During this stage the child learns: (1) to imagine, to broaden his skills through active play of all sorts, including fantasy (2) to cooperate with others (3) to lead as well as to follow (Wagner, 2007). Immobilized by guilt, he is: (1) fearful (2) hangs on the fringes of groups (3) continues to depend unduly on adults and (4) is restricted both in the development of play skills and in imagination (Wagner, 2007). During these years, the preschool aged child begins to assert his power and control over the world. Children that are successful at this stage feel capable and are able to lead others. In this stage exploration is very important, and the well-adjusted and treated child begins to explore his surroundings without any feelings of fear or uncertainty. This stage builds on the previous one because the child uses the skills such as confidence and independence in the application of being able to securely explore the world around him.
Erikson's for the stage is described as the industry vs. The inferiority or competence stage. Erikson believes that the fourth psychosocial crisis is handled, for better or worse, during what he calls the "school age," presumably up to and possibly including some of junior high school. In this stage the child learns to master the more formal skills of life: (1) relating with peers according to rules (2) progressing from free play to play that may be elaborately structured by rules and may demand formal teamwork, such as baseball and (3) mastering social studies, reading, arithmetic (Wagner, 2007). In this stage, through social interactions, children begin to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments and abilities. Children who are encouraged and commended by parents and teachers develop a feeling of competence and belief in their skills.
Also at this stage, homework is a necessity, and the need for self-discipline increases yearly. The child who, because of his successive and successful resolutions of earlier psychosocial crisis, is trusting, autonomous, and full of initiative will learn easily enough to be industrious (Wagner, 2007). However, the mistrusting child will doubt the future, and this shame and guilt ridden child will experience defeat and inferiority. In this stage school and school processes are important events because the child needs to cope with new social and academic demands that did not exist prior. If the child is able to socially interact with others well, the child has adjusted well to this stage. However, if the child has difficulty in meeting the new academic demands, such as learning basic things in school, the child emerges with shame and guilt and feels inferior to others in his school classroom.
Erikson's fifth stage is the learning identity vs. diffusion stage that occurs in adolescence, where the child is about 13 or 14 years old until they are around 20 years old. This stage differs greatly from the prior four stages, where the well taken care of and nurtured child adapts quickly to each stage and emerges as a capable child after each stage. In this fifth stage, even the well-adjusted of adolescent experiences some role identity diffusion, such as delinquency, rebellion and insecurity or doubts. According to Erikson, during successful early adolescence, mature time perspective is developed; the young person acquires self-certainty as opposed to self-consciousness and self-doubt (Erikson, 1950). The adolescent comes to experiment with different, although usually constructive, roles rather than adopting a negative behavior, such as delinquent acts.
In Erikson's fifth stage, the adolescent anticipates achievement, and accomplishments. In later adolescence, clear sexual identity, such as manhood or womanhood, is established. The adolescent seeks leadership (someone to inspire him), and gradually develops a set of ideals (socially congruent and desirable, in the case of the successful adolescent) (Wagner, 2007). Erikson believes that, in our culture, adolescence affords a "psychosocial moratorium," particularly for middle - and upper-class American children (Wagner, 2007). They do not yet have to "play for keeps," but can experiment, trying various roles, and thus hopefully find the one most suitable for them (Wagner, 2007). In this stage social relationships with others are very important events, because teenagers need to develop a sense of self and personal identity. In this stage, success leads to an ability to stay true to yourself, while at the same time failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self
Erikson's sixth stage is called the learning intimacy vs. isolation stage, which occurs when the young adult is capable of experiencing true intimacy, such as a strong friendship or successful marriage. This stage covers the period of early adulthood when people...
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now