There are a few theories of the stages of human development, but I have found Erik H. Erickson’s stages of psychosocial development one of the most helpful.  He along with his wife Joan Erikson developed a model of psychosocial development.  This included the eight stages most people go through during their lifetime.  During each of these stages people have a crisis to solve and if it does not get resolved they struggle to move on to later stages or move on whilst holding onto unhelpful beliefs.  This theory is outlined in detail in Erik H. Erikson’s book The Life Cycle Completed.

1. Trust vs. Mistrust

This stage occurs during infancy and up until a baby is about 2 years of age.  This is when babies start to figure out if they can trust other people and trust the world.  During this time the babies most, significant relationship is with their mother.  If they learn to trust the world and the people around them this develops in them a deep sense of hope that things will get better.  If during this time an infant’s basic needs are not met, they can develop a sense of mistrust.  This can leave them feeling abandoned and not believing that others can help them.

2. Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt

This stage occurs between 2 and 4 years of age.  Autonomy means feeling that you can do things for yourself.  This is when children learn to dress themselves and go to the toilet without assistance.  The most significant relationships a child has at this age are their parents and close family members.  If a child does not develop the ability to complete tasks for themselves, they can develop a deep sense of shame and doubt in their own abilities. They will come to a point where they may feel it is not okay to be who they are.

3. Initiative vs. Guilt

Children during the period from 5 to 8 years of age are developing a sense of purpose. This is the time children start to figure out if they have the ability to do the things they want or obtain the things they need.  Usually during this time their closest relationships remain with family but may extend to close friends or schoolteachers.  This is when children start really exploring and shaping their world and when they start to understand whether this is accepted by those closest to them.

4. Industry vs. Inferiority

During middle childhood (9 to 12 years) children start to understand if they can make it in the world.  Their significant relationships expand to the wider neighbourhood with clubs, sports groups and special interest groups becoming more important.  School also becomes an important place where they start to compare themselves to their peers in terms of competence. If they do not develop a belief in their own abilities to be productive, they can begin to feel not good enough or believe they will not be able to make it in the world.  When people do not resolve this stage, they may believe others are always better than them or that they will never be good enough.

5. Identity vs. Role Confusion

During the teen years from 13 to 19 years of age young people start to develop a sense of who they are and who they can become.  They begin to develop role models or people who they would like to be similar to. Peers also take on added significance during this time with friendships being some of the most important relationships during this time.  If people do not develop a consistent sense of who they are during this period they may become confused in terms of their identity.  There are a number of important models of adolescent development which I will outline in more detail in later blog posts.

6. Intimacy vs. Isolation

Early adulthood (20 – 39 years) is a period where romantic relationships are formed.  Relationships with intimate partners take on a prominent role with friends also remaining important during this time.  Questions that need to be answered during this stage include can I love others and am I loveable.  Long term relationships require commitment, sacrifices and compromises, which may be difficult if people are focused on their own needs.  If long term intimate relationships are not achieved during this period isolation can occur.

7. Generativity vs. Stagnation

This is a stage when work and parenthood often take centre stage.  Middle adulthood from 40 to 59 years is when we develop our sense of care for others through our work or caregiving.  This can also be a stage where we need to care for our own parents.  The questions people struggle with during this time include can I make my life count for something and am I growing into someone I am proud of.  If we feel unable to make our lives count, we can reach a place where change can feel difficult.  This is a time where there are usually many tasks in a person’s life such as maintaining health lifestyle habits, raising children, creating a home, looking after parents as they age, helping children to leave home, more work responsibility as well as civic and social responsibility.  It is particularly a time when it is ideal to pass on knowledge to future generations and this can be done with one’s own children, through work and through leisure activities.

8. Ego Integrity vs. Despair

This is the last stage in Erickson’s stages and occurs from 60 years till death. This is when people reflect on their life.  The most significant relationships during this time expand to all of humankind seeing the connections with many other people.  This is a time when wisdom is developed.  If people are unhappy with the way they have lived their life they enter a period of despair.  This despair can lead to depression and hopelessness and many people need to grieve the loss of the hope they held for their life at the start of the seventh stage.  Many people can find other sources of pride in their life such as participating in voluntary work or caring for grandchildren.

It has been proposed by Erikson’s wife Joan that there is in fact a ninth stage.  This stage occurs in people aged over 80 years.  It was developed after Erik H. Erikson passed away and was based on, he and his wife’s reflections during the later stages of his life.  They proposed that during these years people reflect on the previous stages and if there are unresolved conflicts at any of the earlier stages these become more apparent.  For example, during these years older people may experience intense feelings of mistrust or guilt if these were unresolved in earlier stages.

Erickson’s model is a general guide to life stages and may not apply to all cultures or age groups and may indeed change over generations.  For example, there are trends where people are marrying later and having children later which may lead to people going through these stages later in life.  However, Erickson’s model is useful to consider.  Particularly which life period you are in and if there have been events in your life which may have prevented you from resolving conflict at a certain stage.  Additionally, trauma can lead to the development of beliefs which are unhelpful in terms of resolving these stages and moving forward in life.   Reflecting on how you will feel when you reach later stages of development can help you to plan your current stages more effectively.  Helping people understand and move through these stages can be an important aspect of therapy.

A psychologist can help you if your friends are moving onto later stages and you are feeling stuck or if you have experienced trauma or other events which have led to difficulties resolving a life stage.  Ask yourself if you are happy in your current life stage and whether the choices you are making are setting you up to be able to positively resolve your current life stage as well as your future life stages.