Although growth and development is a continuous process it varies among children of different ages. Their needs and problems also vary at different ages. Erik Erikson a well known psychologist had divided the period of childhood into 5 stages. he considered that each of these stages is characterised by a crisis situation having favorable and unfavourable components which the child must resolve before progressing to te next stage.
The successful resolution of the crisis situation leads to easy progress to next stage whereas the unsuccessful resolution leads to difficulty in porgressing to next stages.
Stages of childhood and their crisis components as expressed by Erik Erikson.
S.N. Stages of childhood Crisis components
- Infancy Trust versus mistrust
- Toddler Autonomy versus shame and doubt
- Preschool Intiative versus guilt
- Shool age Industry versus inferiority
- Adolesence Identity versus isolation
- Intrauterine period.
- Infancy period
- Early childhood
- Middle childhood
- Late childhood
