Infancy

(to 1st year)

Issue: Trust vs. mistrust

If needs are dependably met, infants develop a sense of basic trust.

Toddlerhood

(1 to 3 years)

Autonomy vs. shame & doubt

Toddlers learn to exercise their will & do things for themselves, or they doubt their abilities.

Preschool

(3 to 6 years)

Initiative vs. guilt

Preschoolers learn to initiate tasks & carry out plans, or they feel guilty about their efforts to be independent.

Elementary school

(6 years to puberty)

Competence vs. inferiority

Children learn the pleasure of applying themselves to tasks, or they feel inferior.

Adolescence

(teen years into 20's)

Identity vs. role confusion

Teenagers work at refining a sense of self by testing roles & then integrating them to form a single identity, or they become confused about who they are.

Young adulthood

(20's to early 40's)

Intimacy vs. isolation

Young adults struggle to form close relationships & to gain the capacity for intimate love, or they feel socially isolated.

Middle adulthood 

(40's to 60's)

Generativity vs. stagnation

In middle age, people discover a sense of contributing to the world, usually through family & work, or they may feel a lack of purpose.

Late Adulthood

(Late 60's & up)

Integrity vs. despair

Reflecting on their lives, older adults may feel a sense of satisfaction or failure.