TRUST VS. MISTRUST

(Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development)

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Trust VS. Mistrust

This stage occurs from birth up to 18 months. According to Erik Erikson, it is the first stage in the development of the child. It enables the child to develop trust or mistrust about their environments and generally about the world. If a parent gives the necessary care required by the child by responding to the needs expressed through the child’s non-verbal communication, then it turns out that the child can trust the world. This is usually the basis of the child’s healthy development, According to Erik Erikson(Erskine, 2019). This paper, therefore, discusses in depth the first stage of Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development, trust versus mistrust. It also focuses on how both are achieved, their effect on the other stages of development, and adulthood repercussions that can result from distrust or trust gained in the first stage of psychosocial development(Maree, 2020).

Trust is one of the most critical aspects of human life. Even though it has consequences, for example, when the wrong person is trusted, it also has its benefits and makes a person healthy and lives a good life. Therefore the first stage of human life, being about trust versus mistrust, presents the child with the nature of the world they have come into. This means that if a child is wholly given all that they need when they are young. They are shown love through the different ways like feeling and being made comfortable; they will develop trust. They will most probably get a general idea and picture that the world is trustworthy. It is suitable for them to live in. with this trust that most of the times they will get what they want the children to develop positively through the other stages and gain a lot since with their parents’ trust is most of the times guaranteed.

Trust in a child can be instilled through feeding, providing comfort, and providing affection. Affection can be shown when the person in charge of the child tries to understand what the child attempts to communicate non-verbally and attends to the child’s needs. For example, a child may cry if they are not comfortable, and if the caregiver is attentive enough, they take note of that and make the child comfortable(Batra, 2013). Providing comfort in a child can be done by holding the child more tightly and securely. This proves that the child is valued and that the child needs to trust the person holding them since in having them, the caregiver also gives them warmth and physical contact, which is essential to all humans to feel secure. The development of trust can also be accelerated by providing food to the child and ensuring that the child is not hungry. This creates a bond with the caregiver, and it builds trust as the caregiver feeds the child (Syed & McLean 2017).

In the first stage, it is also essential to understand that Erik Erikson presents us with a psychological conflict whereby the child has to decide whether to trust the world around him/her based on what they receive in the manner of treatment they experience. The most crucial virtue during this period is hope. This means that the child hopes that he/she will be able to trust the world, and they expect this because it is not easily possible for a mother who, in this case, is most of the time the caregivers to be unable to provide an environment for trust to prevail. The most important activity which ensures boding is the feeding process whereby the caregiver feeds the child. When a child develops confidence, they get to know that the world around them is safe and that their needs will be met.

However, on the other hand, a child might not be able to develop trust, and therefore they build distrust, which is very dangerous to the child. When a child cannot trust those who take care of them, it means that the whole world is harsh and does not treat them properly (Batra, 2013). This also means that the development into other stages of their formation is hindered to a great extent, and they cannot develop fully and get all that they need. Distrust is generated when a child becomes uncomfortable and even cries, trying to get the caregiver’s attention to give the essential need or satisfaction they need at that time. Still, they are never attended to (Syed & McLean 2017).

In this instance, most of the children feel rejected and left out. Therefore the only thing they can do is cry and, within their little brain, tell themselves that they are hated. Through this, trust is not possible, and even when a person tries to show care, they will be shocked, and they may not receive acts of kindness well since they have not experienced it before. Mistrust is a very opposing force to any person, and because it happens from the very first moment a person gets into his/her life, it becomes difficult for them to live an entire life with hopes, joys, and expectations. It can be considered one of the tragedies that can befall a child during the formative years, especially during the first 18 months of their lives(Maree, 2020).

This stage also affects a child’s communication and interaction with others. When a child has developed mistrust, they tend to think that they are social misfits and segregate themselves. They do not necessarily engage themselves in communication or social activities with the other children. This is a very worrying aspect of a child since a child may miss so much in the socialization with this kind of trend. Even though they may grow physically into adults, their social and cognitive part, which is formed by learning, may never reach their optimum since learning occurs as people interact with each other(Erskine, 2019).

On the other hand, trust is an essential part of their lives and therefore if a child develops trust early in life they tend to be social since they have an expectation and hope that the world is a good place for them. Most of the time, they learn a lot and tend to be good socializers. Therefore even though the world does not give them everything they hope and wish for, they get to live a life full of life and which is active (Maree, 2020).

This theory is an essential tool in parenting. Parenting requires that the parent gives the best to their children, and so does this theory insist on making that the child is given the best for them to develop trust, especially during their first stage, which is trust versus mistrust. Therefore when the children can build trust, they learn more and get a lot more from their experience in the world. The theory encourages parents to be there for their children. Parents and caregivers should be available for the children and give them the best and most needed care to correct their psychosocial development. The children do not feel insecure about themselves or anything they wish to do (Batra, 2013).

There are many ways parenting can be carried out within Erik Eriksen’s psychosocial theory to bring out the best in the children. First of all, is that feeding should be done correctly. This is the most critical parenting technique of this stage. If feeding is not done correctly, the bond and the trust will not be appropriately developed. During this time, the mothers of the children breastfeed them, and therefore, if a child gets hungry, they are breastfed they are taught to trust straightforwardly. If a child gets hungry and they are not breastfed, then trust is not obtained. Therefore feeding is a significant part of parenting which can help develop confidence in the child. The other parenting technique is keeping the child comfortable. This is possible through changing diapers and keeping the child warm. Through this, the child will learn that their needs are taken care of when they are in need, and therefore trust is developed (Erskine, 2019).

One of the most challenging behaviors of this stage is whereby the baby needs a change in diapers after a long call or a short call, and maybe it is during a journey. In this instance, it becomes complicated to change the diapers, especially if it’s a public transport system. In this case, the parent can do two things. Either alight and take care of the child or continue with the journey and find a distraction for the baby during that period. This theory is critical since if a child develops well, they are likely to gain trust and understand the world better.

References

Batra, S. (2013). The psychosocial development of children: Implications for education and society—Erik Erikson in context. Contemporary Education Dialogue, 10(2), 249-278.

Erskine, R. G. (2019). Child development in integrative psychotherapy: Erik Erikson’s first three stages. International Journal of Integrative Psychotherapy, 10, 11-34.

Maree, J. G. (2020). The psychosocial development theory of Erik Erikson: a critical overview. Early Child Development and Care, 1-15.

Syed, M., & McLean, K. C. (2017). Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development.