Basic Trust Vs. Basic Mistrust
Erikson's Eight Ages of Man
Erikson's theory is called the "Eight Ages of Man," while it goes through those eight stages, I will focus on the section on trust.
In Eriskson's theory labeled, "Basic Trust Vs. Basic Mistrust," he says that this stage takes place from birth to 18 months old. Babies primary caregiver is responsible for caring for the child and meeting the needs of the baby builds trust. The infant overall builds a general basic trust of people. If the needs of the infant are not met then the baby will develop mistrust of people.
Example:
Kathy just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. As the little girl got older her mother quit caring for her. The little girl was taken care of by her grandmother. The baby then gained trust for her grandmother and began not to trust her mother.
Connections To My Story
As a child, I was raised by my mother. My biological father was always at work or away, not putting in any effort to care for me. I gained trust in my mother and was not too trusting of my biological father.
The same goes for when I got older. My step dad came into my life and cared for me. He raised me as his own and I gained trust for him. He is my Dad and he did raise me and I trust him.
This is a picture of my dad and I. We went out to eat for his birthday in this picture.
Application To My Future Career
As a teacher, I will see signs of children who might not have both parents.
These signs can be withdrawal from certain topics or in general.
Knowing what I know about trust and mistrust I will be there for any student that needs to talk. I will treat all my students equally and show them that even if trust takes a while it can be built. I will build a relationship of trust with all of my students.