Page 535 - Saunders Comprehensive Review For NCLEX-RN

4. An individual cannot survive without defense

mechanisms; however, if the individual becomes too
extreme in distorting reality, interference with healthy
adjustment and personal growth may occur.
E. Psychosexual stages of development (Box 17-4)

1. Human development proceeds through a

series of stages from infancy to adulthood.
2. Each stage is characterized by the inborn tendency of
all individuals to reduce tension and seek pleasure.
3. Each stage is associated with a particular conflict that
must be resolved before the child can move
successfully to the next stage.
4. Experiences during the early stages determine an
individual’s adjustment patterns and the personality
traits that the individual has as an adult.

Table 17-1
Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

Adapted from Varcarolis E: Foundations of psychiatric mental health nursing, ed 6, St. Louis, 2010, Saunders.

Box 17-1

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