Trust to Wisdom: Erikson’s 8 Stages of Life Explained

Dr. Curtis Peterson breaks down Erik Erikson’s psychosocial stage theory, describing the eight life stages from infancy to old age and the key crises (e.g., trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame/doubt, identity vs. role confusion) that shape emotional development. The episode highlights how successful resolution of each stage builds strengths like trust, autonomy, and generativity, while failures can lead to fear, doubt, and despair, and emphasizes these processes as emotional rather than purely cognitive.