1. Erikson’s Psychosocial theory
Psychosocial is a description of the relation between an individual’s emotional needs and the social environment around him or her.
According to this theory, at critical ages, people experience developmental crises, specific conflicts whose resolution prepares the way for the next stage.

2. Erikson’s Psychosocial theory
Person
First conflict: trust vs. mistrust. A baby in a supportive environment (where parents are dependable and responsive to the child), learns to trust people. A baby in a chaotic, non-supportive environment learns that people cannot be trusted.
The baby learns this lesson because babies must depend on other people to survive. At no other time in our lives are we normally so dependent. This is why we learn this lesson at this stage of life.
What we learn about trust at this early age influences how we deal with people for much of the rest of our lives.
Environment

3. Erikson’s Psychosocial theory
Person
Adolescents deal with “identity vs. role confusion.” At this point in their lives, adolescents have developed many of the cognitive skills they will use as adults and their bodies have become adult. Thus, they need to learn “who they are” in the world. Their environment (parents, teachers, etc.) can be supportive of this process or restrictive in some significant way.
Adolescents who successfully resolve this conflict develop a strong sense of self. Adolescents who don’t will struggle with their identity for many years.
Environment

4. Erikson’s Theory of Personal Development
Life events
Born: helpless & dependent on others for survival
Ages 1-3
Learn basic self care, including toilet training
Ages 3-6
Beginning to learn about the world and how to operate in it.
Initiative vs. Guilt
Explorations are either supported by caregivers or thwarted.
Trust vs. Mistrust
Caregivers help (trust) or they don’t (mistrust)
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Children’s mistakes in learning to care for self are either considered normal or they are excessively punished
Erikson stages
Initiative is willingness to begin new activities and explore new ideas.
Autonomy means independence.

5. Erikson’s Theory of Personal Development, continued
Life events
Ages 6-12
Begins school, develops academically and intellectually
Ages 12-18
Adolescence, puberty, beginning to become adult
Young adulthood
Chooses permanent relationships
Industry vs. Inferiority
Learns how to work and succeed academically or else does not learn these skills
Identity vs. Confusion
Develops own identity separate from family or else fails to do this.
Intimacy vs. Isolation
Chooses to be in significant relationships or else may not be emotionally able to sustain intimate relationships
Erikson stages
Industry is eagerness to engage in productive work.

6. Erikson’s Theory of Personal Development, continued
Life events
Old age
Facing death, assessing one’s life
Middle adulthood
Working (either on a job or at home raising children)
Generativity vs. Stagnation
Feels like one’s work is a contribution or not
Integrity vs. Despair
Feels as if life has been well-lived—or not
Erikson stages
Generativity: sense of concern for future generations
Integrity: sense of self-acceptance and fulfillment

7. Remembering Erikson’s stages
Remember the positive term and something about the age. Then connect the negative term.
Baby, TRUST (when kids are born they have to trust that others will care for them) opposite is MISTRUST
Toddler, AUTONOMY (toddlers are working at becoming independent. When they are scolded in potty training, they feel SHAME & DOUBT)
Preschooler, INITIATIVE (preschoolers want to learn about the world. When they are held back, they feel GUILT).
Elementary, INDUSTRY (kids learn how to work at school or else they feel INFERIORITY)
Teens, IDENTITY (teens develop own identity or else confusion—IDENTITY CONFUSION)
Twenties, INTIMACY (young adults choose relationships or become ISOLATED)
Mid life, GENERATIVITY (middle adults feel their life work is worthwhile or feel STAGNATED)
Old age, INTEGRITY (can be peaceful about death because life was well lived or else DESPAIR)

8. Resolutions to Erikson’s stages
This is the evidence you will see in a person’s life for how they resolved each of these stages.
Resolutions to Erikson’s stages
Negative
Trust vs. Mistrust: see the world as inconsistent and threatening. See life as not predictable, and view good things as temporary.
Autonomy vs. shame and doubt: fear being exposed as inadequate. Attempt to hide their feelings of powerlessness.
Initiative vs. guilt: fear of being inadequate and of making mistakes. Self-restrictive and sometimes overconscientious.
Positive
Trust vs. Mistrust: trust in themselves and others. Relaxed positive attitude.
Autonomy vs. shame and doubt: good sense and command of their will power. Feel free to be themselves.
Initiative vs. guilt: believe they know how the world works. Clear sense of what they want in life.
Continued, next slide

9. Resolutions to Erikson’s stages
Positive
Industry vs. inferiority: relish achievement and like to tackle challenging tasks.
Identity vs. confusion: know who they are, what their goals are, and where they’re going.
Intimacy vs. isolation: commit to partnerships and have the ethics to abide by the commitments to friends and significant others.
Negative
Industry vs. inferiority: feel inadequate, incapable, and estranged. Lack ambition.
Identity vs. confusion: see conflict in who they are and what they would like to be.
Intimacy vs. isolation: self-absorbed. Identity is too fragile to maintain the uncertainties of intimacy.
Continued, next slide
How can you, as a teacher, help students to resolve these conflicts positively?

10. Resolutions to Erikson’s stages
Positive
Generativity vs. stagnation: concern for creation of better world. Focus on service to others.
Integrity vs. despair: feel their lives have meaning and significance
Negative
Generativity vs. stagnation: lack long-term goals and commitments. Live for short-term gratification.
Integrity vs. despair: view life as filled with missed opportunities
What should a person do when a conflict has been resolved negatively? This is where exploring the past through journaling and talking with a trusted person (friend, counselor, pastor, etc.) can help a whole lot. When we have information about our past and its effects, we can make decisions so that it no longer has as much influence on us.

11. Comparing Erikson & Piaget
Mechanism for growth
Drive for equilibrium
(assimilation & accommodation)
Brain development
Crises at critical ages (when a person’s social & emotional tasks change)
Focus of theory
Cognitive Development
Emotional Development
Infancy
Sensorimotor
Trust vs. Mistrust
Toddler
Preoperational
Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt (this stage begins a little earlier than preoperational)
Pre-school
Initiative vs. Guilt
Elementary school
Concrete Operational
Industry vs. Inferiority
Adolescence
Formal Operations
Identity vs. Confusion
Young Adulthood
Intimacy vs. Isolation
Middle Adulthood
Generativity vs. Stagnation
Elderly
Integrity vs. Despair

12. Erikson in the classroom
Be aware of the stage(s) your students are in.
Offer opportunities to engage with aspects of that stage. Pre-schoolers need support for taking initiative. Elementary students need support for learning how to work effectively. Adolescents need opportunities to explore their own identities.
Scaffold the opportunities you offer so students can experience success. For example, if a child has a hard time working independently for an hour, cut back on the time until the child can succeed and then start extending the time.

13. Erikson in the classroom
Encourage initiative in pre-school students. Give them choices, provide opportunities and support for them to succeed, and help them learn how to deal with their mistakes in a positive way.
Encourage industry with elementary and middle school students. Help them to work independently by giving them short assignments and then longer ones. Give them opportunities to demonstrate and use their sense of responsibility. Provide extra support for students who seem to be struggling with this.

14. Vocabulary Autono-mous morality Crisis Identity achievement
Punish-ment-obedience stage
Social conventions
Vocabulary
Anorexia
nervosa
Develop-
mental
crisis
Identity
Integrity
Moral
realism
Parenting
styles
Racial and
ethnic pride
Social develop-ment
Autonomy
Distributive
justice
Identity
diffusion
Internalization
Moral
reasoning
Personal develop-ment
Relational
aggression
Social problem solving
Bioecological
model
Empathy
Identity
foreclosure
Inter-personal harmony stage
Morality of
cooperation
Perspective
taking
Self-concept
Theory
of mind
Blended
families
External morality
Industry
Law and order stage
Moratorium
Proactive
aggression
Self-esteem
Universal principles stage
Bulimia
Generativity
Initiative
Market exchange stage
Nigrescence
Psychosocial
Self-worth
Collective self-esteem
Hostile
aggression
Instrumental
aggression
Moral dilemma
Overt
aggression
Puberty
Social contract stage