Analyzing Erikson's Psychosocial Stage Of Development

For my second observation, I viewed a male toddler, approximately three years old. Notable physical development included the ability to walk quickly and climb upon a chair and to sit up straight, and feel himself, including using a spoon to eat ice cream. He was also able to run well at this stage. Notable social skills and interaction were that he appeared to interact verbally with the adults. The child cried when he fell down but was quickly soothed by and adult female (presumably the mother). After lunch, the child stood up and slowly picked up a bag of chips off a nearby shelf. However, he politely put them down at his mother’s request. The child also began to jump up and down excitedly, asking for dessert. Seemed well adapted to actively engage with his environment. Father instructed him while he at his ice cream.
Reflection …show more content…
The child is now able to process and reaction to stimuli in his environment at a rate that he is now an active participant in his environment. Children at this stage are now able to react to their environment in real time (Wong, Hall, Justice, & Hernandez, 2015). According to Erikson’s psychosocial theory, children at this age are struggling between initiative vs. guilt. Now that the child is physiologically and cognitively more developed, their goal is to establish some sort of autonomy and self-efficacy. At this stage, parents may struggle because of their child’s budding independence, however, a warm and secure relationship is critical for healthy development