Trust vs. Mistrust: Psychosocial Stage 1

The trust versus mistrust stage is the first stage of psychologist Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, which occurs between birth and approximately 18 months of age. According to Erikson, the trust versus mistrust stage is the most important period in a person’s life because it shapes our view of the world, as well as our personalities. Erikson's psychosocial development theory has seven other stages that span throughout a person's lifetime.

It is in this initial stage of development that children learn whether or not they can trust the world. As you might deduce, it is the care they receive from their parents and other adults that is critical to forming this trust.

Because an infant is entirely dependent upon his or her caregivers, the quality of care that the child receives plays an important role in the shaping of the child’s personality. During this stage, children learn whether or not they can trust the people around them. When a baby cries, does his caregiver attend to his needs? When he is frightened, will someone comfort him? When she is hungry, does she receive nourishment from her caregivers?

An infant's ability to communicate his or her needs are limited, so crying carries an important message. When a baby cries, there is some need that should be met with a response from caregivers, whether it involves providing food, safety, a fresh diaper, or a comforting cuddle. By responding quickly and appropriately to an infant's cries, a foundation of trust is established.

When these needs are consistently met, the child will learn that he can trust the people who are caring for him. If, however, these needs are not consistently met, the child will begin to mistrust the people around him.

If a child successfully develops trust, he will feel safe and secure in the world. Caregivers who are inconsistent, emotionally unavailable, or reject the child contribute to feelings of mistrust in the children they care for. Failure to develop trust can result in fear and a belief that the world is inconsistent and unpredictable.

There have been multiple studies devoted to understanding what goes into the tendency to be trusting, but not nearly as many in the quest to understand why certain people are more mistrustful than others. It's clear that environment has a big part in both, just as Erikson states. One recent study done with female twins, both identical and fraternal, shows evidence that while a trusting personality seems to be at least in part genetic, a mistrustful or distrusting personality seems to be learned from family and other social influences.