Child Development Major Issues From Birth to 12 Years

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development
Description of the subject
Industry vs. Inferiority
Case study
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

The psychology of child development is of major importance to psychologists, and as a result numerous theoretical concepts have been developed. One of the most important concepts concerned with child development is the psychosocial theory developed by a renowned German social psychologist, Erick Erickson. Erickson’s psychosocial theory is one of the most popular modern theories of human development.

It highlights eight progressive stages through which an individual develops. Erickson proposes that an individual ought to successfully go through all the stages while mastering critical skills at each stage. While these skills enable one to acquire essential virtues, mastery of these virtues is inhibited by inherent challenges at each developmental stage.

As such, Erickson’s theory has become very popular due to the fact that not only does it highlight progressive stages through which personality develops but also highlights key challenges that inhibit such development.

Erickson’s theory goes further and proposes alternative counteractive measures through which individuals navigate crisis inherent in each of the developmental stages. It is imperative to note that the dominant crisis within the entire theory seems to be trust vs. mistrust, which forms the basis of discussion herein.

This paper aims at evaluating major issues pertinent to child development in one of the developmental phases from birth up to 12 years. During this period, an individual develops key skills that not only shape outcomes in later life but almost irreversibly shapes ones personality.

Of the eight stages identified by Erickson, four of them account for personality development for the first 12 years of existence, highlighting the significance of the psychology of child development. The eight stages are categorized as follows: Basic Trust vs. Mistrust (0 – 2 years), Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt (2 – 4 years), Initiative vs. Guilt (4 – 5 years) and lastly Industry vs. Inferiority (5 – 12 years).

Each of these stages is crucial towards the development of a healthy personality. Erickson has identified certain skills acquired at each. Since this paper aims at evaluating one of the critical stages from birth to 12 years, Erickson’s fourth stage, Industry vs. Inferiority, is the focus for this assignment.

Major assumptions are tested against the life experiences of a 7 year old boy, whose real identity cannot be revealed for security and confidentiality.

Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development

While Erickson provides eight stages of human development, half of them encompass human development during childhood.

Erickson’s first four stages are identified as Basic Trust vs. Mistrust (0 – 2 years), where a child develops a sense of hope and trusts; Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt (2 – 4 years), where a child develops a sense of rebellion; Initiative vs. Guilt (4 – 5 years), where a child learns to set goals, and lastly Industry vs. Inferiority (5 – 12 years) where competency in basic skills is gained.

While there are traces of overlap in child development within these stages, it is imperative to note that each of them is distinct and significantly influences outcomes in later life (Erickson, 1950). In Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development, it is stipulated that the ability to navigate all the eight stages seals the development of a healthy personality.

Additionally, Erickson’s eight stages “characterizes an individual advancement through the eight life stages as a function of negotiating either his or her biological and socio-cultural forces” (Crain, 2011 p. 34). Biological forces are characterized by normal biological changes while socio-cultural forces are indicative of the prevailing social setup.

Description of the subject

John is seven year old boy, and the only child of his mother, a divorcee. John’s mother divorced his father when John was two years old. She remarried an abusive man prompting John’s custody to be given back to his biological father. Due to his step father’s abusiveness, contact between John and his mother has been severely curtailed.

This seems to have confused John, further severing the relationship between mother and son. From afar, john appears to be a normal boy, but upon interaction with him, a different picture of him emerges. John is rebellious, rude, finds problem paying attention and portrays lack of interest in life; this significantly affects John’s performance in class.

His anxiety level is also high, and seems to dread meeting his mother. He also has a tendency to portray anger outbursts, most of which is directed towards his parents; he thinks that his parents are the cause of his misery since they do not love him as they ought to. Such a negative sense of self has negatively affected John’s interaction with others, especially his peers.

He is usually aloof and alone, and as such has no close friends. It is ironical however, that John seems comfortable in the company of adult strangers; he is usually seen talking to strangers on his way to and from school. Nevertheless John attempts to improve relationship with his parents and peers; he is overly kind to his school mates and does anything to impress them.

He also gets presents for his mother and step sister. All this nevertheless, appear to be efforts in futility. His attention span is also very low due to his tendencies to daydream. As a result of this, John has problems not only finishing his school work, but also with household tasks.

He also finds it difficult to concentrate for long hours on any task assigned, be it schoolwork or housework. As a result, John has discipline issues both at home and in school.

Industry vs. Inferiority

According to Pillay (2009) the age between 5 and 12 years marks a period in which a child essentially enters into life. Pillay’s (2009) assertions can be attributed to assertions made by Erickson (1950) that a child develops key competencies during this stage. As such whether a child “can make it in the world of people and things” becomes they key existential question for children aged between 5 and 12 years.

During this age, a child becomes extremely industrious due to increased awareness about the self. 5 to 12 year olds focus on unique skills and abilities. Marotz (2003) further adds that 5 to 12 year olds achieve significant milestones in cognitive development, the result of which is the enhanced understanding of key concepts such as time, space and logic.

Other concepts crucial to a child development and which are learned during this stage include the concept of cause and effect, morality, culture and motivation. Additionally, acquisition of other complex skills such as competency in reading and writing as well as accuracy in telling time are the major preoccupation for 5 to 12 year olds.

According to Chapman (2009), industriousness is precipitated by the confidence gained in the use of ‘method’. By method, Chapman (2009) refers to purposeful and meaningful ways through which children at this age utilize their skills and abilities, to achieve a certain goals.

Assertions made by Chapman (2009) with regard to attainment of goals concur with those made by Erickson (1950) to the extent that goal setting is a major developmental milestone for children aged between 5 and 12 years.

Shaffer (2008) adds that goal setting is associated with increased awareness of the concept of hard work, cause / effects relationship as well as the need to do things right. In addition to this, children at this stage are likely to portray rebelliousness. However, this should not be misconstrued as indiscipline and instead be treated as an expression of expressing independence.

Additionally, rebellion at this stage can be associated with low self esteem as well as lack of motivation. Erickson (1950) adds to this by stating that the school and the playing field are common environments through which major transactions are made for children aged 5 to 12 years.

This implies that, as Kail and Cavanaugh (2004) suggest, 5 to 12 year olds form the most significant relationships not only with parents and their siblings but also with class mates, teachers and neighborhood friends. Schoolwork, child play and competitive sports form the major activities for 5 to 12 year olds.

Erickson theory of psychosocial development is based on trust; trust is the main ingredient in which relationships are built on. Trust determines not only the nature but also the extent of human relationship as well as an individual’s interaction with the external environment. If trust is severed, human relationships as well as the relationship with the external environment are irreparably severed.

Erickson (1950) asserts that lack of trust during this stage can be disastrous in later life, and may create psychosocial problems such as homosexuality and neurosis. Additionally, Chapman (2009) states that lack of trust leads to feelings of failure, be it in the social setup or in school work, and is likely to develop into low self concept.

This leads to the development of inferiority complex. According to Rathus (2012) while inferiority complex is associated with racism and any other form of discrimination and biases, feelings of rejection are likely to aggravate the condition, leading to maladjustment.

As Pillay (2009) asserts, “a negative evaluation of self as inferior compared to others is extremely disruptive at this stage and since this stage is a rehearsal for being productive and being valued at work in later life”, the development of inferiority complex is almost irreversibly catastrophic (p. 33).

Case study

The major question for John seems to be whether he can make it in life, amid the lack of trust for his parents, relatives, peers and teachers. Lack of trust is mostly demonstrated by his tendency to go out of his way to buy gifts for his parents, his lack of close friends at school as well as being excessively nice to his peers.

While this seems to be John’s way of compensating for lack of love and trust, it is also indicative of John’s maladaptive tendencies. Maladaptive tendencies refer to forced behavior characterized by impulsiveness (Breger, 2009).

A maladjusted child shamelessly engages in activities “without proper consideration of his or her abilities to accomplish those activities” and are mostly aimed a helping the child fit in social situations (Pillay, 2009 p. 30).

Lack of trust can be associated with a number of things, but as Rhodes (2000) asserts, the “development of mistrust is often seen in people who had their parental attachment stretched or broken by adoption, abuse or neglect in infancy” (p. 9).

Rhodes (2000) assertions should be taken Vis a Vis claims by Erickson (1950) that mistrust develops during infancy and generally intensifies as the child grows, to the extent that it not only shapes human relationships but also general life outcomes during adulthood.

Additionally, it is commonly assumed that children easily overcome divorce and broken family relationships. However, bearing this in mind, it is evident that divorce, abuse and broken family relationships severely affect a child psychosocial development.

The effects can also be evident long after divorce, as is in John’s case. Divorce, abuse and broken family relationships also seem to affect children aged between 5 and 12 more than it does to parents.

In addition to this, broken family relationships, preferably those caused by divorce and abuse by parents not only lead to delayed psychosocial development but also development of mistrust. Mistrust can be extended from parents to peers and other grown ups and in John’s case to the entire environment.

While mistrust seems to primarily affect the relationship between child and his parents and peers, Watts, Duncan and Cockcroft (2009) assert that mistrust can also have significant effects on the child; it affects the way the child perceives himself.

Rhodes (2000) alludes to assertions made by Erickson (1950) that mistrusting others can also lead to lack trust in the self to the extent that the child becomes shameful and doubtful of himself, as evidenced in John’ case.

In this case shame and doubt, while emanating from lack of motherly love, manifests itself as the tendency to be generally uninterested in life; a child who is generally uninterested in life is most likely doubtful of his abilities. Aloofness is the child’s way of avoiding shaming himself.

Crain (2011) adds that the development of inferiority complex is preceded by shame and doubt about the self. A child experiencing a sense of inferiority among peers demonstrates low perceptions about self. This is evidenced in John whose low self concept emanates from lack of parental love. According to Rhodes (2000) this leads to loss of attachment to parents.

Correspondingly, this can be evidenced in John’s case; he appears aloof and spends much of his time alone. Rhodes (2000) notes that there are certain behaviors characteristic of children with low self esteem, which include inability to control ones emotions. John inability to control anger can be perceived as an emotional problem, and is an indication of low self esteem.

According to Erickson (1950) children aged between 5 and 12 years are characteristically industrious, and are driven by the need to gain competence in certain skills. However, Newman and Newman (2009) assert that loss of trust, referred to as development of mistrust by Erickson (1950), curtails a child’s industriousness. In effect, it impinges on the acquisition of competencies in psychomotor skills.

As such, a child’s performance in sports and school work significantly deteriorates. Disinterest in sports, child play and low academic grades are the resultant effects. John’s lack of industry can be attributed to low self esteem.

Additionally, based on assertions made by Erickson (1950) as well as Newman and Newman (2009), his poor school grades can be attributed to development of mistrust, doubt and shame about the self. This implies the development of mistrust takes back a child’s personality development to the Initiative vs. Guilt stage.

According to Rhodes (2000) children experiencing Industry vs. Inferiority crisis develop resilience as a way of dealing with the crisis. While resilience seems to be a form of defense mechanism, it does not result to development of a healthy personality.

Instead, it leads false perceptions about the child’s growth. Correspondingly, John seems to have developed a sense of resilience amid the Industry vs. Inferiority crisis occurring in his life. This is evidenced by his overt kindness towards his peers and his assumedly unloving parents.

John’s parents as well as teachers seem to be unaware of the existing crisis, and instead falsely accuse him of indiscipline. As a result, John is usually punished. Regardless of this, resilience enables John to continuously love his peers and parents despite lack of reciprocal love.

Amid the Industry vs. Inferiority crisis, the development of resilience can also be attributed to what Erickson (1950) refers to as increased awareness of the relationship between cause and effects and the need not only to be good but also to do what is right.

This alludes to the enhanced development of a child’s moral faculties, which enables 5 to 12 year olds to gain a deeper understanding of the concept of vice vs. virtue, and the ability to choose virtue over vice. In view of this, and despite the increasingly hostile social environment, John seems to have chosen virtue over vice, the result of which is overt and extreme kindness towards his family and peers.

However, this ought not to be misconstrued as an enhanced sense of goal setting, which is characteristic of children between 5 and 12 years. On the contrary, John seems to have retrogressively developed as far as goals setting abilities are concerned. This is due to the fact that his life revolves around trying to please those close to him, rather than doing things that are of value to his personal life.

Conclusion

The major question for 5 to 12 year olds is whether they ‘can make it in life’, amid the increased sense of self importance. This occurs amid the prevailing Industry vs. Inferiority crisis. John’s current life is characterized by Industry vs. Inferiority crisis, the effects of which are apparently dire.

The prevailing social cultural forces in John’s life, characterized by abuse, loss of trusts, separation and severed family relationships, seem to have precipitated the development of inferiority complex. Such conditions effectively obscure opportunities through which industriousness is attained.

This occurs amid John’s maladaptive tendencies, which in this case refers to force behaviors developed to enable him survive an assumedly hostile environment.

John’s case approves Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development, especially in the development of a healthy personality for children aged 5 and 12 years, and indicates that the development of trust is a significant determinant of whether a child attains industriousness or inferiority.

Reference List

Breger, L. (2009). From instinct to identity: the development of personality. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers.

Chapman, A. (2009). Erikson’s psychosocial development theory. Web.

Crain, W. (2011). Theories of development: concepts and applications. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Erickson, E. (1950). Childhood and society. Belmont: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Kail, V. and Cavanaugh, C. (2004). Human development: A life-span view. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.

Marotz, L. (2003). Developmental profiles pre-birth through twelve. Albany, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.

Newman, B. and Newman, P. (2009).Development through life: a psychosocial approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Pillay, K. (2009). Mahatma Gandhi: a psychobiographical study. Web.

Rathus, S. (2012). Psychology: concepts & connections, brief version. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Rhodes, L. (2000). The Impact of divorce across the developmental Stages. The Paradigm. Web.

Shaffer, D. (2008). Social and personality development. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Watts, J., Duncan, N. and Cockcroft, K. (2009). Developmental psychology. Vancouver: Juta and Company Ltd.

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