Erikson's Industry and Inferiority

            Industry versus inferiority marks Erikson's fourth stage of psychosocial development, and takes place during ages six and eleven. Throughout this stage, children begin to master new skills and are able to gain more capability of performing complex tasks. According to Erikson, the combination of adult expectations and the child's motivation to master new skills is what industry and inferiority is based on (Berk, 330). School is a crucial part of this stage in Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, because this is where children gain a huge amount of new skills. Throughout school, children during this stage develop more of an understanding of their capacities. The development of moral commitment and responsibility also develops during this stage as the child becomes more aware of their caregivers and teachers expect.
             While this stage can be great for the child's motivation to succeed, the danger of inferiority is also present. Children with low confidence in their abilities seem to reflect this part of the stage, and can develop for any number of reasons. One of the most common causes for inferiority occurs when the child is not adequately prepared for school and their social surroundings. The feeling of inferiority can also occur when parents or teachers lower the child's self-confidence by responding negatively. Self-esteem plays a big role in the child once they hit this stage. While the self-esteem of a preschooler is very high, their self-esteem will drop as they develop more of an awareness of their actual abilities. According to page 331 of Development through the Lifespan, individual differences in self-esteem become increasingly stable beginning during middle childhood. Children with higher self-esteem tend to succeed more, and are more respected by their classmates. However, children who have very low self-esteems through this stage develop anxiety, depression, and antisocial behavior.