Which stage of Erikson’s Psychosocial Development theory covers the age range of 6–12 years?

Appeared in: BTSC 3 August 2025

Explanation

This stage corresponds to the school-age period, typically from 6 to 12 years.
During this time, children focus on mastering new social and academic skills.
Success in these tasks leads to a sense of competence and industry.
Failure or lack of support can result in feelings of inadequacy and inferiority.
The primary virtue developed during this stage is competence.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: This stage applies to preschool-aged children (3 to 6 years), not school-aged children.
Option B: This stage is associated with adolescence (12 to 19 years), a period focused on developing a personal identity.
Option D: This stage occurs in young adulthood (19 to 40 years), where the primary conflict is forming intimate relationships.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
When caring for a hospitalized school-age child (6-12 years), a nurse can foster a sense of industry by allowing the child to participate in their own care, such as keeping a record of their fluid intake or helping with simple tasks.
Providing age-appropriate activities and opportunities for achievement, like schoolwork or crafts, helps prevent feelings of inferiority and promotes coping during hospitalization.
What if? If a hospitalized 10-year-old child refuses to participate in care and expresses feelings of 'not being good at anything,' the nurse should recognize this as a sign of potential inferiority. The intervention would be to find a simple task the child can succeed at and provide positive reinforcement to build their sense of competence.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key elements of the question: 'Erikson’s Psychosocial Development theory' and the specific 'age range of 6–12 years'.
This is a factual recall question that requires knowledge of developmental psychology.
Mentally review or list Erikson's eight stages of development.
For each stage, recall the associated age range and psychosocial crisis.
Match the given age range (6–12 years) to the correct stage, which is 'Industry vs. Inferiority'.
Eliminate the other options by confirming they correspond to different age ranges (preschool, adolescence, and young adulthood).

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
Stem keywords: Erikson’s Psychosocial Development, stage, age range, 6–12 years
Lead-in keywords: Which
Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

Qcw3c17qEUpJMZPHQQH8_t

Reference Book

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 1 p. 164-166

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 3061-3063

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 3372-3374

Practise the full BTSC 3 August 2025

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.

Attempt this paper Attempt in the NPrep app