1.6: Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Erik Erickson (1902-1994) was a German-American psychoanalyst and considered the father of developmental psychology because his model gives us a guideline for the entire lifespan and suggests certain primary psychological and social concerns throughout life.

He believed that we are aware of what motivates us throughout life and the ego has an important role in guiding our actions. We make conscious choices in life and these choices focus on meeting certain social and cultural needs rather than purely biological ones.

Figure 1.4.2 - Erik Erikson

Image Source: Erk Erikson. Wikipedia.com

Erikson expanded on his theory by emphasizing the importance of culture in parenting practices and motivations. He noted humans make conscious choices in life and that these choices focus on meeting certain social and cultural needs rather than purely biological ones.

He theorized that were motivated by psychosocial problems, which means we have the need to feel

• the world is a trustworthy place
• that we are capable individuals
• that we can contribute to society
• that we have lived a meaningful lifel

Erikson Divided the Lifespan into Eight Stages:

In each stage, we have a major psychosocial task to accomplish or crisis to overcome. Erikson believed that our personality continues to take shape throughout our lifespan as we face these challenges in living. Although we will concentrate on his first two stages, here is a brief overview of the eight stages:

Fig. 1.6. Erickson's Eight Stages of the Lifespan

Ages	Name of Stage	Description of Stage
Birth - 1 year	Trust vs. Mistrust	The infant must have basic needs met in a consistent way in order to feel that the world is a trustworthy place.
1-3 years	Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt	Mobile toddlers have newfound freedom they like to exercise and by being allowed to do so, they learn some basic independence. They strive for a sense of accomplishment.
3-5 years	Initiative vs. Guilt	Preschoolers like to initiate activities and emphasize doing things “all by myself.”
6-11 years	Industry vs. Inferiority	School aged children focus on accomplishments and begin making comparisons between themselves and their classmates
Adolescence	Identity vs. Role Confusion	Teenagers are trying to gain a sense of identity as they experiment with various roles, beliefs, and ideas
Young Adulthood	Intimacy vs. Isolation	In our 20s and 30s we are making some of our first long-term commitments in intimate relationships.
Middle Adulthood	Generativity vs. Stagnation	The 40s through the early 60s we focus on being productive at work and home and are motivated by wanting to feel that we’ve contributed to society.
Late Adulthood	Integrity vs. Despair	We look back on our lives and hope to like what we see-that we have lived well and have a sense of integrity because we lived according to our beliefs.

Table 1.4.2. - Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

These eight stages form a foundation for discussions on emotional and social development during the lifespan. Keep in mind, however, that these stages or crises can occur more than once. For instance, a person may struggle with a lack of trust beyond infancy under certain circumstances.

Criticism of Erickson

Erikson’s theory has been criticized for focusing so heavily on stages and assuming that the completion of one stage is prerequisite for the next crisis of development. His theory also focuses on the social expectations that are found in certain cultures, but not in all. For instance, the idea that adolescence is a time of searching for identity might translate well in the middle-class culture of the United States, but not as well in cultures where the transition into adulthood coincides with puberty through rites of passage and also where adult roles offer fewer choices than can be seen in Western culture.

Key Points to Remember - Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

• Erikson focused on conscious thought.
• His stages of psychosocial development address the entire lifespan and suggest primary psychosocial crisis in some cultures that adults can use to understand how to support children’s social and emotional development.
• Erikson's 8 stages of the lifespan include:
  • trust vs. mistrust
  • autonomy vs. shame and doubt
  • initiative vs.guilt
  • industry vs. inferiority
  • identity vs. role confusion
  • intimacy vs. isolation
  • generativity vs. stagnation
  • integrity vs. despair

Source

• Psychosocial Theory. Developmental Theories. Lifespan Development. Lumen Learning. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.