The first year of life according to Erik Erikson is the struggle between trust and mistrust (Santrock, 2012).  Erikson theorized that after being in the safe and warm environment of the mother’s womb babies are thrust into a world where things are not as secure for them. The goal of this year according the Erikson is one of trust and mistrust, he also proposed that if trust is not learned in the first year it will become an ongoing issue that is visited over and over again during every stage of development (Santrock, 2012).  One of the key ways babies learn to trust is: consistent feedings that leave baby well fed, being kept warm and comfortable, and sensitive touches (Santrock, 2012). 

            Piaget on the other hand divides the first of life into several stages: reflex activity, primary circular reactions, secondary reactions and coordination of secondary schemes (Ashford & Lecroy, 2013).  During the reflex activity stage, the baby learns of its environment through reflexive actions, this stage is from birth to one month of age.  The next stage is the primary circular reaction, the stage is from one to four months of age, and during this stage the baby learns that reflexes can bring about desirable results and repeats them to get that result (Ashford & Lecroy, 2013).  The third stage within the first year of life is the secondary circular reaction stage, this is when the baby starts to notice the world around them and they start to gain control over their bodies movements, this stage is typically between the fourth and eighth month of life (Ashford & Lecroy, 2013).  The final stage in Piaget’s first year of life is the coordination of secondary schemas, generally it is between the eighth and twelfth month, this is the stage where baby put together a string of tasks to accomplish a goal and the develop object permanence (Ashford & Lecroy, 2013). 

 

Santrock, J.  (2012). Essentials of life-span development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill

            Company.

Ashford, J. & Lecroy, C. (2013).  Human behavior in the social environment. Belmont, CA:

            Cengage Learning.