Erik Erikson developed eight stages of psychosocial development that span the entire lifespan. Each stage is characterized by a psychological crisis that focuses on developing certain virtues. The stages involve resolving crises of trust vs mistrust in infancy, autonomy vs doubt in early childhood, initiative vs guilt in preschool years, industry vs inferiority in school-age children, identity vs role confusion in adolescence, intimacy vs isolation in early adulthood, generativity vs self-absorption in middle adulthood, and integrity vs despair in late adulthood. Successful completion of each stage results in further development and ability to complete future stages.