Erik Erikson:

Eight Stages of
Development

Rocky 20123529
Dan 20082449

Contents

11

Who is Erik Erikson? - Background

22

Stages of Development 1 4 (Rocky)

33

Stages of Development 5 8 (Dan)

44

Additional Works and Criticisms

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

Erik Eriksons Biography

Erik Erikson 1902-1994

Born June 15,1902 Frankfurt, Germany

Died May 12, 1994 Massachusetts, USA
Nationality American/ German
Fields Developmental Psychology
Influences Sigmund Freud/ Anna Freud
Coined the term Lifespan Development
Key Idea Theories of Social Psychological
Development

Erik Eriksons Biography

He was an artist and a teacher in the late 1920s when he met Anna Freud,
an Austrian psychoanalyst. With Annas encouragement, he began to study
child psychoanalysis at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute.

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. To satisfy his curiosity, 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 Aboriginal children to learn about the influence of

society and culture on child development. From this, he developed a
number of theories, the most famous being his psychosocial development.

He believed that humans have to resolve different conflicts as they progress

through each stage of development in the life cycle.

Eriksons 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.

ELEMENTS
Ego Identity
Ego Strength
Conflict

Ego Identity

Ego identity is developed by human

interaction and how an individual
becomes more conscious of themselves
and their surrounding.

Ego Strength

Ego strength deals with an individual

becoming competent in different areas of
life, by becoming competent in life they
feel more important.

Conflict
Conflict is a turning point during which an
individual struggles to attain some
psychological quality. Sometimes referred
to as a psychosocial crisis, this can be a
time of both vulnerability and strength,
as the individual works toward
success or failure.

Erik Erikson and the

8 Stages of Development
Best known theories of personality and
development.
Personality develops in a series of
predetermined stages.
Psychosocial, and not psychosexual.
In each stage of development
conflicts acts as turning points in life.

Personality
Personality consists of all the relatively
stable and distinctive styles of thought,
behavior, and emotional responses that
characterize a persons adaptations to
surrounding situations

Why Study Personality?

Identify patterns in the way people
behave.
Explain the differences between people.
Explore how people function in life (The
good and bad).
How to improve life.

Psychosexual Stages of
Development-Sigmund Freud

Oral Stage (Birth to 1) Sucking/Pleasure With Mouth

Anal Stage (1 to 3)
Controlling Bowel Movements
Phallic Stage (3 to 6)
Discovery of reproductive organs
Latency Period (6 to 13)
Cognitive skills learned while interest in sexuality is
in the background
Genital Phase (adolescence)
Sexual interests arise

Psychosocial Development
Refers to the emotional and psychological
changes across the life cycle that occurs
in the context of the individuals social
environment.

Psychosocial Development
According to Erikson- Each part of the
personality has a particular time in the life
span when it must develop, if it is going to
develop at all. If it failed to developed on
schedule, the rest of the development is
unfavorably altered. The individual is
then hindered from dealing effectively
with reality.

Psychosocial Stages

Stage 1- Trust vs. Mistrust

Stage 2- Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt
Stage 3- Initiative vs. Guilt
Stage 4- Industry vs. Inferiority
Stage 5- Identity vs. Role Confusion
Stage 6- Intimacy vs. Isolation
Stage 7- Generativity vs. Stagnation
Stage 8- Integrity vs. Despair

Stage 1-Trust vs. Mistrust

Age- Birth to 18 months

Conflict- Trust vs. Mistrust
Relationship- Mother
Strength- Hopes
Question- Can I trust the world?
Key Event- Feeding

Stage 1-Trust vs. Mistrust

Children are completely dependent on others
Trust: Established when babies given
adequate warmth, touching, love, and physical
care-Dependable & Reliable.
Mistrust: Caused by inadequate or
unpredictable care and by cold, indifferent,
and rejecting parents-Undependable,
Unpredictable & Dangerous.

Stage 2Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt

Age- 18 month to 3 years

Conflict- Autonomy vs. Shame
Relationship- Parents
Strength- Will
Question- Is it ok to be me?
Key Event- Toilet Training

Stage 2Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt

Autonomy: Doing things for themselves
such as body control & making choices.
- Secure and confident self.
Shame: Overprotective or ridiculing parents
may cause children to doubt abilities
and feel shameful about their
actions- Inadequacy & self doubt.

Stage 3- Initiative vs. Guilt

Age- 3 years to 6 years

Conflict- Initiative vs. Guilt
Relationship- Family
Strength- Purpose
Question- Is it okay for me to do,
move & act?
Key Event- Independence

Stage 3- Initiative vs. Guilt

Initiative: Parents reinforce via giving
children freedom to play, use imagination,
and ask questions- Creative, Constructive.
Guilt: May occur if parents criticize,
prevent play, or discourage a childs
questions- Always being wrong, Failed to
explore world.
Initiative and Guilt should be balanced
in order to have moral judgment.

Stage 4- Industry vs. Inferiority

Age- 6 years to 12 years

Conflict- Industry vs. Inferiority
Relationship- Neighbors, School
Strength- Competence
Question- Can I make it in the world
of people and things?
Key Event- School

Stage 4- Industry vs. Inferiority

Children's have to cope with new social and
academic demands
Industry: Occurs when child is praised for
productive activities, such as painting and
building- Sense of competence
Inferiority: Occurs if childs efforts are
regarded as messy or inadequateWeak sense of self, Incapable to take
responsibility

Stage 5Identity vs. Role Confusion

Age- 12 years to 18 years

Conflict- Identity vs. Role Confusion
Relationship- Peers, Role Model
Strength- Fidelity
Question- Who am I? what can I be?
Key Event- Peer relationships

Stage 5Identity vs. Role Confusion

Children learn a number of different roles.
Identity: Ones organization of individual
drives, abilities, beliefs, and experience into
consistent image of self. Who we are.
Role Confusion: Failure to establish an
individual identity separate from the
family and having no peer relationships
and plans for an occupation- Ego
diffusion

Stage 6-Intimacy vs. Isolation

Age- 19 years to 40 years

Conflict- Intimacy vs. Isolation
Relationship- Friends, Partners
Strength- Love
Question- Can I love?
Key Event- Love relationships

Stage 6-Intimacy vs. Isolation

Start of families
Intimacy: Ability to care about others and
to share experiences with themStrong relationship
Isolation: Feeling alone and uncared
for in life- Loneliness

Stage 7Generativity vs. Stagnation

Age- 40 years to 65 years

Conflict- Generativity vs. Stagnation
Relationship- Household, Workmates
Strength- Care
Question- Can I make my life count?
Key Event- Parenting

Stage 7Generativity vs. Stagnation

Primary developmental task is one of
contributing to society and helping to guide
future generation.
Generativity: Interest in guiding the next
generation- Social involvement, Parenting
Stagnation: When one is only
concerned with ones own needs and
comforts- Material possession, Physical
well being, Non productive

Stage 8-Integrity vs. Despair

Age- 65 years to Death

Conflict- Integrity vs. Despair
Relationship- Mankind, My kind
Strength- Wisdom
Question- Is it ok to have been me?
Key Event-Reflecting on and
acceptance of ones life

Stage 8-Integrity vs. Despair

In the last stages of life individuals look back
over their lives and judge them.
Integrity: Self-respect; developed when
people have lived richly and responsiblyFeeling of wisdom and meaning
Despair: Occurs when previous life
events are viewed with regret;
experiences heartache and remorseRegret, Bitterness

Eriksons
Psychosocial Development
Age
(Years)

Stage

Psychosocial
Crisis

Psychosocial
Strength

Environmental
Influence

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

Assessment in Eriksons Theory

Psycho historical Analysis
Application of lifespan theory to lives of
historical figures

Psychological Tests:
Instruments based on crisis in stages

Research in Eriksons Theory

Generativity
Evokes need to feel closer to others
Correlated with extraversion, openness to
new experiences
Likely to be involved in community, social
relationships

Research in Eriksons Theory

Maturity
High ego integrity: spent much time reviewing
their lives

Ethnic Identity
Ethnic minorities: ethnic identity significant
factor in determining sense of self

Eriksons 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.

Criticisms of Erikson
Ambiguous terms and concepts
Lack of precision
Some terms are not easily measured
empirically
Experiences in stage may only apply to
males
Identity crisis may only apply to those
affluent enough to explore identities