 Erikson studied Freud’s Psychoanalysis Theory under Freud’s daughter, Anna  Expansion of Freud’s concept of ego  Only developmental theory that extends through adulthood Sources: London, Ladewig, Ball, Bindler, & Cowen, 2011 McEwen & Wills, 2007

 Eight stages of psychosocial development with an identified challenge to be mastered  As each challenge is mastered strengths are gained contributing to character and health  Development is primarily qualitative - occurring in stages  Also quantitative because one’s identity becomes stronger with mastery of challenges  Nature determines the sequence of stages  Must pass through one stage prior to entering next stage Sources: Sharkey, 1997 Tomey-Marriner, 1989

STAGE (AGE)  I Infancy (0-1 )  II Toddler (2-3)  IIIPreschooler (3-6)  IVSchool-age (7-12)  VAdolescence (12-18)  VIYoung Adult (20’s)  VIIMiddle Adult (up to 50)  VIIIOld Adult (≥ 50) CRISIS  Trust vs.. Mistrust  Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt  Initiative vs. Guilt  Industry vs. Inferiority  Ego Identity vs. Role Confusion  Intimacy vs. Isolation  Generativity vs. Self-absorption  Integrity vs. Despair Source: Boeree, 2006

 Directly applicable to nursing care of children  Health promotion & maintenance visits help caregivers meet child’s needs  Educate parents to identify normal tasks  Educate parents to encourage healthy development  Provides framework to assess hospitalized child & provide care to ensure progression through the developmental stages Source: London, et al., 2011

 Integral to holistic nursing  Essential in assessment to determine age appropriateness or arrested development of patients  Results of ego strengths evaluation used by nurses for assessment and treatment outcomes  Ego strengths used by nurses to empower patients to take control of their lives Source: McEwen & Wills, 2007

Research studies were conducted in the following areas:  Impact of diabetes on the development of psychosocial maturity and the older adult  How school age children deal with disaster  Self-care practices of adolescents  Concept of generativity in middle-aged women attending graduate school Source: McEwen & Wills, 2007

 I personally use Erickson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development each time I am in the clinical area with students. A section of the assessment tool that we use is devoted to assessing the psychosocial issues of the assigned patient. I use this information to identify the patient’s strengths & weaknesses. When planning care, I capitalize on the strengths to assist the patient promote recovery/health maintenance and promotion.