...The Meaning of Identity: A Brief History The term identity as the dictionary defines it today is almost as new as the sciences devoted to studying it. The definition of the word identity has undergone several transformations since it was first used by European philosophers emerging from the Dark Ages. It wouldn’t be until 1950 that the word would undergo its final stage, the one seen used in psychology textbooks across the world. Erik Erikson’s eight stages of the life cycle gave us its modern meaning. The way the term identity has been used by philosophers in the past has given it definite significance and seriousness. Despite this, its use in relation to the individuality of a person was very casual and lacked depth. Only recently has the term identity come to represent an analytical psychological concept (Gleason, 1983). Before modern social sciences evolved, the term identity was associated with philosophical thought and the ever-present questions about the mind-body connection and the nature of self. The root of the word identity is Latin in origin. The word is “idem” and it means “the same.” The word identity has been found in philosophical texts going back to 1690 with John Locke’s “Essay Concerning Human Understanding” (Gleason, 1983). The term seemed to be used only to describe “self” as the philosophers viewed it. The definition of identity that we have today did not come about until much later and when it did it gave much insight into issues that...
Words: 1980 - Pages: 8
...Erik Erikson's Human Development Stages This research paper focuses on Erikson's theory of the eight stages of human development. The theory and its fundamental principals are reviewed through experts views the and various aspects of the eight stages of human development. Erikson profoundly affected the psychological views of human development. Furthermore, he accented and formulated the development of personality and identity in relation and social roles based on psychoanalytic theory. Erik Homberger Erikson’s theory of development is perhaps one of the most widely applied models to emerge from the field of psychology during the last century. Born in Frankfurt, Germany to Danish parents in 1902, Erikson was an indifferent student who felt he did not “fit in” with regard to formal educational settings. Perhaps his self-awareness helped him to formulate his very unique theory. Erikson might be described as a disciple of Sigmund Freud. He considered himself psychoanalytic in terms of theoretical or philosophical perspective, and he agreed with Freud on many basic assumptions . Like Jung, Horney, and others, Erikson began with Freudian assumptions and built upon them. The result is a theoretical perspective quite distinct from that of the “master.” Erikson’s theory, then, is characterized by several “points of departure” from his mentor’s approach. The most immediately obvious difference is that Erikson places...
Words: 1867 - Pages: 8
...PSYCOLOGY EXAM Differentiate between Freud and Erikson's approach to psychoanalytic theory in this lesson. You will examine and compare developmental stages side by side and have the opportunity to test your knowledge with a quiz at the end. Example for Comparison Mary has a 3-month-old daughter. Mary bottle feeds her child and follows a strict schedule for feeding times. The child is not allowed to have a pacifier. Mary is an affectionate parent, and all of her child's needs are met. How could the actions that occur in the child's life now affect her later development? Similarities of Freud and Erikson Sigmund Freud's psychosexual theory and Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory are two important psychoanalytic theories on human development that could be used to explain the developmental effects of this scenario. In this lesson, we will examine what these two theories have in common and how they differ. Erikson's theory followed Freud's and was based on many of Freud's ideas. Because of this, the two theories have similarities. Both theorists recognize the importance of the unconscious on development. They also both separate development into stages of a person's life and utilize similar age divisions for these developmental stages. Differences of Freud and Erikson However, there are several differences that exist between the names of the stages and the developmental issues that are encountered during each. Part of the reason for this is that each psychologist has his own unique...
Words: 2897 - Pages: 12
...When discussing the timeline of Erik Erikson, we will discover how he formed his theory of psychosocial developmental, along with explaining what stage my friend and I are currently in within his timeline. Erik Erikson (1902-1994) was a German born American developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, whom formed a theory of psychosocial development on the human life cycle. Erikson’s major innovation was to take Freud’s psychosexual stages of the libido and transform them into a developmental model of psychosocial tasks, which identified eight stages of human development and their corresponding psychosocial tasks. (McAdams, 2009, "Chapter 9, Developmental Stages In Childhood ") To really determine which stage I’m currently in I had to carefully read though many stages, since the eight stages begins at the time of infancy to late adulthood, which will change within each individual and within their social world combined. After all of the reading I would say that I resign in the six stage of Erikson’s timeline Intimacy vs. Isolation (which he consider young adulthood). I think I’m currently in the stage of young adulthood, because I’m 27 years old and have accomplished the psychosocial issues listed in Erikson fifth stage of life Identity vs. role confusion (Adolescence). Some of the main factors I have accomplished in the fifth stage includes developing my sense of self, beliefs, independence, secure about my future, fidelity, and successfully becoming an identity achiever...
Words: 987 - Pages: 4
...Psychology is the study of life stages in which humans experience and the behavioral issues of one’s self. his scientific process has been study by many pioneers throughout history who has shared their own belief and explanations for people behavioral issue and the way in which they act which is mundane to one’s society. One pioneer who has contributed his opinion to Psychology is Erikson, a German Psychologist who created eight psychosocial stages that humans encounter throughout their life, the stages are: Trust vs. Mistrust, Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt, Initiative vs. Guilt, Industry vs. Inferiority, Identity vs. Role Confusion, Intimacy vs. Isolation, Generativity vs. Stagnation, and Integrity vs. Despair . Erik Homberger Erikson was born in 1902 near Frankfort, Germany to Danish parents. Erik studied art and a variety of languages during his school years, rather than science courses such as biology and chemistry. He didn’t support the idea of going to college so instead he traveled around Europe, keeping a diary of his events. After a year of doing this, he returned to Germany and attended art school. After a period of time, Erikson began to teach art and other subjects American children who had come to Vienna for training. He was then permitted into the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute. In 1933 he came to the U.S. and became Boston's first child analyst and got a position at the Harvard Medical School. Later on, he also held positions at institutions including Yale and...
Words: 1004 - Pages: 5
...Social Workers support service users from the range of the life span from infant to the elderly. In order to best support service users it is important to be aware of developmental stages and trends in order to fit care and support for the people we work with accurately. Erikson states that if a person does not transition from one developmental stage to another effectively this can cause problems in later stages and create a sense of fixation. Children develop in different stages and in different ways. A method that has been used to explore these developmental milestones is observation. Observations involve watching a child for sometime in order to understand how he or she perceives and interacts with the world. attributes physically, cognitively and socially of two children, one male and one female, ages five and ten, respectively. This writer will identify the socio-economic status (SEC), age, gender, ethnic background, and family demographics of each of these children. The two children this writer has chosen come from similar living situations (i.e. they both live with single mothers), but have vast differences in their physical, cognitive, and social development. This paper will examine Erik Erikson's Eight Psychosocial Stages as explained by Dacey, Fiore, Travers (2009) in an effort to explain the noticeable differences in the two children that this writer has chosen to observe. These two children were chosen because they are both being raised in a single parent household...
Words: 2647 - Pages: 11
...erik erikson's psychosocial crisis life cycle model - the eight stages of human development Erikson's model of psychosocial development is a very significant, highly regarded and meaningful concept. Life is a series of lessons and challenges which help us to grow. Erikson's wonderful theory helps to tell us why. The theory is helpful for child development, and adults too. For the 'lite' version, here's a quick diagram and summary. Extra details follow the initial overview. For more information than appears on this page, read Erikson's books; he was an award-winning writer and this review does not convey the richness of Erikson's own explanations. It's also interesting to see how his ideas develop over time, perhaps aided by his own journey through the 'psychosocial crisis' stages model that underpinned his work. Erik Erikson first published his eight stage theory of human development in his 1950 book Childhood and Society. The chapter featuring the model was titled 'The Eight Ages of Man'. He expanded and refined his theory in later books and revisions, notably: Identity and the Life Cycle (1959); Insight and Responsibility (1964); The Life Cycle Completed: A Review (1982, revised 1996 by Joan Erikson); and Vital Involvement in Old Age (1989). Erikson's biography lists more books. Various terms are used to describe Erikson's model, for example Erikson's biopsychosocial or bio-psycho-social theory (bio refers to biological, which in this context means life); Erikson's human...
Words: 10395 - Pages: 42
...Life Span Human Development Paper Life Span Perspective Tonya Larson August 27, 2015 University of Phoenix, PSY/280, Professor Barch Abstract The life span perspective of development provides interesting information about the development of individuals through their life, such as who they are, how they came to be who they are, and who they will become. Psychoanalytic theories offer some insight into life span development and help explain the stages of development that individuals go through in their lifespan. The life span perspective of development also provides important information in regard to how the effects of heredity and the environment may interact to produce unique characteristics in the life span development. Life Span Perspective of Development To study human development, the life span perspective is necessary because it takes into account every phase of life. The life-span perspective, was first set forth by Paul and Margaret Baltes and their associates (P. B. Baltes et al., 2006; Staudinger & Lindenberger, 2003). The life-span perspective notes that development throughout life is: (1) multidirectional, therefore change occurs in every aspect of life and in every direction and not just in a straight line, (2) multicontextual, therefore the several contexts, such as economic constraints, family patterns, and historical conditions embed the lives of humans, (3) multicultural, therefore several cultures...
Words: 917 - Pages: 4
...Application Understanding the theories of development is key in psychology. Everyone proceeds through specific areas of change and growth in key areas as they go through life. Whatever path is taken during life, understanding theories of development will assist us in motivating and guiding others, as well as understanding ourselves. The following theories of development will be applied to this author’s personal life experience: Jean Piaget’s Stage Theory of Cognitive Development, Developmental Stage Theory of Erik Erikson, Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development, and Developmental Milestone: Motor Development will all be briefly explained. This author will provide examples of ways thinking has shifted to indicate entering the Formal Operational Thought stage. One stage of Erik Erikson’s Developmental Stage Theory will be chosen and will be applied to this author’s personal life. One decision this author made that was based on Kohlberg’s three levels of moral development will be described. Finally, based on a child this author has known, the description of this child has progressed from rolling over, sitting, standing and walking. This is also known as the four developmental milestones. Jean Piaget’s Stage Theory of Cognitive Development Jean Piaget is a psychologist who “identified stages of mental development, called Schema, and established the fields of cognitive theory and developmental psychology” (McLeod, 2009). Schema is defined as “a cohesive, repeatable...
Words: 1775 - Pages: 8
...Life Span Perspective The life span perspective of development provides intriguing information about the development of individuals through their lifespan, such as who individuals are, how individuals came to be who they are, and who those individuals will become. Psychoanalytic theories offer insight into life span development and explain the stages of development that individuals proceed through in their lifespan. The life span perspective of development also provides important information in regard to how the effects of heredity, and the environment may interact to produce individual differences in life span development. Life Span Perspective of Development To study human development the life span perspective is necessary because it does not just take into account the development that occurs in childhood or adulthood but every phases of life (Berger, 2011). The life span perspective is a view of human development characterized by multicontextual, multicultural, multidisciplinary, multidirectional, and plastic characteristics Development is multicontextual, therefore the several contexts, such as economic constraints, family patterns, and historical conditions embed the lives of humans (Berger, 2011). Development is multicultural; therefore several cultures affect the development of individuals. Development is multidisciplinary; therefore psychology and other disciplines, such as biology, neuroscience, education, economics, anthropology, sociology, religion...
Words: 881 - Pages: 4
...------------------------------------------------- Dulguime, Sarrah Mae R. BSP-2A ------------------------------------------------- Sir Vincent Cabuang 1. Main Idea behind Erikson’s Personality Theory Erikson wasn't trained by Sigmund Freud, nor did he hold a Doctorate a highly respected university. In fact, he was not formally educated like the vast majority of his psychodynamic colleagues. Although his parents pushed for medical school, Erikson saw himself as an artist and spent his youth wandering through Europe living the artist's life. In 1927, he took a job working with children of Freud's patients and friends. The school approached development psychoanalytically and Erikson was soon to master this theory and begin developing his own theories relating to personality development. His two major contributions to psychodynamic thought include a reappraisal of the ego and an extended view of developmental stages. The New Ego Erik Erikson believed that the ego Freud described was far more than just a mediator between the superego and the id. He saw the ego as a positive driving force in human development and personality. As such, he believed the ego's main job was to establish and maintain a sense of identity. A person with a strong sense of identity is one who knows where he is in life, has accepted this positions and has workable goals for change and growth. He has a sense of uniqueness while also having a sense of belonging and wholeness. Those who have weaker...
Words: 459 - Pages: 2
...technical and mental virtuoso out of man, but it also leaves a life-long residue of emotional immaturity in him. ” — Erik Homburger Erikson (1902-1994) Erik Homburger Erikson (1902-1994) was born German. He is American Psychoanalyst. Came up with eight psychosocial stages as a can improve psychological stage of Freud. In their life, each person has a different development of maps, because at each stage it is to decide a person's personality and social behavior. In each stage will be negative and positive results. Until today, they still think it's useful, while other models have become the focal point of attention. In Erik's theory of mind, he not only emphasizes the ego between id and superego. Even in each phase, it gains made individual positive attitudes and skills, and contribute to the society members. In a basic psychological conflict, it is the continuation from positive to negative or from maladjustment to adapt to the results, all of these are determined by the health of every stage. Erikson's five stages with the same before Freud 's stage, but he added three adult stages. He was the first to realize the development of the nature of life. Erikson's organized birth to death eight stages of life, extend (many development theories only cover children). Then, due to the adult life span cover for many years, he has put the adult stage, respectively into experienced young, middle-aged and even senior...
Words: 2729 - Pages: 11
...Erik Erikson's eight stages of development is his theory on how human development happens in psychosocial stages. Erik Erikson's first stage is trust versus mistrust. According to Erikson, this stage occurs from birth to age one and is the foundation for whether or not a person will see the world as a nice and pleasant place to live. Since infants rely entirely on caregivers to survive, their caregivers will shape their sense of trust in the world. This is an interesting theory coming from a man named Erik Erikson. When your last name is Erikson and then your parents name you Erik, I can't imagine this giving you much trust in the world to be a nice place to live. Also, it shows that your parents clearly aren't that clever. In the first stage in a person's development, the closest...
Words: 449 - Pages: 2
...Erik Erikson Born on the 15th of June 1902, Erik Erikson was a German born American developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst. He is most famous for coining the phrase identity crisis. Erik’s mother was from a prominent Jewish family who lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, little is known about Erik’s biological father and he was adopted by his stepfather in 1911. He was a tall, blond, blue-eyed boy who was raised in the Jewish religion, making him the centre of bullying at his temple for being a Nordic and at his grammar school for being a Jew. The development of identity became one of Erikson’s greatest concerns. In 1930 he married Joan Mowat Serson, a Canadian dancer and artist whom Erikson had met at a dress ball. He converted to Christianity during his marriage and they had two sons together. During 1930, with Hitler’s rise to power in Germany, the burning of Freud’s books in Berlin and the potential Nazi threat to Austria the Eriksons left to Copenhagen only to find out they were unable to regain Danish citizenship, so they left for the United States. In the U.S. Erikson became the first chid psychoanalyst in Boston. Erikson served as a professor at prominent institutions such as Harvard and Yale even though he lacked even a bachelor degree. Sigmund Freud described personality development as a series of stages. Early childhood being the most important. He believed that personality developed by the age of about 5. Like Freud, Erik Erikson believed in the importance of...
Words: 977 - Pages: 4
...Lorenz- Erik Erikson was born on June 15, 1902 in Frankfurt, Germany. His parents had separated from each other before he was born and his mother married a Jewish doctor. His peers saw him as Jewish, but his Jewish temple did not accept him because of his appearance. Therefore, during his youth, Erikson had many struggles with identity. Erikson's family wanted him to study science. Erikson did not do well in school and did not continue on to a university. Instead of pursuing the science degree, he went to art school and enjoyed eight years of traveling Europe as a wandering artist. After Erikson had graduated from art school, he began to teach at a private school. In the early 1930's, Erikson moved his family to the United States. He became US citizen in 1939 and changed his last name from Homburger to Erikson. Erikson worked at Harvard Medical School, Yale University, and several private appointments in their clinics for disturbed children. In the year 1950, Erikson published a very influential book titled, Childhood and Society. The book included Erikson's famous Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development. He continued to work at Harvard until he retired in 1970. After retirement, the Erikson's moved to the Bay Area of California, and continued to work at training another generation of child workers. He led many seminars on his Eight Stages and other psychological topics. The Erikson's relocated to Massachusetts in the early 1990's and Erik died in 1994. The Eight Stages of Psychosocial...
Words: 1457 - Pages: 6
