Sigmund Bicickson: The Stages Of Erik Erickson's Theory

A lot of Erik Erickson’s ideas were molded from what Sigmund Freud’s statements were. Erickson extended on what Freud had previously set up in his research. Although, Erickson’s model goes through the entire lifespan. In this paper we will go through and discuss each individual stage of Erickson’s model. The first stage of Erickson’s model is the Trust V. Mistrust stage. This stage is from the age groups of infancy to a year and a half old. It states that trust is built up if their needs are met by their caregivers or parents. If their needs aren’t met they won’t develop trust and as they grow older they will become less competent. An infant can’t fend for itself and is totally dependent on their caregiver for their basic needs. It is also stated that when needs aren’t met Mcleod (2008) “then the infant will develop a sense of mistrust and will not have confidence in the world.”

Role Confusion. This is where a lot of the “who am I?” questions will start to arise. Personally, I feel like this is one of the most important stages in a person’s life. Children will begin to explore their sense of self and decide what they want to do in life. The main conflict in this stage is developing a personal identity. Children begin to become more independent and start looking at the questions of what they want to do for a career, housings, families, and colleges. It is the stepping stone for your adult life. A child may re-examine their identity multiple times before they finally figure out what they want. McLeod (2008) “Erikson suggests that two identities are involved: the sexual and the occupational.” At first a child may not be happy with how their body is but overtime the rest of their body will grow into it. If a child is not successful in this stage they will suffer from role confusion. They will be unsure of what their future will look like and don’t have a sense of self