definition or sense of who one is, where one is going, and how one fits into society. It relates to our basic values that dictates the choices we make in life. It is considered that identity formation is a means of finding oneself, by matching one’s talent with available social roles. Crisis is a vital part in one’s development. It occurs in every stage of finding one’s self and without resolution, may lead to tension and role confusion. Dedicated and influential theorists such as Erik Erikson and James Marcia have contributed significantly to the broadening and understanding
According to Erik Erickson, in the first year of a child’s life, the main challenge is to establish trust. After birth, an infant must depend completely on others to fulfill their needs. To create a safe environment for the baby, a caregiver must provide things like food, love, and safety. Overall, if the child’s needs are met, the child should develop a positive and trusting attitude toward the world. This security will allow them to build trust with others in the future. For infants that are mistreated or neglected, the world would seem like a scary place. Sadly, they create a barrier and learn to mistrust others. Also, if the child’s needs are not completely fulfilled, the child may develop an insecure attitude (Romero).
This assignment’s main focus will be centred on Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, which consists of eight stages however only the fifth stage ‘identity versus role confusion’ will be discussed. Aspects such as identity crises, exploration of autonomy whilst developing a sense of self, factors that may contribute to identity formation as well as the successful/unsuccessful resolution of this particular stage will be discussed thoroughly. Erikson’s theory was also expanded by James Marcia, who identified certain identity statuses. The discussion will then progress to the psychosocial development of a case study based on Anna Monroe in connection to the difficulties she faced, such as gender, sexuality, peer pressure,
The first stage in Erikson’s psychosocial theory is the Trust vs. Mistrust stage. This stage is from birth to about one year of age. This is the time when an infant child learns to depend on another for affection, comfort, and nutrition eventually learning to blindly trust the primary caregivers to provide these things (Cooper, 1998). When the infants needs are met, then the infant develops a specific attachment with their caregiver, if the outcome is negative then the infant learns to mistrust the people around them and the environment that they are in. This brings us to the next stage in psychosocial
Psychoanalyst Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development explains how the human identity develops and evolves in eight stages from birth to death. Each one occurs in a predetermined order; the current stage builds upon the previous one and lays the groundwork for future stages (Wikimedia). Each stage has a specific “crisis” or conflict, a turning point in the individual’s life which must be reconciled before moving on to the next. If the conflict is handled well, the individual gains “ego strength” in the form of a corresponding virtue. If the conflict is handled poorly, the individual not only fails to develop that virtue, but his/her ability to complete later stages is hindered resulting in diminished “ego quality” or psychosocial health (Erikson, 188-225).
In Erik Erikson’s theory of Trust versus Mistrust is infants learn to trust their caregivers will meet their basic needs, and infants learn to mistrust their caregivers when their basic
Erikson’s theory has eight stages of development and a corresponding age range for each stage. The first stage is known as trust versus mistrust, which occurs from birth to a child’s first year, during this stage the infant learns that he o...
There are three different types of development one goes through. These three developments are cognitive, psychosocial, and physical. First, cognitive development is development within the areas of learning, attention, memory, thinking, learning, and creativity. An example is, when a child turns the age of 12 or higher, and that child becomes able to think abstractly and logically. Next, psychosocial development is development of emotions, personality, and social relationships. An example of this is, when a younger child begins to interact socially with other children. Lastly, physical development is the development of the senses, motor skills, health, and wellness. In other words, physical development are changes in the mind and body. An example
The first stage, which happens between birth and 18 months, is trust vs. mistrust. During this stage, an infant is confused about the world being a safe place and wonders if his or her needs will be met. As a result, the infant looks to the primary caretaker for consistent care and hopes that his or her needs can be met. Erikson explains that those that receive constant care during this stage will develop a sense of trust.
No matter who you are I believe that everyone will go through stages in their life that will get them to where they are on today. I am a person who has a very interesting story; this is the first time it will be told in full. We were asked to use Erik Erikson’s theory of development as a guideline to telling the story of our lives. At first I was very nervous; however, I soon realized that this would be a fun task. Erik Erikson has eight stages of Development (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman). I will be walking you though my life using each one of his stages drawing out the map of my life. Within my life I have had some very interesting encounters. I have been through foster care, abuse, rape, molestation, starvation, adoption, depression, and success. Although my life may not be perfect, I believe that I have overcome these battles and become the person that I am on today. I will be talking about a few crises, milestones, and some of the people that were set in place to help me and or hurt me.
During the first stage, the first or second year of life, the major emphasis is on the whether the child develops trust. Children learn to trust or mistrust their environment and their caregivers. Trust develops when children’s needs are met consistently, predictable, and lovingly (Morrison, 2007, p. 126); therefor...