Erik Erikson was a psychologist who came up with the theory that everyone goes through eight stages of psychosocial development in their lifetime. This theory is called the "epigenetic principle." How we go through each stage is determined by the situations, or development "tasks," in our lives. Each stage has a task that is referred to with a two-word phrase, such as trust-mistrust' in the infant's stage. Also, each stage has what is called an optimal time,' which means that each stage can only happen at certain times in the person's life. No stages can be skipped, but the time it takes to go through each stage can vary. The eight stages, and the approximate ages for them are:
1. Oral-sensory stage - ages 0 to 1½
2. Anal-muscular stage - ages 2 to 3
3. Genital-locomotor stage - ages 3 to 6
4. Latency stage - ages 7 to 12
5. Adolescence - ages 12 to 18
6. Young adulthood - ages 20 to about 27
7. Middle adulthood - ages 27 to about 50
8. Maturity - age 50......
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