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Trust Versus Mistrust

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Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development

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Definition

Trust versus mistrust is the first stage in Erik Erikson’s psychodynamic theory of psychosocial development.

Description

Erikson postulates a theory of psychosocial development that spans the lifespan and emphasizes an interaction between biological needs and the environment. According to Erikson, there are stages in development in which a child’s unfolding biological needs and abilities engage the child with significant adults, resulting in interactions that help or hinder the child in meeting healthy psychosocial milestones. The patterns that emerge can be described as involving (1) key areas of the physical body, (2) the types of activity that the child is engaged in mastering at that level of development, and (3) the types of social interactions that result as the growing child relates to others with their new abilities [1]. Additionally, the resulting experiences from each stage lay the foundation for transition through the subsequent developmental stages.

Trust versus...

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References

  1. Achenbach, T. A. (1982). Developmental psychopathology (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley.

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  2. Bornstein, M. H., & Lamb, M. E. (2005). Developmental science: An advanced textbook (5th ed.). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

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  3. Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and society (2nd ed.). New York: W. W. Norton and Company.

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  4. Hetherington, E. M., Parke, R. D., & Locke, V. O. (1999). Child psychology: A contemporary viewpoint (5th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Associate Professor, Clinical Psychology Program, Argosy University/Atlanta, 980 Hammond Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30328, USA

    Jennifer L. Stapel-Wax Psy.D (Associate Professor)

Authors
  1. Jennifer L. Stapel-Wax Psy.D
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology, Learning and Behavior Center, 230 South 500 East, Suite 100, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84102, USA

    Sam Goldstein Ph.D.

  2. Department of Psychology MS 2C6, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Jack A. Naglieri Ph.D. (Professor of Psychology) (Professor of Psychology)

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Stapel-Wax, J.L. (2011). Trust Versus Mistrust. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2968

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2968

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-77579-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79061-9

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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