4. Industry vs Inferiority (5-12 Years)

• Key Activity: Schoolwork, peer comparison, skill-building.
• Virtue: Competence.
• Negative Outcome: A lasting sense of inferiority can undermine confidence in academic or social settings.

As children enter school, they compare their abilities to peers and seek to demonstrate competence. Support from teachers and parents helps them develop industry (confidence in skills and productivity). Without such support, or when faced with persistent failures, children risk feeling inferior and unmotivated.