Life is a series of lessons and challenges that help us grow. The word “psychosocial” is Erikson's term, actually derived from the words psychological (mind) and social (relationships). Erikson believed that his psychosocial principle was genetically inevitable in shaping human development. It occurs in all people. For my development interview, I interviewed my boyfriend's sister, Alyssa, at her house. I've known her since she was about five, so it was very easy to talk to her and get her to open up. It was also a relaxed (backyard) and comfortable environment for her. According to Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, school-age children (up to about twelve years of age) are expected to fall into the Industry (expertise) vs. Inferiority. Children are at the stage where they will learn to read and write, to do calculations, to do things on their own. Teachers begin to take on an important role in the child's life as they teach him specific skills. It is at this stage that the child's peer group will gain greater importance and become one of the child's main sources of self-esteem. Children feel the need to gain approval by demonstrating specific skills valued by society and begin to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments. If children are encouraged and strengthened in their initiative, they begin to feel industrious and have confidence in their ability to achieve their goals. If this initiative is not encouraged, if it is limited by parents or teachers, the child begins to feel inferior, to doubt his own abilities and therefore not reach his potential. If the child fails to develop the specific skill they believe society requires (e.g. being athletic), then… middle of paper… Conducting the interview met my learning expectations. It was a great learning opportunity to interact and research psychosocial development. Encouraging elaboration could have improved the interview process. For example, I could have asked her to tell me more about her choices. Showing interest and creating a conversation would also make the child feel more comfortable. It would also be important to ensure that you know your age group and use appropriate language accordingly. I think it would have also helped to ask the little girl where she wanted to go for the interview. For example, instead of doing the interview at her house, I could have taken her to the frozen yogurt shop. All these techniques would have improved the interview process to collect more data. The child would feel comfortable and relaxed and might even forget that you are “interviewing” him”..