3. Initiative vs Guilt (3-5 Years)

• Key Activity: Play, exploration, and asking “why”.
• Virtue: Purpose.
• Negative Outcome: Excessive guilt can stifle creativity and inhibit a child’s desire to assert themselves.

At this stage, children devise new games, imagine different roles, and learn to plan and execute activities. Encouragement fosters initiative (a willingness to try new things). Criticism or discouragement can produce guilt, making children feel they are a nuisance or that their ideas are unacceptable.