Industry vs inferiority

The theorist, Erikson argued that children in the age range 5 to 11 develop a sense of their own competence at this time through the achievement of goals that are defined by the prevailing culture and adult expectations. He called this industry and argued that in order to be able to develop this sense of industry, a child must be able to achieve the goals that their culture set outs for all children of his or her age.

The expectations set for children of this age are often associated with the primary school years and involve reading, writing and arithmetic, for example. Many others support Erikson’s ideas. It seems that most 5 to 11 year olds gradually develop a view of their own competence as they succeed or fail at these academic tasks.

Erkison also argued that if children fail to meet these expectations they will enter adolescence and adulthood with feelings of inferiority which can negatively impact on an individual’s ability to achieve for the rest of their lives.

As these skills take practice, rewarding children for effort rather than achievement at this stage will help them persevere.

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