How to Coach Yourself and Others Techniques For Coaching | Página 255
The difficulty in 'labeling' the first and second dispositions in each crisis
is a reflection that neither is actually wholly good or bad, or wholly
positive or negative. The first disposition is certainly the preferable
tendency, but an ideal outcome is achieved only when it is counterbalanced with a degree of the second disposition.
Successful development through each crisis is requires a balance and
ratio between the two dispositions, not total adoption of the apparent
'positive' disposition, which if happens can produce almost as much
difficulty as a strong or undiluted tendency towards the second
'negative' disposition.
Some of the crisis stages are easier to understand than others. Each
stage contains far more meaning than can be conveyed in just two or
three words. Crisis stage one is 'Trust versus Mistrust', which is easier
to understand than some of the others. Stage four 'Industry versus
Inferiority' is a little trickier. You could say instead 'usefulness versus
uselessness' in more modern common language. Erikson later refined
'Industry' to 'Industriousness', which probably conveys a fuller
meaning. See the more detailed crisis stages descriptions below for a
clearer understanding.
Successful passage through each stage is dependent on striking the
right balance between the conflicting extremes rather than entirely
focusing on (or being guided towards) the 'ideal' or 'preferable'
extreme in each crisis. In this respect Erikson's theory goes a long way
to explaining why too much of anything is not helpful for developing a
well-balanced personality.
A well-balanced positive experience during each stage develops a
corresponding 'basic virtue' (or 'basic strength - a helpful personality
development), each of which enables a range of other related emotional
and psychological strengths. For example passing successfully through
the Industry versus Inferiority crisis (stage four, between 6-12 years of
age for most people) produces the 'basic psychosocial virtue' of
'competence' (plus related strengths such as 'method', skills,
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