Lernzettel: Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages

📋 Course Outline

1. Foundations of Psychosocial Development
2. Early Childhood Crises
3. Play And School Competence
4. Adolescent Identity And Adult Intimacy
5. Maturity And Life Reflection

📖 1. Foundations of Psychosocial Development

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Psychosocial development : the predetermined progression through which personality develops across eight stages from infancy to late adulthood. — Erik Erikson

📝 Essential Points

📌 Successfully resolving a psychosocial crisis supports a healthy personality and the acquisition of basic virtues, whereas failing to resolve it can create a fixation that affects later behavior and personality. — Erik Erikson

• Each psychosocial stage involves a crisis between two opposing tendencies and can produce a distinctive psychological quality or virtue. — Erik Erikson

💡 Memory Hook

Eight crises unfold from infancy to late adulthood, each leading toward a virtue.

📖 2. Early Childhood Crises

★ Must-know

📌 During Stage 1, Trust versus Mistrust from birth to 2 years, consistent, predictable, and loving caregiving fosters trust, while inadequate security can produce mistrust, fear, and insecurity.

📌 During Stage 2, Autonomy versus Doubt from 2 to 3 years, encouragement of small independent tasks with gentle guidance fosters autonomy, while excessive criticism or control produces doubt and inadequacy.

• The favorable outcome of Stage 1 is hope, expressed as a belief that needs will be met and that the world is a safe place.

Further detail

• The favorable outcome of Stage 2 is will, shown by confidence in making decisions and acting independently.

💡 Memory Hook

Trust supports security, whereas autonomy supports independent action.

📖 3. Play And School Competence

★ Must-know

📌 During Stage 3, Initiative versus Guilt from 3 to 5 years, encouragement of curiosity, creativity, and exploration fosters initiative, while excessive restriction or punishment can produce guilt.

📌 During Stage 4, Industry versus Inferiority from 6 to 11 years, success and positive reinforcement in academic and social activities foster industry, while frequent failure or excessive criticism can produce inferiority.

• The favorable outcome of Stage 3 is purpose, expressed through taking initiative, making decisions, planning activities, and leading others.

Further detail

• The favorable outcome of Stage 4 is competence, shown by feeling capable, confident, and proud of accomplishments.

💡 Memory Hook

Encouraged exploration produces initiative, while supported achievement produces competence.

📖 4. Adolescent Identity And Adult Intimacy

★ Must-know

📌 During Stage 5, Identity versus Confusion from 12 to 18 years, exploring beliefs, values, relationships, and career paths supports identity, while premature pressure to adopt an identity can cause confusion or rebellion.

📌 During Stage 6, Intimacy versus Isolation from 19 to 40 years, forming deep and committed relationships produces intimacy, while fear of commitment, rejection, or vulnerability can produce isolation.

• The favorable outcome of Stage 5 is fidelity, expressed as a strong and coherent sense of self, values, beliefs, and future goals.

Further detail

📌 A secure sense of identity from Stage 5 is generally a prerequisite for forming stable, intimate relationships in Stage 6.

💡 Memory Hook

Identity comes before intimacy: first define the self, then form lasting bonds.

📖 5. Maturity And Life Reflection

📝 Essential Points

📌 During Stage 7, Generativity versus Stagnation from 40 to 65 years, contributing to family, work, and society fosters generativity, while disengagement can produce stagnation and self-absorption.

📌 During Stage 8, Integrity versus Despair from 65 years to death, accepting one’s life and finding meaning produces integrity, while dwelling on regrets and perceived failures can produce despair.

• The favorable outcome of Stage 7 is care, developed through mentoring, parenting, community work, or creative endeavors.

• The favorable outcome of Stage 8 is wisdom, expressed through fulfillment, acceptance, satisfaction, and a sense that life was meaningful and well-lived.

💡 Memory Hook

Generativity invests in the next generation, whereas stagnation turns inward.

📊 Synthesis Tables

Stages And Developmental Virtues

Stage	Crisis	Age	Virtue
1	Trust versus Mistrust	Birth to 2 years	Hope
2	Autonomy versus Doubt	2 to 3 years	Will
3	Initiative versus Guilt	3 to 5 years	Purpose
4	Industry versus Inferiority	6 to 11 years	Competence
5	Identity versus Confusion	12 to 18 years	Fidelity
6	Intimacy versus Isolation	19 to 40 years	Love