initiative versus guilt

n. This is the third stage in Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. Here, the child is about 4 or 5 years old and is trying to resolve the conflict of initiative versus guilt. The child is now able to take initiative in the form of undertaking, planning, and working on a task and does so simply for the sake of being active. The end result is not important; it is the "doing" that interests the child. On the opposite end of the conflict is the feeling of guilt. For the child to pass through this stage without feeling residual guilt, parents must provide opportunity for the child to engage in motor activities and imaginative play. Parents should not make the child feel that his/her actions are silly or stupid, and they should answer questions that the child asks. If parents fail to meet these needs of the child, he/she may develop a sense of guilt over self- initiated activities that may persist later in life.

- EF