ERIK ERIKSON'S THEORY OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL THEORY OF DEVELOPMENT

Erikson emphasized the socio-cultural factors of personality. He was interested in how

children socialize and how this affects their sense of self. However, social experience is more

strongly emphasized than biological maturation.

• Erikson believed that a child must first understand the realities of the social world to

adapt successfully and show a normal pattern of personal growth.

• The theory sees the child as an active participant in his or her development and that

children develop in a predetermined order.

• He also assumed that development occurs in eight distinct stages, each with a crisis or

conflict with two possible outcomes.

• However, for development to occur, the child must successfully resolve some crisis or

conflict at each stage to be prepared for other crises that emerge later in life.

• According to the theory, successful completion of each stage results in a healthy

personality and successful interactions with others.

The theory stresses that each crisis or conflict is dictated by both biological

maturation and social demands that people experience at a particular point in life. The

8 stages and crises include; -

Trust Vs Mistrust (Birth - 1 year)

This is Erikson's first stage of psychosocial development and corresponds to infancy.

Because infants are extremely helpless and dependent on their caregivers, they come

to trust their parents and others who care for them adequately. Responsive maternal

care while feeding the infants and adequate attention to the infant's basic needs enable

them to develop a sense of trust or confidence. Infants who are given adequate care,

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view people as predictable, good, reliable, and gratifying.

confidence. They also view the world as a good place to live in. However, if

caregivers are rejecting, harsh, and inconsistent, and make infants wait too long for

comfort, infants develop a sense of mistrust. They may view the world as a dangerous

place filled with unreliable, untrustworthy, and difficult people and they view the

world as a dangerous place to live in. The mother or primary caregivers are the key

social agents.

Autonomy Vs Shame and Doubt (1-3 years)

This is Erikson's second stage of psychosocial development. During this stage,

children achieve muscular control and motor skills such as walking, climbing, and

manipulating objects. A child must also learn to what degree he or she can take pride

in his or her own body the ability to decide how to use it and to what degree he/she

will experience shame and doubt about the choices made. In addition, children make

errors of both control and judgment during toilet training.

A child who is treated with respect for his or her failures and successes will

eventually develop a sense of Autonomy i.e. Autonomy is achieved when parents

offer guided opportunities and the kind of choices children make with their bodies.

But if a child is consistently humiliated shamed and embarrassed or restricted and

forced, he/she may develop a sense of shame and doubt (an inadequate doubling sense

of autonomy). Thus, children must learn to be autonomous for instance they feed,

dress themselves, etc. Failure to achieve this independence may force the child to

doubt his/her abilities. Parents are key social agents.

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Initiative Vs Guilt (3-6 years)

This is the stage of activity and curiosity. The ability to participate in many physical

activities together with the ability to communicate through language sets and the

development of a sense of initiative correspond to Freud's phallic stage of

psychosexual development. Children also learn about the roles and the institutions of

society and gain insight into what kind of person they can become.

The initiative involves a sense of ambition and social responsibility that develops

when parents support their child's developing sense of purpose and direction. They

begin to plan activities, make up games, and initiate activities with others. If given

this opportunity, children develop a sense of initiative and feel secure in their ability

to lead others and make decisions. Children who attain a sense of initiative learn not

to encroach on the rights, privileges, and goals of others. However, parental demands

for self-control may lead to overcontrol and result in a sense of guilt i.e. children may

undertake goals or activities that conflict with those of the parents and family

members which will make them feel guilty. Family members are the key social

agents.

Industry Vs Inferiority (6-12 years)

This is the school of age during which the child develops industrious capacity for

productive work, and cooperation with others and takes pride in doing things well.

This stage corresponds to Freud's latency stage of psychosexual development.

Children leave the protection of their families and enter the world of school which

they learn to master as a new set of challenges. They also learn basic intellectual and

social skills required in the modern society. Children who master important social and

academic skills develop a sense of industry.

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Interiority, the sense that one will never be good at anything develops when children's

experiences at school, in the peer group, and with parents do not foster feelings of

competencies and mastery ie such children feel that they cannot learn to complete

tasks, that their efforts are blocked and they feel that they are worthless. Therefore,

failure to acquire important intellectual academic, and social skills leads to feelings of

inferiority. Significant social agents are teachers and peers.

Identity Vs Role Confusion (12-20 years)

This is a culminating stage that marks the transition between childhood adolescence

and adulthood. Teenagers or adolescents undergo a re-evaluation of who they are in

many areas of development including physical, intellectual, and social development.

They are more concerned with what they appear to be in the "eyes" of others than

what they feel they are.

Adolescents are becoming more independent, and begin to look at the future in terms

of careers, relationships, families, housing, etc. During this period, they explore

possibilities and begin to form their own identity based on the outcome of their

explorations. This sense of who they are can be hindered, which results in a sense of

confusion

Adolescents who establish basic social occupational identities develop a sense of

identity. However, those who remain confused about the roles they should play as

adults or remain confused about their sexual, physical, and social self-definition,

develop a sense of role confusion. Teaches, peers, and parents are the key social

agents.

Intimacy Vs Isolation (20-40 years)

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This is experienced in your adulthood and young people turn towards the task of

establishing meaningful intimate relationships with other people. Intimate

relationships are established with peers and adult people regardless of their sex. The

primary task at this stage is to form strong relationships to achieve a sense of love and

companionship. Young adults who establish intimate relationships with other people

develop a sense of intimacy. However, young adults who experience negative

outcomes at this stage for instance are unable to establish intimate relationships and

cannot risk the possibility of rejection. Such young adults develop a sense of isolation

and are likely to remain isolated from others. Avoiding intimacy, and fearing

commitment and relationships can lead to isolation, loneliness, and sometimes

depression. Key social agents are lovers, spouses, and close friends.

Generativity Vs Stagnation (40-65 years)

This occurs during middle adulthood. At this stage, adults face the tasks, of becoming

productive in their work, raising their families, and looking after the needs of young

people. This Task is accomplished through child rearing and caring for other people.

The standard of generativity is defined by one's culture.

Adults who accomplish the task of child-rearing develop a sense of generativity. We

give back to society through raising children, being productive at work, and becoming

involved in community activities and organizations. By failing to achieve these

objectives, we become stagnant and feel unproductive. Therefore, people who fail to

contribute to the task of child-rearing, are unable or unwilling to assume such

responsibilities and develop a sense of stagnation. Significant social agents include

spouses, children, and cultural norms.

Integrity Vs Despair (65 years onwards)

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This occurs during the old age. It is Erikson's last stage of Psychosocial Development.

The old individual looks back at life, viewing it as either a meaningful, productive and

a happy experience or a major disappointment full of unfilled promises and happy

experience or a major disappointment full of unfilled promises and unrealized goals.

Old individuals look back on the kind of person they have been and what they have

accomplished throughout their lives.

Old individuals who view life as a worthy experience meaningful and productive, full

of filled promises develop a sense of integrity and to them, death is not threatening.

However, old people who are dissatisfied with their life course and view life as an

unhappy experience, unproductive and a major disappointment, full of unfilled

promises and unrealized goals, develop a sense of despair often leading to depression

and hopelessness. To such individuals, life is too short to correct its shortcomings and

death is threatening. One's life experiences, particularly social experiences will

determine the outcome of this final life crisis.

Note: The conflicts one experiences at each stage can be resolved in either a

positive (adaptive) or a negative(mal-adaptive) way. According to Erikson, the

development of a psychologically healthy adult requires the successful resolution of

a conflict at each developmental stage.

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