Psychosocial Development in Toddlers

Psychosocial development in toddlers explains eight stages through which a healthily developing human should pass from infancy to late adulthood. In each stage the person confronts, and try to masters new challenges. Each stage builds on the successful completion of earlier stages. The challenges of stages not successfully completed may be expected to reappear as problems in the future.

Stage from birth to 18 months

Developing trust is the first task of the ego, and it is never complete. The child will let its mother out of sight without anxiety and rage because she has become an inner certainty as well as an outer predictability. But when a mother is not present, the father becomes the inner certainty along with other relatives usually surrounding the child daily. The balance of trust with mistrust depends largely on the quality of the maternal relationship.

The concept of trust versus mistrust is present throughout an individual's entire life. Therefore if the concept is not addressed, taught and handled properly during infancy when it is first introduced, the individual may be negatively affected and never fully immerse themselves in the world. For example, a person may hide themselves from the outside world and be unable to form healthy and long-lasting relationships with others, or even themselves.

If an individual does not learn to trust themselves, others and the world around them then they may lose the virtue of hope, which is directly linked to this concept. If a person loses their main belief in hope they will struggle with overcoming hard times and failures in their lives, and may never fully recover from them. This would prevent them from learning and maturing into a fully-developed person if the concept of trust versus mistrust was improperly learned, understood and used in all aspects of their lives.

Stage from 18 months to 3 years

If denied independence, the child will turn against his/her urges to manipulate and discriminate. Shame develops with the child's self-consciousness. Left over doubt may become paranoia. The sense of autonomy fostered in the child and modified as life progresses serves the preservation in economic and political life of a sense of justice.

When a child reaches the age of one to the age of three, the child is developing a sense of autonomy. During this age, the toddler discovers he/she is no longer attached to the primary caregiver but is a separate individual. Autonomy is the independence a toddler strives for from caregivers. Toddlers' autonomous behavior is a way of forming their own identity away from their caregivers. This stage is a time where a toddler has the strong determination to become independent. Shame and doubt is likely to occur when the toddler is not given any choices or boundaries because the toddler is determined to become independent. The strong will of a toddler may cause conflict between child and caregiver. Many parents are unaware of how to properly handle difficult situations in which they find themselves.

Parents who are assertive and too demanding may find themselves in a power struggle with their toddler. In addition, parents may be too demanding for only "good" behavior from their toddler. Demanding good behavior will only cause frustration for the toddler; instead, it is far better for the child to see you as a support and an aid rather as an obstacle to his or her own developing capabilities and independence. Autonomy can be gained for the toddler when given reasonable choices and proper guidance from the caregiver. Parents can give healthy and wise choices to assist their child to succeed at this stage.

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