{"id":3508,"date":"2016-03-25T15:49:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-25T15:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/141651334347-2\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T07:31:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T00:31:32","slug":"141651334347-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/141651334347-2\/","title":{"rendered":"141651334347"},"content":{"rendered":"

Erikson’s theory of personality<\/h1>\n

The Erikson life-stage virtue, in order of the eight stages in which they may be acquired, are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Hope, Basic trust vs. basic mistrust<\/b>\u2014This stage covers the
    \nperiod of infancy, 0-1 year of age, which is the most fundamental stage
    \nof life. Whether the baby develops basic trust or basic mistrust is not
    \nmerely a matter of nurture. It is multi-faceted and has strong social
    \ncomponents. It depends on the quality of the maternal relationship. The
    \nmother carries out and reflects their inner perceptions of
    \ntrustworthiness, a sense of personal meaning, etc. on the child. If
    \nsuccessful in this, the baby develops a sense of trust, which \u201cforms the
    \n basis in the child for a sense of identity.\u201d Failure to develop this
    \ntrust will result in a feeling of fear and a sense that the world is
    \ninconsistent and unpredictable.<\/li>\n
  2. Will, Autonomy vs. Shame<\/b>\u2014Covers early childhood around 1\u20133
    \nyears old. Introduces the concept of autonomy vs. shame and doubt. The
    \nchild begins to discover the beginnings of his or her independence, and
    \nparents must facilitate the child\u2019s sense of doing basic tasks \u201call by
    \nhimself\/herself.\u201d Discouragement can lead to the child doubting his or
    \nher efficacy. During this stage the child is usually trying to master
    \ntoilet training.<\/li>\n
  3. Purpose, Initiative vs. Guilt<\/b>\u2014Preschool \/ 3\u20136 years. Does the
    \n child have the ability to or do things on their own, such as dress him
    \nor herself? If \u201cguilty\u201d about making his or her own choices, the child
    \nwill not function well. Erikson has a positive outlook on this stage,
    \nsaying that most guilt is quickly compensated by a sense of
    \naccomplishment.<\/li>\n
  4. Competence, Industry vs. Inferiority<\/b>\u2014School-age
    \n \/ 6\u201311 years. Child comparing self-worth to others (such as in a
    \nclassroom environment). Child can recognize major disparities in
    \npersonal abilities relative to other children. Erikson places some
    \nemphasis on the teacher, who should ensure that children do not feel
    \ninferior.<\/li>\n
  5. Fidelity, Identity vs. Role Confusion<\/b>\u2014Adolescent
    \n \/ 12\u201318 years. Questioning of self. Who am I, how do I fit in? Where am
    \n I going in life? Erikson believes, that if the parents allow the child
    \nto explore, they will conclude their own identity. If, however, the
    \nparents continually push him\/her to conform to their views, the teen
    \nwill face identity confusion.<\/li>\n
  6. Love, Intimacy vs. isolation<\/b>\u2014This
    \n is the first stage of adult development. This development usually
    \nhappens during young adulthood, which is between the ages of 18 to 35.
    \nDating, marriage, family and friendships are important during the stage
    \nin their life. By successfully forming loving relationships with other
    \npeople, individuals are able to experience love and intimacy. Those who
    \nfail to form lasting relationships may feel isolated and alone.<\/li>\n
  7. Care, Generativity vs. stagnation<\/b>\u2014The second stage of
    \nadulthood happens between the ages of 35-64. During this time people are
    \n normally settled in their life and know what is important to them. A
    \nperson is either making progress in their career or treading lightly in
    \ntheir career and unsure if this is what they want to do for the rest of
    \ntheir working lives. Also during this time, a person is enjoying raising
    \n their children and participating in activities, that gives them a sense
    \n of purpose. If a person is not comfortable with the way their life is
    \nprogressing, they\u2019re usually regretful about the decisions that they
    \nhave made in the past and feel a sense of uselessness.<\/li>\n
  8. Wisdom, Ego integrity vs. despair<\/b>\u2014This stage affects the age
    \ngroup of 65 and on. During this time an individual has reached the last
    \nchapter in their life and retirement is approaching or has already taken
    \n place. Ego-integrity means the acceptance of life in its fullness: the
    \nvictories and the defeats, what was accomplished and what was not
    \naccomplished. Wisdom is the result of successfully accomplishing this final developmental task. Wisdom is defined as \u201cinformed and detached concern for life itself in the face of death itself.\u201d<\/li>\n
  9. For Ninth Stage<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    • \u201cBasic Mistrust vs. Trust: Hope\u201d<\/b>
      \nIn the ninth stage, \u201celders are forced to mistrust their own
      \ncapabilities\u201d because one\u2019s \u201cbody inevitably weakens.\u201d Yet, Joan Erikson
      \n asserts that \u201cwhile there is light, there is hope\u201d for a \u201cbright light
      \nand revelation.\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cShame and Doubt vs. Autonomy: Will\u201d<\/b>
      \nNinth stage elders face the \u201cshame of lost control\u201d and doubt \u201ctheir
      \nautonomy over their own bodies.\u201d So it is that \u201cshame and doubt
      \nchallenge cherished autonomy.\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cInferiority vs. Industry: Competence\u201d<\/b>
      \nIndustry as a \u201cdriving force\u201d that elders once had is gone in the ninth
      \nstage. Being incompetent \u201cbecause of aging is belittling\u201d and makes
      \nelders \u201clike unhappy small children of great age.\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cIdentity confusion vs. Identity: Fidelity\u201d<\/b>
      \nElders experience confusion about their \u201cexistential identity\u201d in the
      \nninth stage and \u201ca real uncertainty about status and role.\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cIsolation vs. Intimacy: Love\u201d<\/b>
      \nIn the ninth stage, the \u201cyears of intimacy and love\u201d are often replaced
      \nby \u201cisolation and deprivation.\u201d Relationships become \u201covershadowed by
      \nnew incapacities and dependencies.\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cStagnation vs. Generativity: Care\u201d<\/b>
      \nThe generativity in the seventh stage of \u201cwork and family
      \nrelationships,\u201d if it goes satisfactorily, is \u201ca wonderful time to be
      \nalive.\u201d In one\u2019s eighties and nineties, there is less energy for
      \ngenerativity or caretaking. Thus, \u201ca sense of stagnation may well take
      \nover.\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cDespair and Disgust vs. Integrity: Wisdom\u201d<\/b>
      \nIntegrity imposes \u201ca serious demand on the senses of elders.\u201d Wisdom
      \nrequires capacities that ninth stage elders \u201cdo not usually have.\u201d The
      \neighth stage includes retrospection that can evoke a \u201cdegree of disgust
      \nand despair.\u201d In the ninth stage, introspection is replaced by the
      \nattention demanded to one\u2019s \u201closs of capacities and disintegration.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Living in the ninth stage, Joan Erikson expressed confidence that the
      \n psychosocial crisis of the ninth stage can be met as in the first stage
      \n with the \u201cbasic trust\u201d with which \u201cwe are blessed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Erikson’s theory of personality The Erikson life-stage virtue, in order …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12749],"tags":[4911,4035,3388,2476,2239,4905,584,707,4902,4901,4913,4906,4908,3068,2871,4904,1365,2548,4912,4641,4903,704,4907,1535,3,4910,2458,1435,4909,3474],"class_list":["post-3508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tumblr","tag-adult","tag-baby","tag-care","tag-child","tag-children","tag-despair","tag-education","tag-ego","tag-erik-erikson","tag-erik-homburger-erikson","tag-father","tag-generativity","tag-guilt","tag-hope","tag-human-being","tag-integrity","tag-learn","tag-mother","tag-parenting","tag-personality","tag-psychologist","tag-psychology","tag-purpose","tag-quote","tag-quote-of-the-day","tag-shame","tag-society","tag-trust","tag-will","tag-wisdom"],"yoast_head":"\n141651334347 - Do Not Destroy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/141651334347-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"141651334347 - Do Not Destroy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Erikson’s theory of personality The Erikson life-stage virtue, in order …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/141651334347-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Do Not Destroy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-03-25T15:49:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-01T00:31:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The Do Not Destroy Team\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"The Do Not Destroy Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/141651334347-2\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/141651334347-2\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"The Do Not Destroy Team\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e94b0eb1b8ea31aa86611ece5b65514d\"},\"headline\":\"141651334347\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-03-25T15:49:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-01T00:31:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/141651334347-2\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":961,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e94b0eb1b8ea31aa86611ece5b65514d\"},\"keywords\":[\"adult\",\"baby\",\"care\",\"child\",\"children\",\"despair\",\"education\",\"ego\",\"Erik Erikson\",\"Erik Homburger Erikson\",\"father\",\"Generativity\",\"Guilt\",\"hope\",\"human being\",\"integrity\",\"learn\",\"Mother\",\"parenting\",\"personality\",\"psychologist\",\"psychology\",\"Purpose\",\"quote\",\"Quote of the Day\",\"Shame\",\"society\",\"Trust\",\"Will\",\"wisdom\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Tumblr\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/141651334347-2\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/141651334347-2\\\/\",\"name\":\"141651334347 - Do Not Destroy\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-03-25T15:49:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-01T00:31:32+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/141651334347-2\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/141651334347-2\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/141651334347-2\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"141651334347\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/\",\"name\":\"Do Not Destroy\",\"description\":\"Culture-Forward\\\/ Brand-Backward\u2122\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e94b0eb1b8ea31aa86611ece5b65514d\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e94b0eb1b8ea31aa86611ece5b65514d\",\"name\":\"The Do Not Destroy Team\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/01\\\/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/01\\\/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/01\\\/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png\",\"width\":120,\"height\":120,\"caption\":\"The Do Not Destroy Team\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/01\\\/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.donotdestroy.com\\\/index\\\/author\\\/admin5\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"141651334347 - Do Not Destroy","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/141651334347-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"141651334347 - Do Not Destroy","og_description":"Erikson’s theory of personality The Erikson life-stage virtue, in order …","og_url":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/141651334347-2\/","og_site_name":"Do Not Destroy","article_published_time":"2016-03-25T15:49:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-01T00:31:32+00:00","author":"The Do Not Destroy Team","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"The Do Not Destroy Team","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/141651334347-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/141651334347-2\/"},"author":{"name":"The Do Not Destroy Team","@id":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/#\/schema\/person\/e94b0eb1b8ea31aa86611ece5b65514d"},"headline":"141651334347","datePublished":"2016-03-25T15:49:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-01T00:31:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/141651334347-2\/"},"wordCount":961,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/#\/schema\/person\/e94b0eb1b8ea31aa86611ece5b65514d"},"keywords":["adult","baby","care","child","children","despair","education","ego","Erik Erikson","Erik Homburger Erikson","father","Generativity","Guilt","hope","human being","integrity","learn","Mother","parenting","personality","psychologist","psychology","Purpose","quote","Quote of the Day","Shame","society","Trust","Will","wisdom"],"articleSection":["Tumblr"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/141651334347-2\/","url":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/141651334347-2\/","name":"141651334347 - Do Not Destroy","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-03-25T15:49:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-01T00:31:32+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/141651334347-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/141651334347-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/141651334347-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"141651334347"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/","name":"Do Not Destroy","description":"Culture-Forward\/ Brand-Backward\u2122","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/#\/schema\/person\/e94b0eb1b8ea31aa86611ece5b65514d"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/#\/schema\/person\/e94b0eb1b8ea31aa86611ece5b65514d","name":"The Do Not Destroy Team","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png","url":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png","width":120,"height":120,"caption":"The Do Not Destroy Team"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/author\/admin5\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3508"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34348,"href":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3508\/revisions\/34348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.donotdestroy.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}