...The Developmental Psychology of Erik Erikson Erik Erikson was a follower of Sigmund Freud who broke with his teacher over the fundamental point of what motivates or drives human behavior. For Freud it was biology or more specifically the biological instincts of life and aggression. For Erikson, who was not trained in biology and/or the medical sciences (unlike Freud and many of his contemporaries), the most important force driving human behavior and the development of personality was social interaction. Erikson left his native Germany in the 1930's and immigrated to America where he studied Native American traditions of human development and continued his work as a psychoanalyst. His developmental theory of the "Eight Stages of Man" was unique in that it covered the entire lifespan rather than childhood and adolescent development. Erikson's view is that the social environment combined with biological maturation provides each individual with a set of "crises" that must be resolved. The individual is provided with a "sensitive period" in which to successfully resolve each crisis before a new crisis is presented. The results of the resolution, whether successful or not, are carried forward to the next crisis and provide the foundation for its resolution. |Erikson's Theory of Socioemotional Development | |Stage |Age |Expected Resolution ...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...string of psychosocial crises that shape personality, according to Erik Erikson. Each crisis focuses on a particular aspect of personality and involves the person’s relationship with other people. STAGE I: TRUST VERSUS MISTRUST ( BIRTH TO 18 MONTHS) The goal of in-fancy is to develop a basic trust in the world. Erikson ( 1968, p. 96) defined basic trust as “ an essential trustfulness of others as well as a fundamental sense of one’s own trust-worthiness.” The mother, or maternal figure, is usually the first important person in the child’s world. She is the one who must satisfy the infant’s need for food and affection. If the mother is inconsistent or rejecting, she becomes a source of frustration for the infant rather than a source of pleasure ( Cummings, Braungart- Rieker, & Du Rocher- Schudlich, 2003; Thompson, Easterbrooks, & Padilla- Walker, 2003). The mother’s behavior creates in the infant a sense of mistrust for his or her world that may persist throughout child-hood and into adulthood. STAGE II: AUTONOMY VERSUS DOUBT ( 18 MONTHS TO 3 YEARS) By the age of 2, most babies can walk and have learned enough about language to communicate with other people. Children in the “ terrible twos” no longer want to depend totally on others. Instead, they strive toward autonomy, the ability to do things for themselves. The child’s desires for power and independence often clash with the wishes of the parent. Erikson believes that children at this stage have the dual desire to hold...
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...Eriksons’ Developmental Theory as Applied to Me Psychological development is crucial in the early stages of life. Children are shaped by the things they witness throughout their early years. Experiences life and developing relationships is “Erikson’s initial psychosocial stage of development” (Ginsburg). This stage occurs from when an infant is born until about one and a half years of age. Erikson developed eight stages of psychosocial development. Starting from the stage of trust vs. mistrust the next stage that occurs in an infant’s life is autonomy vs. shame; this creates a sense of will and is experienced from the early age of one and a half to age three. After experiencing this stage at age three the infant begins to develop in the stage of initiative vs. guilt developing a sense of purpos euntil the age of five. From the ages of five to twelve, young children experience the stage of industry vs. inferiority, developing competency in their skills. Upon developing into an adolescent at age twelve and up until age eighteen, young adults experience ego identity vs. role confusion, attempting to find where they belong. Leading into the next stage of intimacy vs. isolation, during which young adults experience love from the ages eighteen to forty. Once this sense of love is developed, the sense of care is experienced during the stage of generativity vs. stagnation from the ages of forty to sixty-five. To conclude Erikson’s theory, the final stage one experiences in life is ego...
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...Erikson’s Psycho-Social Stages Ashley Haslam National University Erikson’s Psycho-Social Stages Erik Erikson’s seven stages of personal and social development describes a series of psychosocial crises that shape personality (Slaven, 2015). These social crises deal with a person’s personality as well as their relationships with other people (Slaven, 2015). Personal Stage The sixth stage of Erikson’s theory occurs sometime during young adulthood. It is during this stage that an adult either finds happiness in their relationships (both sexual and non-sexual) or becomes distant and standoffish which eventually leads to isolation (Slaven, 2015). Myself, I would fall into this, the Intimacy vs. Isolation Stage, as I am thirty years old. Throughout life it is necessary to form healthy bonds and relationships with other people in order to avoid isolation and loneliness. According to Slaven (2015), a relationship is healthy if all parties involved are enhanced without stifling the growth of each other. As an educator, being able to form meaningful relationships with students, parents, and coworkers. A teacher who is in this stage of development will be able to connect with the students and their families thus create a healthy, trusting relationship. A teacher who lacks the ability to bond with a student, will have a much more difficult time reaching the children on an academic level. Stages in the Classroom Building self-confidence and a sense of industry is the main goal...
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...Analyzing Erik Erikson Erik Erikson brought to the field of psychology a great insight development of person through ones lifespan with his well-known concepts, the Stages of psychosocial development, as well as his Identity crisis at each stage. For Erikson, his theories were influenced by his childhood and his obsession over his identity. It led to the development of his theories. Erikson was born June 15, 1902 in Frankfurt, Germany. He never saw his birth father or his mother's first husband. His young Jewish mother raised Erik by herself for a time before marrying a physician, Dr. Theodor Homberger. The fact that Homberger was not in fact his biological father was held from him for many years. When he finally did learn the truth, he was left with a feeling of confusion about who he really was. This early experience helped spark his interest in the formation of identity.(Erik Erikson) In his stages of Psychosocial development, at the stage of Identity vs. Role confusion, Erikson stressed that this stage is important for the adolescent as he is transitioning to adulthood. The individual wants to belong to a society and fit in. It is during this stage that the adolescent will re-examine his identity and try to find out exactly who he or she is. During this period, they explore possibilities and begin to form their own identity based upon the outcome of their explorations. Failure to establish a sense of identity within society ("I don’t know what I want to be when I grow...
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...1. Trust vs. mistrust * Basic trust is the sense that others are dependable and will nurture and provide for you, as well as the sense that one is worthy of care, and inherently trustworthy. It is based in good, appropriate, responsive parenting. The baby is busy soaking up the stimulation available- food, sensory stimulation- and actively assimilates these experiences into a picture of self and the world. This is an interactive stage, as the baby tries to explore and get the parent to pay attention. If the world is not responsive to the baby’s needs, s/he develops a sense of mistrust. Some mistrust is useful, as complete naiveté or gullibility puts a person at risk. In a healthy resolution, there is more trust than mistrust however, allowing the person to connect with others and trust them. * The virtue developed is Hope. 2. Autonomy vs. shame, doubt * During the second year of life the toddler develops a sense of autonomy and self control, due in part to toilet training and motor development, walking and climbing. The psychological issue is broader, though, including the concepts of holding on and letting go. Adults that support toddlers’ exploration and protect them from their vulnerability build in a sense of personal control. Those who are over-protected or shamed by their experiences or parents’ discipline develop a sense of doubt in their efforts at independence. Autonomy should prevail in a healthy development, but some shame and doubt enable moral...
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...need to be critically examined for their strengths and weakness. However, despite the flaws of past theories, the understandings and subsequent improvements to academic fields, such as education and psychology, have had long lasting implications. Discovery learning, using manipulative, peer collaboration, character education, and scaffolding concepts are all learning strategies use daily in the classroom and are credited to their origins in these past theories of development. Erik Erikson Erik Erikson (1950, 1963) does not talk about psychosexual Stages, he discusses psychosocial stages. His ideas, though, were greatly influenced by Freud, going along with Freud’s ideas about the structure and topography of personality. However, whereas Freud was an id psychologist, Erikson was an ego psychologist. He emphasized the role of culture and society and the conflicts that can take place within the ego itself, whereas Freud emphasized the conflict between the id and the superego. According to Erikson, the ego develops as it successfully resolves crises that are distinctly social in nature. These involve establishing a sense of trust in others, developing a sense of identity in society, and helping the next generation prepare for...
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...Psychologist Erik Erikson Dustin Hasan Pocono Mountain East High School Psychologist Erik Erikson Erik Erikson was a developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst known for his theory on psychosocial development of human beings. Erikson met Sigmund Freud’s daughter Anna and underwent psychoanalysis. This experience ultimately made him become an analyst himself. The Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute was where he was taught Sigmund Freud’s coined method of psychoanalysis. Also Erikson studied the Montessori method of education, which showed interest on child development and sexual stages. Erik Erikson believed that “every human being goes through a certain number of stages to reach his or her full development, theorizing eight stages that a human being goes through from birth to death.” Erikson said each stage requires resolution before the next stage could be settled properly. In the first stage, which is called Trust versus Mistrust a child develops trust towards an individual or group of people due to their continuous generosity of providing food and warmth to them. If the child’s needs are met properly the child will develop a stronger relationship with the caregiver and develop a greater sense of optimism and kindness towards themselves as well as others. Erikson also says that if the child’s needs are not met then the child will face problems like being mistrustful and insecure. In the final stage, which is Integrity versus Despair...
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...Erik Erikson: Psychosocial Development Theory MGMT. 8010 – Management in Human and Societal Development Winter Quarter, 2011 Dr. Kenneth C. Sherman, Professor Everett Cordy, everett.cordy@waldenu.edu Student ID Number: A00186883 Walden University December 9, 2011 Abstract In this exercise, I explore the Psychosocial Development Theory of Erik Erikson. An explanation is given as to why this particular theory was selected for focus, and why Erickson appeals to me, both personally and professionally. Lastly, five (5) scholarly resources (in APA format), that I will consult as I begin to explore Erickson, are appended. Erik Erikson: Psychosocial Development Theory I chose Erik Erikson as the theorist to study. I chose Erik Erikson because his psychosocial development theory is applicable to a wide-range of management situations where understanding how personality and behavior are developed and manifested is valued. I am interested to find out if Erikson’s development model can be applied in my research fields of interests of Employment Law and Conflict Resolution Management. Please find attached hereto a list of five (5) scholarly sources that I will consult as I begin to explore Erik Erikson. References Cornett, C. (2000). Ideas and identities: The life and work of Erik Erikson/Identities architect: A biography of Erik H. Erikson, Clinical...
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...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...
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...Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development is one of the best-known theories of personality in psychology. Much like Sigmund Freud, Erikson believed that personality develops in a series of stages. Unlike Freud’s theory of psychosexual stages, Erikson’s theory describes the impact of social experience across the whole lifespan. One of the main elements of Erikson’s psychosocial stage theory is the development of ego identity. Ego identity is the conscious sense of self that we develop through social interaction. Erikson believed people experience a conflict that serves as a turning point in development. In Erikson’s view, these conflicts are centered on either developing a psychological quality or failing to develop that quality. During these times, the potential for personal growth is high, but so is the potential for failure. The first stage of Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development (Trust vs. Mistrust) occurs between birth and one year of age and is the most fundamental stage in life. Because an infant is utterly dependent, the development of trust is based on the dependability and quality of the child’s caregivers. If a child successfully develops trust, he or she will feel safe and secure in the world. Caregivers who are inconsistent, emotionally unavailable, or rejecting contribute to feelings of mistrust in the children they care for. Failure to develop trust will result in fear and a belief that the world is inconsistent and unpredictable. The second stage...
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...Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development is one of the best-known theories of personality in psychology. Much like Sigmund Freud, Erikson believed that personality develops in a series of stages. Unlike Freud's theory of psychosexual stages, Erikson's theory describes the impact of social experience across the whole lifespan (Dolgin, 37). In each stage, Erikson believed people experience a conflict that serves as a turning point in development. In Erikson's view, these conflicts are centered on either developing a psychological quality or failing to develop that quality. During these times, the potential for personal growth is high, but so is the potential for failure (Dolgin, 38). Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development has helped me understand the individual I am today. “Conflict” has served has a major turning point in my life. This conflict being the sudden illness of my father. This tragic event quickly helped me mature and really understand the meaning of life. “That’s not fair” was my signature quotation as a little girl. A life full of Barbie’s, tea parties, and several rounds of Go-Fish card games was very demanding for a six year old. I could only assume the world revolved around which Barbie I wanted to be, what frilly dress I wanted to wear, and my pristine skills of winning every round of Go-Fish. As a little princess, fairness was vital to what made me happy. Being daddy’s little girl, I hate to say, I did acquire all the fairness a little...
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