Chapter 2

I find it interesting and thought provoking that in Erik Erikson’s eight developmental stages, during the stage of initiative versus guilt, children between the ages of three and six want to push pass the limits set by their parents. However when they follow these instinctual behaviors, their reaction to the experience, whether to feel guilt, failure, or pride, is fully dependent on the parent’s reaction. Due to their desires to participate in adult-like things, their overall experience will establish their tendencies as an adult to either feel adventurous or guilty. That makes complete sense, but it is still so hard to wrap your head around the fact that our experiences and behavioral tendencies as adults has a lot to do with our childhood experiences.