Analyzing Erikson's Eight Stages Of Social Development

Virgin M. Matos
EDU - 213
March 9th, 2015
Lois Jackson
Stages of Social Development
Erik Erikson point eight different social development stages that children should go through. The first one is being learning basic trust versus learning basic mistrust. This begin as an infant to approximately two years old. If the child have the necessary love, care and receive the right and adequate treat the child will be trust, but if the child does not receive this care and age appropriate treatment will become mistrust, afraid and will have multiple insecurities. The second stage a child should go through is learning self-secureness versus shame of learn or show his/her knowledge. This stage goes around two to four years old. To be self-secure,
the child should show a good balance, sense of independent, and trust on his/her capabilities. If the child is not care, loved and helped it will reflect a kind of rebel, stubbornness and will reflect that is not well parented. The third stage is the learning initiative versus guilt.
This stage covers the ages four to seven years old (play age). This is a stage where child’s imagination should be “flying”. During this stage the child would learn how to play and share with same age kids. If the child does not get involved in age related (appropriate) activities and rather to be next to an adult and do not have play and/or social habits is a clearly representation of a non-healthy behavior which in this stage is called guilty. The four stage is the industry versus inferiority. In this stage, children acquire the essential life skills. Child should interact with friends/peers, follow rules, play and have his/her own group of friends. They also develop the sense of responsibility and become more disciplined. But, the mistrusting child with a sense of inferiority have not certainty of what is happening around him/her or what is to come. The shame, inferiority, guilt and many kind of negative behaviors are reflected during this stage. The fifth stage is learning identity versus identity diffusion. This stage occurs happen around the fourteen to twenty years old. This is when the young adult recognize who he/she is. What wants to do, what does not want to
do and reflects a positive attitude, aspirations, dreams and more, while the insecure one seems kind of lost. The sixth stage is learning intimacy versus isolation. The ones who had develop a strong background and possess a good and healthy self-esteem are successful adults with strong families while the ones which possess a weak and totally different background rather to be alone and have difficult to acquire a family and organization. The seventh stage is the generatively versus self-absorption. This stage is the reflection of real responsibility like take care of their own children, families and generations to come and the eight (final) stage of social development is integrity versus despair which is defined by the habits and behavior and reflects the maturity of a human being.
Is teacher’s responsibility to provide children a quality social development instruction and is also responsible of involve every child on class on the social development process.
Teacher should create positive strategies which help every child to get involved even when they do not like the classroom activities/strategies. As teachers, we should teach students to work together and form groups to expose them to interact with other people. Teachers should encourage the right behavior in classroom and home. When you point out a good behavior or something good in classroom like participation, important and right opinions it feels good and the child will try to do it more often. This promotes other students good behavior, participation and positive conduct because they would like to be recognized and or praised for their efforts. (Daresh, J. C.
(2011).
I think that we are great models for children. We play a big role in our student’s life (moral, social, professional, etc.) since they spend more time in school/classroom with us than home with their parents. The first four to five years of a child are essential for their development and if we have that age students we should positively encourage and direct their behaviors (Arnold, J. B., & Dodge, H. W., 2014). It is very important that we promote right and healthy behavior and give positive feedback and tell them what they should improve instead of what they are doing wrong. Promoting children interaction in the classroom is awesome for their personality development. It is also essential as teacher’s show them love and that we care about them because is essential for a child development to feel appreciated, loved and important.

References

Na. (Nd) Stages of Social – Emotional Development – Erik Erikson. Retrieved march 9th, 2015 from: http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/child-development/erikson/

Arnold, J. B., & Dodge, H. W. (2014). Room for all. The American School Board Journal, 181(10), 22 – 26.

Rick Lavoe (nd). The Teacher’s Role in Developing Social Skills. Retrieved on march 7th, 2015 from: http://www.Idonline.org/article/6170/

Daresh, J. C. (2011). Beginning the assistant principalship: A practical guide for new school administrators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.