you have learned about Erikson’s fourth stage of development Industry vs. Inferiority. During this stage, children in elementary and middle school begin to discover their talents and compare themselves to other children their own age. Erikson says that learning about skills, preferences, and abilities during this stage will be the basis for important decisions about identity in adolescence. Children do not have to be competent in everything they try, but it is important for them to find some areas of competence to build on in the future. For this post, I want you to reflect back on your own middle childhood years (approximately 5-12 years old) and think about what you discovered about your own talents and abilities. It might have been a school subject or skill (e.g., writing, math, science), an athletic endeavor (e.g., soccer, track, basketball) or an artistic talent (e.g., musical instrument, singing, drawing, crafts). It may also be that you discovered social skills like leadership and interpersonal communication skills through your involvement in scouting, student council, or similar organizations.
For your initial post, I want you to describe an experience from middle childhood that helped you better understand one of your abilities during that time period. This experience should include a description of a particular talent or ability you learned you were good at. Then discuss whether this experience continued to influence you into adolescence and/or adulthood. For example, did you continue to pursue and be interested in activities that involved the skill you had as a child, or did you decide to develop other skills and pursue different activities?