Stages of Human Development

• Infancy (0-2 years)

  • Physical: Babies grow quickly and learn to use their bodies. They also start to develop their senses.
  • Social: Babies form a close bond with their caregivers and begin to trust them. This is part of what Erikson calls Trust vs. Mistrust.
  • Psychological: Babies start to think in simple ways and learn to talk. This begins with sounds like babbling and saying their first words.

• Childhood (3-11 years)

  • Physical: Children grow steadily and get better at using their bodies, like running and jumping.
  • Social: Kids start to make friends and learn about social rules. According to Erikson’s Initiative vs. Guilt, they love to explore and try new things.
  • Psychological: Children start to understand who they are. Their thinking grows from simple ideas to more complex ones, a stage Piaget called the Concrete Operational Stage.

• Adolescence (12-18 years)

  • Physical: As teenagers hit puberty, they go through big changes in their bodies.
  • Social: Friends become very important, and teens look for ways to be independent and find their identities. This part of Erikson’s theory is called Identity vs. Role Confusion.
  • Psychological: Teens become better at thinking about complex ideas and start to figure out their morals. They might also experience an identity crisis.

• Adulthood (18+ years)

  • Physical: Young adults are often at their strongest, but physical changes begin to happen gradually as they reach middle age.
  • Social: Adults focus on jobs and building families. Erikson’s Intimacy vs. Isolation describes how relationships deepen during this time.
  • Psychological: Many adults strive to reach their full potential. Some may go through a mid-life crisis where they rethink their life goals.

Understanding these stages helps us see how people grow and adapt in society. This knowledge sets the groundwork for studying psychology further.