Membership: Membership Needs Develop Over Time

How do membership needs develop over time? Erik Erikson talked about development stages. In this vlog I will link his model to the need for group membership. This will help you understand how to manage groups for inclusion of needs.

Stage 1. Trust vs. Mistrust: 0 – 1½ years First stage of development between zero and two years old is of basic trust versus mistrust. One example of learning basic trust could be when a baby sees their mother leave and come back again.

This relates in a way to the adult need for recognition, and to feel safe.

Sometimes I'm called into groups as a consultant, because they've had six different leaders over a period of two years, or they have a leader who is present but absent at the same time. Often the group switches from a basic trust position to a mistrust position, often fight, freeze or flight. In a group, one of the basic needs of membership is safety. When you join a group or when a group has transitioned, you always go back to this need for safety first.

Stage 2. Autonomy vs. Shame: 1½ – 3 years The second stage of development that Eric Erikson describes, is the development of autonomy versus shame and doubt. This relates to the need for autonomy in work and in groups. This need for autonomy in a group has to be balanced with the need for belonging in the relational network. That's always a difficult thing to manage. People struggle in groups and in society, between this need for autonomy and this need for affiliation in a group.