Stage 1: basic trust versus basic distrust (from birth to 18 months)In the first stage of Erickson's theory, the ten- first eight months of life focus on the development of confidence (Zaslow and Kirst-Ashman, 2007); that is, the infant must learn to trust and depend on others for nourishment and care. According to Erikson (1985), the most important event in this stage is feeding. The infant will either develop trust if the caregiver's presence and feedings are stable and predictable, or a feeling of distrust if this is not the case. Thus, Erikson (1985) concluded that hope becomes the dominant theme of this stage with "trust born of care" (p. 250) and highlighted the harmful effects of an inappropriate relationship between trust and distrust throughout of the life cycle. unusual deformity at birth, his first encounter in life was met with rejection, hatred and abandonment – ​​from the doctor who informed Button's mother that there were "places for unwanted babies" ( 2008), until the death of his mother and finally, his father who tried to throw Benjamin into the river but abandoned him in front of the door of a retirement home. Although Bowlby indicated that the early loss of a parent "increases the likelihood and vulnerability to future adversity" (cited in Maier & Lackman, 2000, para. 2), Benjamin was fortunately discovered and rescued by Queenie, an African-American woman who worked at the nursing home. Unable to have a child of her own, Queenie ignored his deformity and immediately loved him, saying, "You're as ugly as an old crock, but you're still a child of God" (2008). Although Benjamin exhibited all the deformities of an eighty-year-old man, he formed a bond of trust with Queenie because of her enduring presence and predictable nurturing...... middle of paper .... ..from EBSCOhost.Schultz, DP and Schultz, SE (1987). A History of Modern Psychology. Orlando, FL: Harcourt-Brace. Slater, C. L. (2003). Generativity versus stagnation: an elaboration of Erikson's adult stage of human development. Journal of Adult Development, 10(1), 53-65. doi:10.1023/A:1020790820868Van Hiel, A., Mervielde, I. and Fruyt, F. (2006). Stagnation and generativity: Structure, validity, and differential relationships with adaptive and maladaptive personality. Journal of Personality, 74(2), 543-574. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2006.00384.xVollmer, H. (1946), Jealousy in Children. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 16: 660-671. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.1946.tb05429.xZastrow, C. and Kirst-Ashman, K.K. (2007). Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment (7th ed.). Belmont, California: Thomson Brooks/Cole, part of The Thomson Corporation.