The Eight Stages of a Cat's Psychological Development

Kittens are born with some basic capabilities and distinct temperaments. But they go through dramatic changes on the way to adulthood, and while growing old. According to psychologist Erik H. Erikson, each individual passes through eight developmental stages (Erikson calls them "psychosocial stages"). The same thing happens, in varying degrees with cats. Each stage is characterized by a different psychological "crisis", which must be resolved by the cat before it can move on to the next stage. If the cat copes with a particular crisis in a maladaptive manner, 'issues' develop later in life. To Erikson, the sequence of the stages are set by nature. It is within the set limits that nurture works its ways.

Stage 1: Infancy -- Age 0 to 3 weeks

Crisis: Trust vs. Mistrust 
Description: In the first 3-4 weeks of life, kittens depend on their mother for food, warmth, protection and affection, and therefore must be able to blindly trust the mother for providing those. 
Positive outcome: If their needs are met consistently and responsively by the mother, kittens not only will develop a secure attachment with the mother, but will learn to trust their environment in general as well.
Negative outcome: If not, the kitten will develop mistrust towards other cats, people and things in their environment, even towards themselves. 

Stage 2: Weaner -- Age 3 to 4 weeks

Crisis: Autonomy (Independence) vs. Doubt (or Shame)
Description: Kittens learn to walk, meow and do things for themselves. Their self-control and self-confidence begin to develop at this stage. 
Positive outcome: If mother cats encourage their kitten's use of initiative and reassure it when it makes mistakes, the kitten will develop the confidence needed to cope with future situations that require choice, control, and independence. 
Negative outcome: If mothers are overprotective, or disapproving of the kitten's acts of independence, she may begin to feel ashamed of her behaviour, or have too much doubt of her abilities. 


Stage 3: Early Kitten-hood -- Age 4 to 10 weeks

Crisis: Initiative vs. Guilt 
Description: Kittens have newfound power at this stage as they have developed motor skills and become more and more engaged in social interaction with other kittens and people around them. They now must learn to achieve a balance between eagerness for more adventure while learning to control impulses and fantasies. 
Positive outcome: If mother cats are encouraging, but consistent in discipline, kittens will learn to accept without guilt, that certain things are not allowed, but at the same time will not feel shame when using their imagination and engaging in make-believe role plays. 
Negative outcome: If not, kittens may develop a sense of guilt and may come to believe that it is wrong to be independent.

Stage 4: 'Kitty Kinder' Years -- Age 10 to 12 weeks

Crisis: Competence (aka. "Industry") vs. Inferiority 
Description: 'Kitty kinder' is the important event at this stage. Kittens learn to 'play hunt', use a kitty litter and acquire the skills to be a potential adult. And they do all these while making the transition from the world of home into the bigger world. 
Positive outcome: If kittens can discover pleasure in psychological stimulation, being success in play, they will develop a sense of competence. 
Negative outcome: If not, they will develop a sense of inferiority.

Stage 5: Adolescence -- Age 12 weeks to 20 weeks 

Crisis: Identity vs. Role Confusion 
Description: This is the time when the kitten has moved into its new home. It is a time when it asks the question "Who am I?" To successfully answer this question, the kitten must integrate the healthy resolution of all earlier conflicts. Did it develop the basic sense of trust? Does it have a strong sense of independence, competence, and feel in control of it's life? Adolescent cats who have successfully dealt with earlier conflicts are ready for the "Identity Crisis", which is considered the single most significant conflict a cat must face. 
Positive outcome: If the adolescent cat solves this conflict successfully, it will come out of this stage with a strong identity, and ready to plan for the future. 
Negative outcome: If not, the adolescent cat will sink into confusion, unable to make decisions and choices, especially about purpose, sexual orientation, and its role in life in general. 


Stage 6: Young Adulthood -- Age 5 months to 1 year

Crisis: Intimacy vs. Isolation 
Description: In this stage, the most important events are love relationships. No matter how successful a cat is in its new home, it is not developmentally complete until it is capable of intimacy. A cat who has not developed a sense of identity usually will fear a committed relationship and may retreat into isolation.
Positive outcome: Adult cats can form close relationships and share with other cats and humans if they have achieved a sense of identity. 
Negative outcome: If not, they will fear commitment, feel isolated and unable to depend on anybody in the world. 


Stage 7: Middle Adulthood -- Age 1 to 3 years 

Crisis: Generativity vs. Stagnation 
Description: 'Generativity' refers to the cat's ability to look outside itself and care for others, through its offspring. Adult cats need kittens as much as kittens need adult cats, and that this stage reflects the need to create a living legacy. 
Positive outcome: Cats can solve this crisis by having and nurturing kittens, or helping the next generation of cats in other ways, such as being foster queens.
Negative outcome: If this crisis is not successfully resolved, the cat will remain self-centred and experience stagnation later in life. 


Stage 8: Late Adulthood -- Age 3 years to death

Crisis: Integrity vs. Despair  
Description: Old age is a time for a cat to reflect upon its own life and its role in the big scheme of things, and seeing it filled with pleasure and satisfaction or disappointments and failures. 
Positive outcome: If the cat has achieved a sense of fulfilment about life and a sense of unity within itself and with other cats and humans, it will accept death with a sense of integrity. Just as the healthy kitten will not fear life, the psychologically healthy adult cat will not fear death. 
Negative outcome: If not, the cat will despair and fear death.