The Eight Stages Of Development In Moonlight By Barry Jenkins

Moonlight is a dramatic coming of age film directed by Barry Jenkins, following the life and the struggles of a young black man named Chiron as he grows up in Miami. The film is divided into three chapters of Chiron’s life; childhood under the alias “Little”, adolescents or “Chiron”, and emerging adulthood or “Black”. The film dives deep into the world from Chiron’s perspective and his experiences that impacted his development; it explores themes of identity, masculinity, and sexuality, all of which are closely related to Erickson's psychosocial stages of development.

Erik Erickson's theory of psychosocial development outlines a series of eight stages that individuals go through as they age as a result of “biological, psychological, and social

Mistrust The first stage of Erickson's theory is trust vs. mistrust, which occurs during infancy. According to Erickson, this is a decisive stage in a child's development because it sets the foundation -weak or strong- for their future relationships and self-esteem. During this stage, infants learn to trust or mistrust their caregivers based on the consistency and quality of care they receive. In the film, we see how his mother's struggle with drug addiction negatively affects his ability to develop trust during this stage. Chiron's mother, Paula, is unable to provide a stable and nurturing environment for her son. This results in “Little” having to rely on the kindness of others, such as his neighbor Juan. While Juan provides Chiron with the basic kindness and trust he needs during this stage, Chiron's lack of trust in his own mother due to her inability to be mentally stable and sober will ultimately disrupt his own ability to form healthy relationships or trust in others later in his

Chiron’s relationship fails to flourish due to her troubles with drug addiction, Paula isn’t a support system for her son nor is she emotionally or mentally available for him and she verbally and emotionally abuses him. Chiron believes he cannot rely on his mother and is ashamed by her behavior. One of the few people who gave Chiron support and trust is his friend Kevin, the relationship between the two creates hope for Chiron as a result of the treatment he receives from Kevin. It becomes clear that they share more than friendship during a scene in the film that portrays the two sharing their first sexual interaction under the moonlight. However, this glimmer of hope and exploration for Chiron is quickly diminished as Terrel pressures Kevin to punch Chiron. The betrayal signifies a failure to be accepted and ultimately is the breaking point for Chiron, he is exhausted by failure in his life and reacts with violence. The inability to feel competent as an individual results in Chiron being detained for acting out against