Introduction
Erikson has always been referred to in the light of emphasising on the work of Freud, as well as being critiqued on his work with making comparison to Sigmund Freud’s work as well. With Freud introducing the psychoanalytical theory and Erikson bringing about the stages of psychosocial developments, theorists would often elaborate on which theory would define one’s life best, and so therefore it remained a constant comparison made between Freud and Erikson. With the quote given as the assignment topic it clearly defines why Erikson had described himself as “a small man on the shoulders of a giant”, simply because he had big shoes to fill, and that being the work of Sigmund Freud, his teacher.

1. Four main ways Erikson extended Freud’s theory
According to Engler, B. (2013) the first way in which Erikson extended Freud’s theory is whereby he had improved our understanding of the ego, showing that how the emergence out of the historical, genetic and cultural context of individuals helps the ego become a good problem solver as well. Secondly, he emphasised on Freud’s stages of development making strong social gestures towards it, however there was no clear statement of Erikson’s comments being made towards Freud’s work. Thirdly he extended our understanding of development by creating additional stages, making it the eight stages of psychosocial development placing prominence on stages from an individual’s infancy to old age. And lastly Erikson had discovered the influence of culture, society and history on the developing of personality and demonstrated this in psycho-historical studies of famous people. These four stages also strongly relates to how the broader and more social definition of the ego came about and how in some way Erikson had made it his own work by elaborating on Freud’s views of the ego. 2.1 An enhanced understanding of the ego
According to Engler (2013), Erikson found specific interest in how to strengthen and enrich the ego of young children. Hence in his theory of defining the ego, to a certain extent he had agreed with Freud that the ego links to the conscious and unconscious development of the mind, however he has this overall thought of the ego being a unifying purpose that leads to stable behaviour and conduct. The ego also has the role of retaining positive effective enactment, rather than just having the negative effect of the avoidance of anxiety. This therefore relates to defence mechanisms that remain adaptive and maladaptive. Erikson had also elaborated on the adaptive capacities of the ego, however did not believe that there could be change or reconstruction of the ego from “…an understanding of its dysfunctions” (Engler, 2013). The adaptive capacities are namely having to deal with stress, to resolve vital conflict as well as to contribute to identity formation (Engler, 2013). The development of the ego is clearly outlined in the eight stages of the psychosocial development, therefore at every stage “…the ego develops certain strengths or basic virtues that enable it to move forward” (Engler, 2013). The strengths of the ego also lies the foundation of for ethical ideas and values that we can grow on, and therefore and Erikson had also regarded the superego and human consciousness in terms of an evolutionary process, according to Engler, 2013.

2.2 The psychosocial stages of development
With relation to Freud’s psychosexual stages of development, he defines children as “doing more than coming to terms with their own sexuality” (Engler, 2013). Whereas with Erikson, “children are trying to understand and relate to the world and to others” (Engler, 2013). With reference made to (Engler, 2013), Erikson’s psychosocial stages on an emotional separation that children encounter at certain critical periods. Erikson who based his first four stages of his psychosocial stages with correspondence made to Freud’s psychosexual stages from oral through latency, then emphasised and expanded on genital stage by subdividing it into four phases the represent growth and maturity in development (Engler, 2013).
Freud’s psychosexual anal stage that Erikson had described is the autonomy versus shame and doubt. With Freud solely focussing on sexual needs and experiences during the puberty stage, Erikson elaborates on this by explaining that this is a time where an adolescent can simultaneously maintain emotional control over the body and bodily activities (Engler, 2013). Erikson also states that this is the time where the development of life begins “…as the ego begins to establish psychosocial independence” (Engler, 2013). Examples of toddlers who want to claim the attention by understanding the definition of no and having to throw tantrums proves that attention is being sought within autonomy. The virtue of will being the correspondence in this stage is a natural outgrowth of autonomy (Engler, 2013). Although fundamentals may emerge later in a toddler’s life, that according to Erikson will all eventually lead to a mature sense of will power (Engler, 2013).
The first subdivision that was branched out of Freud’s genital stage is Erikson’s ego identity versus role confusion. “Ego identity, then, in its subjective aspect, is the awareness of the fact that there is a self-sameness and continuity to the ego’s synthesizing methods and a continuity of one’s meaning for others” (Engler, 2013). The role of ego identity results in a sense of articulate individuality that enables one to resolve conflicts adaptively (Engler, 2013). According to Erikson, the most common problem that is being faced in this stage is role confusion, because this is where individuals struggle to define themselves within society. “The conspicuous absence of a sense of promise in any society, due to economic conditions, population trends, high unemployment, or other problems that prevents the occupational aspirations of young people, means that those adolescents will have a difficult time establishing a clear and positive ego identity” (Engler, 2013). The ego strength developed within this stage is fidelity, so therefore if individuals who fail to build on their trustworthiness with themselves and surroundings will then result in experiencing a weak ego and suffer confusion of values.
The second subdivision that Erikson focusses on is the intimacy versus isolation. This is the stage where one is considered to be matured enough to begin and maintain an intimate relationship with someone. Stated by Engler (2013), Erikson had worked around Freud’s concept of “to love and to work” so therefore had just elaborated on it using that as the model orientation. Having grown and being developed within all the previous stages, “…the young adult is able to overcome the fear of ego loss and form a close affiliation with another individual” (Engler, 2013). At this point of the stage Erikson also clearly states that the virtue required is love as it portrays the role of strengthening the ego. Also taking the acknowledgement of sexes having different functions, Engler (2013) also says that the capacities of the mature ego can transcend so that male and female can still cooperate with each other.
The third subdivision of Freud’s genital stage that Erikson had expanded on is generativity versus stagnation. This is whereby adults experience something more than parenthood, however they also tend to be as active as possible with younger children due maintain the youthful feeling which also helps assist the next generation in line. “Erikson had suggested that because Sigmund Freud stressed early inhibition to of the expression of the libido or sexual drive, he underestimated the procreative desire of human beings” (Engler, 2013). The ego stage that develops in the middle aged life according to Engler (2013) is care, because the adult needs to be needed. Once the ego is matured, the adult can then regain a connection with the youth.
The final subdivision is ego integrity versus despair. This stage focusses on where one can focus on one’s life and vision the achievements and disappointments. Despair can be defined as the form of regrets coming about because of disappointments or lack of things that an individual had achieved in his/her life. The virtue of this stage is wisdom, because it “…allows an individual to bring life to an appropriate closure” (Engler, 2013). Wisdom is more than self-integration, however it is a time for older generations to teach the younger generation on what to embrace in life and so forth. 2.3 Psychohistorical studies of Erikson
According to Engler (2013), Erikson had studied well-known figures, specifically Marin Luther to explore how the ego strength of an individual can is able to influence and affect so many other people with their strong beliefs and leadership skills. Erikson had also said that according to his studies, Marin Luther had experienced the struggle for identity, and therefore once he broke through fighting for his protestant rights is when he had started finding his true identity role in society as well. Another example is Gandhi that “put his life on the line by fasting during a local labour dispute as a crisis through which Gandhi was able to transform a negative Indian identity of weakness into a positive and active political technique” (Engler, 2013). The approach of psychohistory remains a deeper gesture to look into past issues and relate it to future as well as present day worldly and economic situations that one is experiencing on a daily basis as well. 2. Definitions of the ego
“The ego is the component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality. According to Freud, the ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world. The ego functions in both the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious mind” (Cherry, K. 2004). An example that Freud made with regards to the ego was that anxiety can be described as “the ego’s reaction to danger, and it stems from the conflict between the id’s forbidden drives and the superego’s moral codes” (Meyer, W., Moore, C. & Viljoen, H. 2008). These definitions clearly states how important the role of the ego is, as it explains the human form of an individual as a way of having more control over their life. Although Erikson had agreed with Freud that the ego assists with the unconscious mind, however more emphasis was placed on the fact that the ego can also be used as a defence mechanism, instead of not only be seen in a negative way to avoid or fight anxiety. “Erikson defined the ego as a strong, vital and positive force: an organizing capacity of the individual” (Engler, B. 2013). The strengths of the ego is also said to help us build up on rituals and ethical values, as well as things that we can strive towards in life.

3. What does this structure represent?
According to Freud, the structure of personality is divided into three parts, namely the id, ego and superego. The way that these three forms of personality is functioned is through the conscious, preconscious and unconscious, and therefore these terminologies are the best way to describe humans and the way they live. “The id is the source of instinctual drives and is the first structure to appear in infancy. The ego mediates between the demands of the id and the realities of the external world. The superego is the outgrowth of internalizing the taboos and moral values of society concerning what is right and wrong” (Butcher, Mineka & Hooley 2014). This clearly demonstrates to me where about this breakdown of personality can be placed into, in terms of the levels of consciousness. It proves that because the id represents aggressive and depressive drives, it can be placed in the unconscious level as it gives an individual that sense of recalling memories that cannot be retrieved within their conscious mind. The ego which has been said previously portrays the role as an intermediary whereby it begins in the unconscious level, however it shifts to the preconscious level which picks up memory that has been stored there and can also therefore be retrieved. The superego which derives from both the id and ego, can be placed in all three levels of consciousness, however not to the same extent as the ego. Erikson whom had extended, however summarised Freud’s work into his own theory had constantly made a lot of reference to the works of his teacher because he also had a lot to critique on his work as well. According to Erikson, the structural concepts play a much lesser role in Erikson’s theory than in Freud’s. Erikson just clearly distinguishes between the drive elements of the id, ego and superego, however not like Freud who gives specific definitions and elaborations on those three elements of personality. Although Erikson does not reject Freud’s structural concepts completely, he makes use of the terms to describe an individual’s overall functioning and not just make reference to certain parts of the person.

4. What role does it play in the personality?
The role that the ego plays in personality according to Erikson is that “the ego develops throughout life” (Meyer, Moore & Viljoen 2008). The way that the ego is presented in Erikson’s theory isn’t only seen as a way for it to mediate between the id and superego as explained by Freud, however it renders the role of having to find solutions for developmental crises that is experienced in developmental possibilities. Not only does it play a role of a barrier but it also allows one to think for oneself in order to respond to a problem creatively. “…the demands and opportunities of the social environment play a determining role in the way the ego develops” (Meyer, Moore & Viljoen 2008). The manner in which this can be defined in terms of Erikson’s theory and definitions is the reason why he had introduced the stages of psychosocial development is because he bases his work on how social environments influence the behaviour of individuals. The role that the ego also plays in personality is the interaction that the individual has with the social environment can sometimes lead to the experience of crises whereby the work of the ego would then have to come into place and assist the mind in making decisions that will result in future consequences. The way in which Erikson had emphasised on the use of the ego in terms of his creation of his eight stages of psychosocial development is trust versus mistrust, initiative versus guilt and intimacy versus isolation. Examples of characteristics of these that shows development in the ego is namely, trustworthiness, will power, ability to love and care and lastly to be hopeful as well.

5. How does it impact the view of man?
Erikson’s theory that is based on the individual and society can also be closely linked to how his views can affect the man. The way that this is interrelated can be described as a way for people and groups to benefit and create a healthy way of development. The understanding of Erikson and how it can be brought about for man to have a better perception of how to live and where to fit in and so forth can also be linked to a South African context as an example. There will always remain that constant feeling of wanting to find and maintain ones true identity, and Erikson somehow helps us understand this. “The individual’s search for identity in a society with a complex socio-cultural structure can be extremely difficult” (Meyer, Moore & Viljoen 2008), this therefore evidently allows individuals to be faced with questions and being in a position to answer them as well. With South Africa being a democratic and diverse country where citizens would often go through a phase of being questioned about which ethnic group they belong to, which religious beliefs do they form part of and so forth, as well as how you can be categorized and form part of a group within society. All these questions can provide answers that would generally contribute to the views man would have on themselves. According to Erikson, everyone forms part of humanity and division into subgroups is not necessary, however the description of the ego allows each individual to place themselves into a situation whereby they understand who, how and where they come from and can therefore live accordingly to those beliefs and values set aside by them.

6. What are the implications for motivation?
According to Meyer, Moore & Viljoen (2008), Erikson seldom makes use of vigorous and impulsive concepts, however there are two problems in explaining his view of the dynamics of personality. What he says about the motivation of behaviour and human functioning is interlinked with his justification of the process of development. Even though he claims to be a Freud conformist by following his way of theories and so forth, but in end did not realise that their work and perspectives on theories are completely different in reality. Erikson does not openly exploit and discard Freud’s drive theory which relates to the behaviour of individuals, however his explanation on behaviour theory and patterns is closely linked to person-oriented psychologists as compared to Freudian psychology. “In summary during the early adolescent and adolescent years, children’s competence related beliefs, intrinsic motivation, and goal orientations for achievement change, often in negative ways” (Elliot & Dweck 2005).

7. Implications for current day practice of psychology Considering the fact that Freud had his theories based more on the experiences of the past and so forth, whereas Erikson had based his findings and theories on the present, his theories had affected the manner in which people view modern day psychology and how it is currently being put into practice as well. The work of Erikson has had an extensive stimulus on psychology and how people are currently practicing it now, on the other hand he still had such a strong effect that it later inspired other theorists who developed after him to go ahead and study developmental theories more intensively. “One of the implications of Erikson’s theory is that adolescents should have low self-esteem because of the uncertainties they face” (Eysenck 2000). By this statement, according to Eysenck (2000) Erikson does not have sufficient evidence which proves why, however it does reveal that at a certain point of the developmental crises, the individuals do find it difficult having to face life challenges due to changes that occur with in social environment. For example with reference being made to Erikson’s fifth social stage of development which is adolescence: identity versus role confusion whereby “The physical changes of puberty, the onset of sexual maturity and the social expectation that adolescents have to make a career choice, all force the individual to re-examine earlier certainties” (Meyer, Moore & Viljoen 2008).

Conclusion
Concluding this assignment, it is adamantly clear that the statement provided with this topic with Erikson claiming he is “a small man on the shoulders of a giant” proves just how true that is. Although he would consider himself as a Freudian, he did not however follow the rules of Freud’s work directly, instead had elaborated on certain theories and stages of development and made it his own. Having a more different approach toward development and the individuals, Erikson still placed more emphasis on how one can mature and grow better in a social environment.

Content Page

Introduction Page 1

1. Four main ways Erikson extended Freud’s theory Page 1 2.1 An enhanced understanding of the ego Page 1 2.2 The psychosocial stages of development Page 2 2.3 Psychohistory studies of Erikson Page 3

2. Definitions of the ego Page 3-4

3. What does the structure represent? Page 4

4. What role does it play in the personality? Page 4-5

5. How does it impact the view of man? Page 5

6. What are the implications for motivation? Page 5-6

7. Implications for current day practice of psychology Page 6

Conclusion Page 6