What it means
Theorists divide life into stages. Erikson named eight, each with a central task: trust versus mistrust (infant), autonomy versus shame and doubt (toddler), initiative versus guilt (preschool), industry versus inferiority (school age), identity versus role confusion (adolescent), intimacy versus isolation (young adult), generativity versus stagnation (middle adult) and integrity versus despair (older adult). Piaget described stages of thinking.
For the nurse
Match care to the stage: let a toddler make small choices, explain procedures to a school-age child with simple pictures, and give a teenager privacy.
At a glance
| Also written | developmental stages |
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Related terms
developmental
Relating to how a person grows and changes in body, mind and behavior across their life.
growth and development
The changes in body size (growth) and in skills and abilities (development) that happen across a person's life.
life span
The whole length of a person's life, from conception or birth to death.
infancy
The first year of life, from birth to about 12 months of age.