Behavior and the Life Span

Behavior and the Life Span

According to Erikson's stages of psychological development, every human goes through a list of eight stages of development. Each of Erikson's stages are marked by a conflict. The resolution of the conflict is considered a major life event. Understanding these eight stages are key to creating a family-orientated advertisement campaign.

The first stage, the oral sensory stage, last from birth to age one and focusing on the conflict of trust vs. mistrust. The basis of this stage is feeding, thus an advertisement would want to focus on the action of feeding and food, creating a feeling of trust towards the product. Stage Two, the Muscular-Anal stage, lasts from age one to age three with a conflict of autonomy vs. shame. The key action here is toilet training. An ad campaign will want to focus on the concept of independent actions and the rewards and satisfaction that derive from this. Stage Three, the locomotor stage, lasts from age three to age six and has a conflict of initiative vs. guilt. The main action here is independence, thus an ad campaign would want to feature a character that is independent and gets their independence from the promoted product. Stage Four, the latency stage, last from age six to age 12 and has a conflict of industry vs. inferiority. The main action here is school, thus the ad will want to be set in a school environment.

Stage Five, the adolescence stage, spans from age 12 to 18 and has a conflict of identity vs. confusion. The main action here is peer relationships, thus an advertisement campaign will want to use characters in a close, positive friendship relationship. Stage six, the young adulthood stage, last from age 18 to 40 and has a conflict o intimacy vs. isolation. The main action here is love relationships, thus the ad campaign will want to feature a positive, happy couple. Stage seven, the middle adulthood stage, last from age 40 to 65 and has a conflict of generativity vs. stagnation. The main action here is parenting, thus the ad campaign should focus on how the product can benefit the viewer as a parent. The final stage, Stage Eight, is maturity and last from age 65 to death and has a conflict of integrity vs. despair. The main action here is the acceptance of one's life, thus the ad should have a senior citizen character who lives their life to the fullest.