Trust vs Mistrust
Trust vs Mistrust
The first year of an infant’s life can be a time of great joy and learning, developmental growth physically, mentally and emotionally while providing an opportunity for parents to ensure their infant’s needs are being met. In 1965 Erik Erikson developed eight psychosocial growth stages beginning with Stage 1, ‘trust vs. mistrust’, which occurs from birth and throughout the first year of an infant’s life (Candlin 2008, p.76).
Erikson’s theory of ‘trust vs. mistrust’ will be outlined in this paper to suggest how it can be implemented to support parents in developing positive relationships and attachment with their infant and lay the foundations for trusting relationships into adulthood.
When an infant is born they have limited capacity for thought and little memory, they require time to build a rapport and establish their relationships (Rose 2000, p.40). Thus it is possible to see how Erikson’s theory can be applied in this burgeoning relationship. The infant has very basic needs initially, to be fed and comfortable. Erikson describes this stage of ‘trust vs. mistrust’ as the ‘oral sensory stage’ (Petersen 2004, p.55). Generally the mother is seen as the primary source of food, sustenance and comfort, having the infant close to a mother’s skin is helpful for both breastfeeding and developing a close bond with the infant. It is this first initial bond between the mother and infant which leads to a sense of dependency on the parent and the initial development of trust (Child & Youth Health 2010).
Erik Erikson (1965) theorises ‘one of the primary developmental challenges for an infant to learn is whether their caregiver regularly satisfies their basic needs’ (cited in Candlin 2008 p.131). Failure by a parent to meet these needs can result in an infant that is fractious, constantly crying and will not settle despite attempts to comfort, however, ‘if caregivers consistently provide food, comfort and affection then an infant will begin to
The first year of an infant’s life can be a time of great joy and learning, developmental growth physically, mentally and emotionally while providing an opportunity for parents to ensure their infant’s needs are being met. In 1965 Erik Erikson developed eight psychosocial growth stages beginning with Stage 1, ‘trust vs. mistrust’, which occurs from birth and throughout the first year of an infant’s life (Candlin 2008, p.76).
Erikson’s theory of ‘trust vs. mistrust’ will be outlined in this paper to suggest how it can be implemented to support parents in developing positive relationships and attachment with their infant and lay the foundations for trusting relationships into adulthood.
When an infant is born they have limited capacity for thought and little memory, they require time to build a rapport and establish their relationships (Rose 2000, p.40). Thus it is possible to see how Erikson’s theory can be applied in this burgeoning relationship. The infant has very basic needs initially, to be fed and comfortable. Erikson describes this stage of ‘trust vs. mistrust’ as the ‘oral sensory stage’ (Petersen 2004, p.55). Generally the mother is seen as the primary source of food, sustenance and comfort, having the infant close to a mother’s skin is helpful for both breastfeeding and developing a close bond with the infant. It is this first initial bond between the mother and infant which leads to a sense of dependency on the parent and the initial development of trust (Child & Youth Health 2010).
Erik Erikson (1965) theorises ‘one of the primary developmental challenges for an infant to learn is whether their caregiver regularly satisfies their basic needs’ (cited in Candlin 2008 p.131). Failure by a parent to meet these needs can result in an infant that is fractious, constantly crying and will not settle despite attempts to comfort, however, ‘if caregivers consistently provide food, comfort and affection then an infant will begin to
References: Candlin, S 2008, chapter 4 ‘Relinquishing independence: A new beginning’ in Therapeutic Communication, a lifespan approach, 1st edn, Pearson Education, Australia, Frenchs Forest, NSW, pp. 70-95. Candlin, S 2008, chapter 6 ‘Infants and Young Children: coping with change’ in Therapeutic Communication, a lifespan approach, 1st edn, Pearson Education, Australia, Frenchs Forest, NSW, pp. 116-137. Child and Youth Health 2010, viewed 25 April 2010, Crisp, J & Taylor, C (eds) 2005, chapter 10 ‘Developmental theories’ in Potter & Perry’s fundamentals of nursing, 2nd edn, Elsevier Australia, Marrickville, NSW, pp. 158-174. Erikson, EH 1965, Childhood and society, 2nd edn, Norton, New York, NY HelpGuide.org 2001-2010, Bonding with your baby, viewed 18 April 2010, Honig, AS 2002, ‘What we need to know about attachment’, Montessori Life, vol. 15, issue 4, Fall 2003, p. 22. Viewed 18 April 2010, Peterson, C 2004, chapter 2 ‘The science of human development: Goals, theories and methodology’ in Looking forward through the Lifespan, 4th edn, Pearson Education, Australia, pp.31-66 Rose, L 2000, Learning to love: the developing relationships between Mother, Father and Baby during the first year, The Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd, Camberwell, Victoria Wong, ASL 1998, Erik Erikson 's Stages - Applied and Made Easy for Parents, in Blessed to be a blessing, Christian parenting articles viewed 20 April 2010,