THE THEORY OF

PSYCHOLOGICA
L DEVELOPMENT
 Erickson's
Psychological
Development
 Trust Versus
Mistrust (Birth
to About 18
Months)
• During this stage, the infant is uncertain about
the world in which they live, and looks towards
their primary caregiver for stability and
consistency of care.
• If these needs are not consistently met,
mistrust, suspicion, and anxiety may develop.
• Success in this stage will lead to the virtue
of hope
Autonomy Versus Shame
and Doubt (About 18
Months to About 3 Years)
• children at this stage are focused on developing a
sense of personal control over physical skills and a
sense of independence.
• Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of will.
If children in this stage are encouraged and
supported in their increased independence, they
become more confident and secure in their own
ability to survive in the world.
• If children are criticized, overly controlled, or not
given the opportunity to assert themselves, they
begin to feel inadequate in their ability to survive,
and may then become overly dependent upon
others, lack self-esteem, and feel a sense of shame
or doubt in their abilities.
Initiative Versus
Guilt (About 3
Years to About
5 Years)
• During the initiative versus guilt stage, children assert
themselves more frequently.
• the primary feature involves the child regularly
interacting with other children at school. Central to this
stage is play, as it provides children with the opportunity
to explore their interpersonal skills through initiating
activities.
• Conversely, if this tendency is squelched, either through
criticism or control, children develop a sense of guilt.
The child will often overstep the mark in his
forcefulness, and the danger is that the parents will tend
to punish the child and restrict his initiatives too much.
• Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of purpose
Industry Versus Inferiority
(About 5 Years to About
13 Years)
• Children are at the stage where they will be learning to
read and write, to do sums, to do things on their own.
• It is at this stage that the child’s peer group will gain
greater significance and will become a major source of
the child’s self-esteem. The child now feels the need to
win approval by demonstrating specific competencies
that are valued by society and begin to develop a
sense of pride in their accomplishments.
• If the child cannot develop the specific skill they feel
society is demanding (e.g., being athletic) then they
may develop a sense of inferiority.
• Success in this stage will lead to the virtue
of competence.
 Identity Versus Role
Confusion (About 13 Years
to About 21 Years)
• adolescents search for a sense of self and personal
identity, through an intense exploration of personal
values, beliefs, and goals.
• This is a major stage of development where the child
has to learn the role she will occupy as an adult. It is
during this stage that the adolescent will re-examine
his identity and try to find out exactly who he or she
is.
• Failure to establish a sense of identity within society
("I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up") can
lead to role confusion. Role confusion involves the
individual not being sure about themselves or their
place in society.
• Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of fidelity.
Intimacy Versus Isolation
(About 21 Years to About
40 Years)
• During this period, the major conflict centers on
forming intimate, loving relationships with other
people.
• Avoiding intimacy, fearing commitment and
relationships can lead to isolation, loneliness, and
sometimes depression
• Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of love.
 Generativity
Versus
Stagnation
(About 40 Years
to About 60
Years)
• People experience a need to create or nurture things that
will outlast them, often having mentees or creating
positive changes that will benefit other people.
• We give back to society through raising our children, being
productive at work, and becoming involved in community
activities and organizations. Through generativity we
develop a sense of being a part of the bigger picture.
• By failing to find a way to contribute, we become stagnant
and feel unproductive.
• Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of care.
Integrity Versus
Despair (About
60 Years to
Death)
• Erik Erikson believed if we see our lives as unproductive,
feel guilt about our past, or feel that we did not
accomplish our life goals, we become dissatisfied with life
and develop despair, often leading to depression and
hopelessness.
• Wise people are not characterized by a continuous state of
ego integrity, but they experience both ego integrity and
despair.
• Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of wisdom.
• It is during this time that we contemplate our
accomplishments and can develop integrity if we see
ourselves as leading a successful life.
NURSING IMPLICATIONS
• Application of Erikson's stages of psychosocial development helps in
analyzing patient's symptomatic behavior in the context of traumatic
past experiences and struggles with current developmental tasks.
• When patients' resolutions of previous psychosocial stages have been so
faulty as to seriously compromise their adult development, they have
the opportunity to rework early development through the relationship
with the therapist. (Newton DS, Newton PM, 1998).
• The provision of good psychosocial care has been shown to be beneficial
for patients by reducing both psychological distress and physical
symptoms through increasing quality of life, enhancing coping and
reducing levels of pain and nausea with a consequent reduction on
demands for hospital resources (Ellis et al 2006; Carlson and Bultz
2003). The relationship between the nurse and the patient should be
based on being open and honest, trust, understanding, respect, being
present, providing social support and setting mutual goals. This trusting
relationship is very important for the patients experiencing psychosocial
distress. The nurses and the health care providers create an
environment in which the patients feel safe, confident and comfortable
to relate and communicate. This relationship comforts the patients and
the family members.
• "The object of psychotherapy is not to head off future
conflict but to assist the patient in emerging from each
crisis "with an increased sense of inner unity, with an
increase of good judgment, and an increase in the
capacity `to do well' according to his own standards and
to the standards of those who are significant to him."
(Erikson in Identity: Youth and Crisis
• The psychosocial assessment of a patient is an extremely
important part of nursing care. The goal of this course is
to provide a basic overview of the psychosocial
assessment, this course will help the nurse determine if
the patient is in a state of metal health or mental illness.