Erik Erikson

Biography Born in 1902 in Frankfurt, Germany. Scandinavian father left his mother before Erik was born. He thought his Jewish stepfather, Theodor Homburger, was his father. Became a wandering artist but felt his life lacked meaning. Obsessed with finding identity of his true father. Underwent psychoanalysis with Anna Freud. Married Joan Serson and had four children. Youngest son Neil had Down Syndrome and was institutionalized. Other children were told he had died.

Biography cont. When Nazis rose to power in 1933, the family moved to Boston. Changed his last name from Homburger to Erikson. Erikson had no formal training or even a college degree but accepted several influential research positions. Lived for awhile with the Sioux Indians in South Dakota and the Yurok people of northern California. Ended up at Harvard as professor human development. Died in 1994. Never found out who his true father was.

Agreement with Freud People are born with a number of basic instincts. Development occurs in stages. Child must successfully resolve some conflict or crisis at each stage in order to be prepared ofr the crises that emerge later in life.

Disagreement with Freud Thought children were active adapters to environment instead of passive creatures. Assumed humans are basically rational, not irrational. Ego doesn’t just mediate between id and superego; it’s a positive force for development and acquires skills at each stage that help one become a productive member of society. Basic psychological conflict, not psychosexual, determines healthy or maladaptive outcomes at each stage. Normal development must be viewed in context with one’s culture.

Theory of Psychosocial Development Each stage consists of a unique developmental task or crisis that must be faced. Crisis is not a catastrophe but merely a turning point—person can either learn and grow from it or become weakened by it. Each crisis is primarily social in nature. The more the individual resolves each conflict, the healthier the development will be. Adjustment requires balancing both positive and negative traits (though positive should dominate). Conflicts are between biological maturation and social demands.

Basic Trust vs. Mistrust Birth to 1 year; corresponds to Freud’s oral stage Babies must learn to trust caregivers “Who is going to feed me and take care of me?” Trust develops when needs are met. Mistrust results from neglectful or inconsistent parenting. Child never receives the care he needs

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt Ages 1-3 (anal stage) Children learn they have control over own body Discovering newfound motor and cognitive skills Want to be independent Parents should guide child and teach him to control impulses, but not in a harsh manner. Give child choices; let him explore environment Autonomy develops when parent allows child freedom to make own decisions. Child determines difference between right and wrong and chooses “right” most of the time. Shame and doubt occur when parent is overly controlling or makes fun of him. Child learns to doubt self.

Initiative vs. Guilt 3-6 (phallic stage) Child tries to act grown-up and do things beyond capabilities Learns how to make plans, carry out actions, get along with peers Child knows he’s autonomous and independent. Parents must support child’s sense of independence for child to establish initiative. Guilt occurs if parents demand too much self-control from child. Failure at this stage results in a child who can’t make decisions and whose self-confidence is low. Research confirms problems with self-esteem resulting from dysfunctional families.

Industry vs. Inferiority 6-11 (latency period) Children master social and academic skills Compare themselves to peers—do they measure up? Gets pleasure from completion of tasks, particularly academic tasks. Successful navigation results in a child who can solve problems and take pride in accomplishments. Unsuccessful  child who feels inferior, incapable of reaching positive solutions and unable to achieve what peers are achieving

Identity vs. Identity Confusion Most famous and influential of Erikson’s stages Adolescence—Who am I? Teen tries on different roles, trying to integrate identities from previous stages. Society is allowing them more freedom in the areas of friendships and careers. Success  person has a clear and multifaceted sense of self—has integrated many roles into a single identity that is his own Failure perpetual identity crisis (uncertainty about one’s abilities, associations, and future goals)

Intimacy vs. Isolation Young adulthood Task is to form strong, close relationships with others and ultimately a love relationship Allowing others to get to know the newfound sense of self in an intimate way If there’s a problem with stage 1, there will be a problem here, too. Success  person has ability to create strong social ties without losing oneself in process Lack of success  loneliness and isolation; series of superficial relationships

Generativity vs. Stagnation Middle adulthood Generativity—giving to others through childrearing, career, community service, or otherwise caring for others; doing something to ensure next generation’s success Stagnation—feeling empty and feeling that life is meaningless Generativity Stagnation

Ego integrity vs. despair Late adulthood Older person looks back on life and assesses it They either feel satisfied and have no regrets, or they feel despair of a life wasted—filled with regrets. If dissatisfied, they fear death more. Scrooge is an example of someone who was in despair but found integrity in the end.

Summary Erikson believes that successful resolution of these conflicts prepares a person for the next stage in life. If you fail to resolve these conflicts, you’re almost certain to encounter problems in the future. There’s always hope—you can go back and fix things from earlier stages. More optimistic than Freud’s theory. Biggest problem is that it’s hard to test empirically.