Erickson Theory of Psychosocial Development and Sigmund Freud of Psychosexual

Development

Age Stage Purpose Description

Infancy Trust Hope Also referred to infancy as

the Oral Sensory Stage (as
(0 - 18 months) vs. anyone might who watches a
Mistrust baby put everything in her
mouth) where the major
emphasis is on the mother's
positive and loving care for
the child, with a big emphasis
on visual contact and touch.
Toddler Autonomy Will During this stage we learn to
master skills for ourselves.
(18 months – 3 vs. Not only do we learn to walk,
years)
Shame and Doubt talk and feed ourselves, we
are learning finer motor
development as well as the
much appreciated toilet
training.
Preschool Age Initiative Purpose During this period we
experience a desire to copy
(3 years – 6 vs. the adults around us and take
years)
Guilt initiative in creating play
situations.
School Age Industry Competen often called the Latency, we
ce are capable of learning,
( 6 years – 12 vs. creating and accomplishing
years)
Inferiority numerous new skills and
knowledge, thus developing a
sense of industry.
Adolescence Identity Fidelity stage at which we are neither
a child nor an adult, life is
(12 years – 20 vs. definitely getting more
years)
Role Confusion complex as we attempt to
find our own identity,
struggle with social
interactions, and grapple with
moral issues.
Young Adult Intimacy Love initial stage of being an adult
we seek one or more
 (20 years - 35 vs. companions and love. As we
years) try to find mutually satisfying
Isolation relationships, primarily
through marriage and friends,
we generally also begin to
start a family, though this
age has been pushed back
for many couples who today
don't start their families until
their late thirties.

Middle Adulthood Generativity Generativity is the concern of

establishing and guiding the
( 35 years – 65 vs. Caring
next generation. Socially-
years)
Stagnation valued work and disciplines
are expressions of
generativity. Simply having or
wanting children does not in
and of itself achieve
generativity.
Late Adulthood Ego Integrity WIsdom this entails facing the ending of
life, and accepting successes
(65 years and vs. and failures, ageing, and loss.
above)
Despair

Sigmund Freud of Psychosexual Development

Stage Age Erogenous Zone Interactions with the Environment

Oral 0-18 Mouth To the infant, the mother's breast not

Stage months only is the source of food and drink, but
also represents her love. Because the
child's personality is controlled by the id
and therefore demands immediate
gratification, responsive nurturing is key.
Both insufficient and forceful feeding can
result in fixation in this stage.
 Anal 18-36 Bowel and he major event at this stage is toilet
Stage months Bladder training, a process through which
Elimination children are taught when, where, and
how excretion is deemed appropriate by
society. Children at this stage start to
notice the pleasure and displeasure
associated with bowel movements.
Through toilet training, they also
discover their own ability to control such
movements. Along with it comes the
realization that this ability gives them
power over their parents. That is, by
exercising control over the retention and
expulsion of feces, a child can choose to
either grand or resist parents' wishes.
Phallic 3-5 years Genitals This is probably the most challenging
Stage stage in a person's psychosexual
development. The key event at this
stage, according to Freud, is the child's
feeling of attraction toward the parent of
the opposite sex, together with envy and
fear of the same-sex parent. In boys, this
situation is called the "Oedipus Complex"
(aka the Oedipal Complex), named after
the young man in a Greek myth who
killed his father and married his mother,
unaware of their true identities. In girls,
it is called the "Electra Complex".

6 years- None This is a period during which sexual

Puberty feelings are suppressed to allow children
Latency
to focus their energy on other aspects of
Stage
life. This is a time of learning, adjusting
to the social environment outside of
home, absorbing the culture, forming
beliefs and values, developing same-sex
friendships, engaging in sports, etc. This
period of sexual latency lasts five to six
years, until puberty, upon which children
become capable of reproduction, and
their sexuality is re-awakened.
Genital From Sexual Interest This stage is marked by a renewed
Stage Puberty Mature sexual interest and desire, and the
On pursuit of relationships.