Erik Homburger Erikson's Grid of Psychosocial Stages of Childhood Development

Erikson's scheme for child development consists of eight stages. These stages provide a framework of criteria based on physical, mental, and emotional levels of development. Each stage is horizontally related to specific details of different developmental aspects.

The first stage of Trust Vs Mistrust occurs during infancy. This is time when the individual needs greatest comfort and the least amount of uncertainty to trust himself/herself, those around them, and their external environment. The second stage occurs when the individual is a toddler. This stage is called Autonomy Vs Shame and Doubt. During this stage of development, the individual pushes towards watching over and learning more about their physical environment while also trying to preserve their own feelings and emotions associated with self-esteem.

The Initiative Vs Guilt stage is associated with preschool-age children. This is the stage when individuals start to initiate different activities and interests rather than imitate them. Their conscience and sexual identity are also developing. School-age children are associated in the age range for the Industry Vs Inferiority stage. The individual attempts to develop a sense of self-worth by evaluating current skills and refining them.

The Identity Vs Role Confusion stage is thought to occur amongst adolescents. This is the time in an individual's life where he/she will begin to assimilate their different tiles or roles as a sibling, teammate, child, etc. into a constructed image of themselves. Young adults may find themselves in the Intimacy Vs Isolation stage where they develop different personal commitments and relationships to other people. These commitments are often thought of as being a significant other and even a parent. Middle-age adults in the Generativity Vs Self-absorption stage are working on having satisfaction within their careers, families, and communities. Those who are reflecting on their lives and preparing for death are often older adults who are in the Integrity Vs Despair stage.

When an individual's needs within each stage are met sufficiently, he/she completes that stage of development and is able to move forward to the next stage with little to no hindrance. However, if an individual does not have all of the needs met at a particular stage, he/she may carry the traits of unsatisfied needs on with them. This can have inhibitory or suppressive effects on the individual of concern. For example, within the Autonomy Vs Shame and Doubt stage, if a young child is always told "No!" and everything is done for him/her, that child is not allowed to have a balance between doing tasks on their own yet having set boundaries and guidance to go along with what they do. These children are at risk for developing a sense of doubt or lack of confidence in their abilities to do tasks on their own which may inhibit future attempts at completing tasks independently. Therefore, it is vital to understand the importance of each stage and the balance that is coupled with successful completion of each phase of development in order to "unmask" Erikson's theory of child development.