The ego virtue developed in the Industry vs Inferiority stage is

• A. Competence
• B. Fidelity
• C. Love
• D. Wisdom

Answer: (A)

In Erikson’s stage of Industry vs Inferiority, children are learning to master new skills and complete tasks through effort and practice. This period, roughly ages 6 to 12, focuses on building practical abilities in school, sports, and other activities. When kids receive encouragement for their efforts and see that they can achieve goals through hard work, they develop a sense of competence—the belief that they can succeed in tasks they attempt. This sense of mastery becomes the ego virtue of this stage.

Fidelity, love, and wisdom align with other stages: fidelity with identity versus role confusion, love with intimacy versus isolation, and wisdom with integrity versus despair.