Erikson: Autonomy Vs. Shame and Doubt

Erikson's Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (approximately 18 months to 3 years) is the stage of the toddler. The child's central task is developing a sense of personal control over physical skills and a beginning sense of independence. When caregivers support safe exploration and decision-making, the child develops autonomy. When caregivers are over-controlling, punitive, or overly critical, the child develops shame and doubt — a sense of being incapable and unworthy of independence. Learning objectives: - Identify toddler developmental characteristics relevant to nursing care - Explain why regression occurs during hospitalization and how the RN responds - Apply choice-offering strategies to support toddler cooperation with care - Recognize normal negativism vs. signs of developmental concern - Support parental understanding of toddler behaviour during illness On the exam, writers often pair stable-sounding options with unstable data—notice the mismatch before you commit. If the stem names a license or role, reread that line; scope errors are classic trap answers even when the clinical topic is familiar. Run a 60-second scan: breathing work and oxygenation, perfusion and end organs, neuro baseline, likely infection...