Theories of Childhood, Second Edition (Carol Garhart Mooney) / quote 42 of 70
Initiative versus guilt
The third and last stage of Erikson’s theory that addresses the early childhood years is initiative versus guilt. Most four-and five-year-olds are at this stage, which is therefore a key one for preschool and kindergarten teachers to know about. The developmental task of this stage is to acquire a sense of purpose. Erikson describes children of this age as energetic and ready to learn. Typically developing children will forget failures more quickly by four or five. They are more willing to listen and learn from teachers, parents, and other children. At this stage children are growing in ways that make them much more actively focused and less defiant. Children who have negotiated their second stage successfully have established their autonomy, so they act less for the sake of individual control and more to get things done. Children who successfully accomplish the developmental tasks of this stage will emerge confident and competent. They will believe that they can plan and complete a task independently. They will be able to cope with and learn from mistakes without feeling guilty for things that don’t go as planned.