Emotional Development

Well-Rounded Emotional Development as the Key Towards Cultivating a Healthy Self- Esteem

In the study of psychology, Erik Erikson is one of the major proponents who helped develop the domain of socio-emotional development among humans. His studies generated the model of human socio-emotional development, where he proposed the Eight Stages of Development. These stages are enumerated as follows:

Trust vs. Mistrust

Autonomy vs. Shame

Initiative vs. Guilt

Industry vs. Inferiority

Identity vs. Identity Confusion

Intimacy vs. Isolation

Generativity vs. Self-Absorption

Integrity vs. Despair

These stages of socio-emotional development characterize the dichotomous nature that humans undergo during their socio-emotional development. The primary goal that these stages of development depict was that an individual undergoing socio-emotional development learns to reconcile these opposing natures of each stage. That is, as the individual grows older, s/he socio-emotionally develops in the normative pattern proposed by Erikson: an individual who has learned to trust,...
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