Initiative vs. Guilt

 

 

As the word initiative suggests, young children have a new sense of purposefulness.  They are eager to tackle new tasks, join in activities with peers, and discover what they can do with the help of adults.  They also make strides in conscience development.  The negative outcome of this stage is an overly strict conscience or superego that causes children to feel too much guilt because they have been threatened, criticized, and punished excessively by adults.

 

Video showcases me taking initiative and pouring my father "soup" and putting the dishes away. 

 

(Berk, 2013, p. 200)