ERICKSON'S PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Characteristics of Erik Erickson's Psychosocial Development

Characteristics of Erik Erickson's Psychosocial Development

Introduction

Psychosocial development refers to the interaction of both psychological and social forces over the development of individuals across the life span. It is in the domain of socialization influences. The best known single, unifying theory of these concepts was formulated by Erik H. Erikson (1902-1994). Psychosocial development may also include changes in altruistic, prosocial behavior and self-control.

Unlike Sigmund Freud, Erikson's theory describes development across the life span. His eight stages cover the psychological tasks that all individuals face from infancy through old age. Erikson's theory addresses issues about how personality develops and how people acquire their identity and role as a member of society. Erikson's emphasis on the psychosocial, rather than the Freudian psychosexual, orientation reminds us that the ego aspect of personality is actively involved in developing skills and attitudes to be a productive, responsible citizen. This paper discusses seven characteristics of Erik Erickson's psychosocial development theory in a concise and comprehensive way.

Characteristics of Erik Erickson's Psychosocial Development

Erikson's theory, sometimes referred to as “the stages of man,” is based on a belief that individuals form self-images (an identity) from both self-perceptions and others' perceptions. His is one of the few psychological theories to account for a person's place in history; everyone must accept responsibility for their individualized outcome that results from person-environment relationships. His theory is presented as a series of stages, each having a dilemma or crisis to be resolved.

Erik Erikson was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1902 and died in 1994 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Known as the father of psychosocial development, his perspective on psychological growth grew to be quite different than that of Sigmund Freud, his early teacher. Where Freud believed that the focus of growth and development was in changing sensitive zones of the body, Erikson placed the locus of importance on the social world surrounding the individual.

In addition to this distinction, another important difference was Erikson's concern for psychological development throughout the entire life span, rather than just the years from birth through adolescence. Erikson examined the consequences of early experiences on later life and described the nature of qualitative change during the middle and later years of life.

Erikson's most lasting contribution is his description of psychosocial development, with a psychosocial task or crisis associated with each stage. Here's a brief description of each stage and the social task at hand.

Stage 1: Oral-Sensory

The Psychosocial Task: Trust Versus Distrust: It is during the oral-sensory stage that the infant experiences the first of many interactions with the immediate environment and needs these outside influences to help regulate basic behaviors. The trust- mistrust continuum reflects the value of the child's experiences during the first year of life and how the child feels about interactions with outside forces. Erikson emphasized that it is not just the quantity of trustfulness that is important but the quality as well (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters & Wall, 2005).

Stage 2: Muscular-Anal

The Psychosocial Task: Autonomy Versus Doubt: The muscular-anal stage deals with the ...