LMSW: Developmental Stages

Freud’s Psychosexual Developmental Theory

Freud believed that personality developed through a series of childhood stages in which the pleasure-seeking energies of the id become focused on certain erogenous areas. ● This psychosexual energy was described as the driving force behind behavior. ● Psyche includes: Id (a human's basic, instinctual drives. Pleasure seeking); Ego (attempts to mediate between id and reality); and Superego (reflects the internalization of cultural rules usually learned from parents).

Stages of Psychosexual Development

Oral stage: birth - 1 year

Anal stage: 1- 3 years

Phallic Stage: 3-6 years

Latent Stage: 6- Puberty

Genital Stage: Puberty - Adult

Oral stage

Birth - 1 year

An infant’s primary interaction with the world is through the mouth. The mouth is vital for eating, and the infant derives pleasure from oral stimulation through gratifying activities such as tasting and sucking

Anal stage

1 - 3 years

Freud believed that the primary focus of the libido was on controlling bladder and bowl movements. Toilet training is a primary issue with children and parents. Too much pressure can result in an excessive need for order or cleanliness later in life ( Anal retentive), While too little pressure from parents can lead to messy or destructive behavior in life (anal expulsive).

Phallic stage

3-6 years

Freud suggested that the primary focus of the id’s energy is on the genitals. At this stage children become aware of their gender identity.

Latent stage

6 - Puberty

Sexual feelings are dormant. Children develop social skills, values and relationships with peers and adults outside of the family.

Genital Stage

Puberty - Adult

The onset of puberty causes the libido to become active once again. During this stage, people develop a strong interest in the opposite sex. If development has been successful to this point, the individual will continue to develop into a well-balanced person.

Piaget’s Developmental theory

Based on the premise that people actively construct higher levels of knowledge.

● Motivation for cognitive development occurs when there is a state of ‘disequilibrium’ brought on by a discrepancy between the person’s current understanding of the world and reality.

● Equilibrium is then achieved through a combination of assimilation (incorporation of new information into existing schemas) and accommodation (modification of existing schemas), which both lead to adaptation.

What are the stages of Piaget’s stages of development

Sensorimotor Stage

Preoperational stage

Concrete operational stage

Formal Operational stage

Sensorimotor Stage

(birth to 2 years) Infants and young children learn primarily through sensory input and action.

There are 3 achievements during this stage:

1. Object Permanence allows the child to recognize that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight. Ex: A child searches for a toy that is hidden under a blanket, even if the toy cannot be seen.

2. Causality is when the child recognizes that certain events cause other events. Ex: A child realizes that they can use their hand to pick up and move a toy to a different spot.

3. Symbolic Thought is when the child begins to use language (symbols) to think about actions before performing them. Ex: A child begins to understand that words represent an object such as a dog or cat.

Preoperational Stage:

:(2 to 7 years) A key characteristic of this stage is the symbolic function, which allows the child to learn through the use of mental images, language and other symbols that represent objects that aren’t present. Children during this stage engage in symbolic play and can solve problems mentally

Concrete Operational Stage:

(7 to 11 years) Children are capable of performing mental operations using logic and abstract thinking. This allows children to classify and problem-solve in more sophisticated ways

Formal Operational Stage:

(11+ years) During this stage, the adolescent or young adult is able to think abstractly, hypothetically, and in a relativistic way. Adolescents can develop competing hypotheses about a problem and strategies for testing the hypotheses. There is an increase in ‘thinking about thinking’ and some return to egocentrism during this stage.

Erikson’s Developmental Theory

● Assumes that people are basically rational and that behavior is largely due to ego functioning.

● Each of the 8 stages involves a psychosocial task that is to be mastered. If not mastered, the person still continues to develop, but the ego is damaged and subsequent stages will be affected.

● We give the person until the very END of the age range to have resolved the conflict. So we wouldn't say they failed a stage until they had reached the end of that stage (age range) and moved on to the next stage.

What are the 8 stages of Psychological Development

Trust VS. Mistrust

Autonomy VS. Shame and Doubt

Initiative VS. Guilt

Industry VS. Inferiority

Identity VS. Role Confusion

Intimacy VS. Isolation

Generativity VS. Stagnation

Ego Integrity VS. Despair

Trust VS. Mistrust

(0-18 months)

The psychosocial task is to achieve a balance between trust and mistrust. Basic trust develops in the context of the relationship between the infant and primary caregiver and forms the foundation for all other stages. Failure to master the task can result in pervasive mistrust of others OR dependent, unthinking, rigid adulation of others.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt:

(18 months to 3 years)

The toddler’s psychosocial task is to achieve a sense of independence over their own body in the context of relationships with primary caregivers. If a child experiences autonomy (in walking, exploring, etc.), they will gain condence and pride, which then become ego strengths. If they’re over controlled or prohibited from exploring or becoming autonomous, they may feel doubtful of their own abilities and experience excessive shame.

Initiative vs. Guilt:

(3-6 years)

The child’s psychosocial task is to set goals and carry out plans without infringing on the rights of others. Exerting too much control (or taking action that does infringe on the rights of others) results in disapproval from adults and subsequent feelings of guilt. Those feelings of guilt then prohibit the child (or adult) from effectively making plans or setting goals in the future.

Industry vs. Inferiority

(6-12 years) The child’s psychosocial task is to develop a sense of competence by beginning school and learning to do things on their own. This instills a sense of pride and confidence. The peer group begins to be of greater significance and contributes to self-esteem. If adults don’t support the child in their initiative, a sense of inferiority may develop where the child doubts their abilities, making it more difficult to reach their potential.

Identity vs. Role Confusion:

(12-18 years)

The adolescent’s task is to learn the roles that they will occupy as an adult while developing a sense of personal identity. Peer relationships help them to explore various identities. Success in this stage leads to delity where the adolescent feels comfortable with others who have varying values, while remaining true to their own identity. If the adolescent fails to develop a sense of identity, then they may feel role confusion or a weakened sense of self.

Intimacy vs. Isolation:

(18-40 years)

The psychosocial task is to begin forming intimate relationships with others. An individual develops comfortable relationships with a sense of commitment and care. Failure to develop intimacy can lead to isolation, loneliness, and a feeling of exclusion.

Generativity vs. Stagnation:

:(40-65 years)

The psychosocial task during this stage is to participate in activities that give the individual a sense of purpose such as a career, raising children, and creating positive changes that benefits others. If an adult doesn’t feel a sense of purpose, they may feel little connection to others and a sense of uselessness or rejection.

Ego Integrity vs. Despair:

:(65-death)

The psychosocial task during this stage is for older adults to look back on life and feel a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment. This wisdom allows them to face the end of life and accept successes and failures, aging, and loss. Those who see their lives as unproductive or with many regrets may develop a sense of despair and guilt that can lead to depression and/or hopelessness.

Mahler Stages of Development

According to Mahler, the Object Relations theory refers to the way a child's Ego becomes organized over the first 3 1/2 years of life. During this time the child struggles between the self and others. The theory focuses on the reciprocal relationship between a mother and her infant and its effect on the infant's development of sense of self that occurs in three stages. Individuals are born with the drive to develop a sense of self and others along with the motivation to build interpersonal relationships.

What are the stages of Mahler stages of development

• Autistic stage

• Symbiotic Stage

• Separation - individuation stage

  • Differentiation substage

  • Practicing substage

  • Rapprochement substage

  • Object constancy substage

Autistic stage

newborn - 1 month

The infant is focused purely on themself; they are unresponsive to external stimuli.

Symbiotic stage

(1-5 months):

infant begins to perceive the ‘need-satisfying object’. During this stage, the mother's ego functions for the infant. The infant begins to understand that the mother is a separate being from themself.

Separation-Individuation Stage

(5-24 months+)

During separation, the infant begins to develop an understanding of the boundaries of self and they start to see their mother as a separate individual. During individuation the child begins to develop a sense of self. Within separation-individuation there are four sub-stages.

What are the four substages of separation - individuation stage

Differentiation substage

practicing substage

rapprochement substage

object constancy substage

Differentiation Substage

(5-9 months): The infant's attention shifts from being inwardly focused to outwardly focused. (i.e. crawling)

Practicing Substage

(9-14 months):

The infant continues to separate from their caretaker; their autonomous ego functions become more apparent. (i.e. walking, playing)

Rapprochement Substage

(14-24 months):

The infant begins to want to act independently. They will move away from their mother, but regularly come back to ensure she is still there.

Object Constancy Substage

(after 24 months):

The infant internalizes their mother and begins to understand that their mother still exists for them despite her absence.