Erik Erikson: The Father of Psychosocial Development “Children love and want to be loved and they very much prefer the joy of accomplishment to the triumph of hateful failure. Do not mistake a child for his symptom” -Erik Erikson

Who was Erik Erikson? Born in Germany on June 15th 1902. He was an artist and a teacher in the late 1920s when he met Anna Freud, an Austrian psychoanalyst. With Anna’s encouragement, he began to study child psychoanalysis at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute.

Who was Erik Erikson? He immigrated to the US in 1933 and taught at Yale and Harvard University. It was at this point in his life that he became interested in the influence of society and culture on child development. He studied groups of American Indian Children to help formulate his theories. Studying these children enabled him to correlate personality growth with parental and societal values.

Field of Research He studied groups of children to learn about the influence of society and culture on child development. He believed that humans have to resolve different conflicts as they progress through each stage of development in the life cycle.

Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development Erikson’s theory consists of eight stages of development. Each stage is characterized by a different conflict that must be resolved by the individual. If a person is unable to resolve a conflict at a particular stage, they will be confront and struggle with it later in life.

Crisis Crisis: must adaptively or maladaptive cope with task in each developmental stage Respond adaptively: acquire strengths needed for next developmental stage Respond maladaptive: less likely to be able to adapt to later problems Basic strengths: Motivating characteristics and beliefs that derive from successful resolution of crisis in each stage.

Infancy Stage 1 year old Psychosocial Crisis Psychosocial Strength Trust vs. Mistrust Caregiver meets needs: child develops trust. Caregiver does not meet needs: child develops mistrust Hope Belief our desires will be satisfied Feeling of confidence Psychosocial Influence: Maternal/caregivers

Early Childhood Stage 2-3 Psychosocial Crisis Psychosocial Strength Autonomy Child able to exercise some degree of choice Vs. Shame & Doubt Child’s independence is thwarted: child develops feelings of self-doubt, shame in dealing with others Will Determination to exercise freedom of choice in face of society’s demands Psychosocial Influence Both parents & adult substitutes

Preschool Stage 4-5 years Psychosocial Crisis Psychosocial Strength Initiative Child expresses desire to take initiative in activities Vs. Guilt Parents punish child for initiative: child develops feelings of guilt that will affect self-directed activity throughout life Purpose Courage to envision and pursue goals Psychosocial Influence Parents, family and friends

Middle Childhood Stage 6-11 Psychosocial Crisis Psychosocial Strength Industry Child develops cognitive abilities to enable in task completion (school work, play) Vs. Inferiority Parents/teachers do not support child’s efforts: child develops feelings of inferiority and inadequacy Competence Exertion of skill and intelligence in pursuing and completing tasks Psychosocial Influence School

Adolescence Stage 12-18 Psychosocial crisis Psychosocial Strength Identity Form ego identity: self-image Strong sense of identity: face adulthood with certainty and confidence Vs. Role Confusion confusion of ego identity Fidelity Emerges from cohesive ego identity Sincerity, genuineness, sense of duty in relationships with others Psychosocial Influence Peers

Young Adulthood Stage 18-35 Psychosocial Crisis Psychosocial Strength Intimacy Undertake productive work and establish intimate relationships. Isolation Inability to establish intimacy leads to social isolation Love Mutual devotion in a shared identity Fusing of oneself with another person Psychosocial Influence Spouse, lover, friends

Middle Age Stage 35-65 Psychosocial Crisis Psychosocial Strength Generativity Active involvement in teaching/guiding the next generation Vs. Stagnation involves not seeking outlets for generativity Care Broad concern for others Need to teach others Psychosocial Influence Family & Society

Old Age Stage Over 65 years Psychosocial Crisis Psychosocial Strength Integrity Look back with satisfaction Vs. Despair Review with anger, frustration Wisdom Detached concern with the whole of life Psychosocial Influence All Humans

Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Age (Years) Stage Psychosocial Crisis Psychosocial Strength Environmental Influence 1 Infancy Trust vs. Mistrust Hope Maternal 2-3 Early childhood Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt Willpower Both parents or adult substitutes 4-5 Preschool Initiative vs. Guilt Purpose Parents, family and friends 6-11 Middle Childhood Industry vs. Inferiority Competence School 12-18 Adolescence Identity vs. Role confusion Fidelity Peers 18-35 Young adulthood Intimacy vs. Isolation Love Spouse, lover, friends 35-65 Middle age Generativity vs. Stagnation Care Family, society Over 65 Old age Integrity vs. Despair Wisdom All humans

Erikson’s Contributions He made major contributions in the area of child development by studying groups of Native American children and developed the concept of identity crisis. He was concerned with the relationship between society/culture and child development, which he termed “psychosocial development”. This interest led him to develop the Eight Stages of Development. In each stage, the individual encounters a developmental crisis. In order to move on to the next stage, the individual must resolve the crisis.

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