Erik Erikson is most famous for his work in refining and intensifying Freud’s theory of stages. In his eyes, development functions by the epigenetic principle.The epigenetic principle says that we develop through a predetermined unfolding of our personalities in eight stages. The eight stages that are being described are, the oral-sensory stage, the anal-muscular stage, the genital-locomotor stage, the latency stage, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood. The oral-sensory stage, the first stage, is the first year or year and a half of like. This stage is the trust vs. mistrust stage. If you give the newborn familiarity, consistency, and continuity they need, they will develop the feeling that the world is safe and people are loveable and trustworthy. If a child’s parent is unreliable and inadequate then the infant may develop mistrust and be nervous or uneasy around people. The anal-muscular stage is the second stage of early childhood. The ages range from eighteen months to three or four years of age. In this stage the task at hand is to minimize shame and doubt. In this stage a child should be able to explore and manipulate his or her environment. Doing this, will allow the child to develop a sense of autonomy or independence. In this stage a parent needs to be firm but tolerant. Parents should not give their child unrestricted freedom and no sense of limits because this could lead to a child’s shame and doubt because you are not showing the child that you care. The latency stage, or the school-age from six to twelve, should develop a capacity for industry while avoiding an excessive sense of inferiority. Children should learn there is pleasure in not only conceiving a plan but also carrying the plan out. They should learn the feeling of success, no matter what the occasion at hand may be. A child may develop a sense of inferiority or incompetence is too little success is allowed. The young adulthood stage lasts from 18 to about...