b. The stages of psychosocial development
There are eight psychosocial development stages according to Erikson; infancy, early childhood, play age, school age, adolescent, young adulthood,
adulthood and old age. All of these stages follow the epigenetic principle, one stage occurs after another stage has been experienced.
Each of the life stages has its own interaction of opposites called contrary disposition. It is a conflict between the syntonic harmony element and dystonic
conflict element. As an example, in adolescence, people will experience identity versus role confusion. Identity is the syntonic element since it is a positive
element, and role confusion could be considered as the dystonic element since it is the cause of the problem of this stage. Although both elements contradict each
other, both are needed for a person to make himher able to develop in life. Identity could make a person stand firm in life and ease himher on pursuing life
goals, since heshe knows who she is and her objectives to be born in this world. While role confusion is needed because it could make a person think deeply on
hisher identity and the purpose in life. Trial and error in searching their identity is a normal and a positive matter in creating a better personality.
In each stage, the conflict between the dystonic and syntonic elements results in the production of basic strength. As an example, the conflict between
identity and role confusion leads to the emergence of fidelity. This occurs when a person experiences more syntonic element than dystonic element. On the contrary,
too little basic strength will lead to the emergence of core pathology. A person
who does not have fidelity will experience role denial in a form of diffidence and defiance Erikson in Feist and Feist, 2008: 258-259.
Erikson believed that human beings experience eight psychosocial stages in life. These stages also have their own basic strength and core pathology and
influence one another in the development of personality. Here are Erikson‟s
psychosocial development stages.
1 trust vs. mistrust.
This stage occurs in the first year of life. The mother of a child becomes the most important person at this stage because when a child was born to this
world, heshe feel uncertain and insecure of this world. A child also needs a person who could feed hisher needs, so, a mother would be the right person to
fulfill it and make the child comfortable. At this stage, a child learns to either trust or mistrust the outside world. Infants must experience hunger, pain, and
discomfort as well as the good conditions in life. By having both painful and pleasurable experiences, infants will learn to struggle in this world in order to gain
satisfaction. In can be said that both syntonic and dystonic should take part equally in life because it is important in the development of a person. A mother,
who often provides her child‟s needs such as giving foods or changing their diapers when it is wet, could create a sense of trust from the child. On the
contrary, if hisher mother do not provide and could not understand the needs of the infant, heshe would feel uncertain about her mother and soon lose the sense
of trust towards hisher mother. Erikson believes that both trust and mistrust are important in personality development. Erikson
told Richard Evans in Feist and
Feist , 2008: 252 that “when we enter a situation, we must be able to differentiate
how much we can trust and how much we must mistrust, and I use mistrust in the sense of a readiness for danger and an anticipation of discomfort”. The conflict
between trust and mistrust could create a basic strength called hope if the trust an infant receives is greater than mistrust. But, if an infant does not receive enough
hope, he she will experience withdrawal the core pathology at this stage. Withdrawal will cause an infant to be inferior in facing the world.
2 autonomy vs. shame and doubt.
This stage occurs in the age of 2 up to 3 years old. At this stage, a child will experience autonomy versus shame and doubt. Autonomy is the syntonic
element of this stage, while shame and doubt are the dystonic. Similar to the first stage, this stage also needs both autonomy and shame and doubt to be included in
a development. Children who lack of autonomy will found difficulties to develop in the next stages. Autonomy develops from the basic trust of children. Trusting
their surroundings is important in order to create a secure feeling and create self- confidence. From the self-confidence which develops in a child, heshe will
become autonomous. On the contrary, if heshe does not have enough self- confidence, shame and doubt which is a dystonic element will develop. Success in
this stage will lead to the virtue of will, which is the basic strength of early childhood stage. In this stage, children only achieve their basic will which is
imperfect. Their „will‟ would develop through the next stages of life. Those who do not have enough „will‟ might express „compulsion‟.
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