autonomy versus shame and doubt

n. The possible outcomes of Erik Erikson's second, muscular-anal, stage of epigenetic development in which a child must learn to control herself/himself in ways which are both personally satisfying and socially acceptable. If he/she succeeds in general in these tasks, then he/she develops a sense of autonomy, or being able to choose one's course of action for one's self. On the other hand, if he/she fails, then he/she feels shamed and doubts her/ his capacity to choose her/his own course of action and tends to fall back on rule governed behavior so as to forestall being shamed.