PSYCHOSOCIAL

THEORY OF ERIK
ERIKSON

GROUP 2
 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
Who is ERIK ERIKSON?
Born in Germany on June 15th 1902.
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.
Eriksons
Stages of
Psychosocial
Development
Trust vs.
Mistrust
(Infant)
Physically dependent upon others to
meet all needs

CRISIS: Infants first social achievement is willingness to let mother out

of sight without anxiety or rage because s/he is certain mother will return
EXPECTED RESOLUTION: Child develops a belief that the environment
can be counted on to meet his/her basic needs. Drive & Hope
FAILURE TO RESOLVE: Mistrust and fear of people and objects in the
environment. Can result in withdrawal or depression in adulthood.
CHILDS NEED & PRIMARY RELATION: Needs maximum comfort with
minimal uncertainty to trust self, others and the environment. Maternal
person
BELIEF AT WORK: I am what I am given
IMPORTANT EVENT: Feeding
Autonomy vs.
Shame and
Doubt
(Toddler)
Muscular maturation. Child is able to
move around environment to explore

CRISIS: Child attempts to exert some independence through

exploring and testing limits. Favorite word is no which is a
declaration of independence and a bid for increased autonomy
EXPECTED RESOLUTION: Child learns what s/he can control and
develops a sense of free will and limits. Self control & Willpower
FAILURE TO RESOLVE: Overprotectiveness or inconsistent discipline
leaves toddler with sense of self-doubt and inhibited independence
CHILDS NEED & PRIMARY RELATION: Learns to master physical
environment while maintaining self-esteem. Paternal person
BELIEF AT WORK: I am what I can do
IMPORTANT EVENT: Toilet training
Initiative vs.
Guilt
(Preschool)
Increased muscular, mental and
language abilities
CRISIS: Favorite word is why? there is a great curiosity and
openness to learning. Child begins to initiate, not imitate activities;
develops early conscience and sexual identity
EXPECTED RESOLUTION: Child initiates action, explores and
imagines as well as feeling remorse for actions. Direction & Purpose
FAILURE TO RESOLVE: Childs feel unworthy and fears that almost
everything self-initiated will go wrong
CHILDS NEED & PRIMARY RELATION: Learns that can initiate
plans and see things through, can make decisions and lead others.
Basic Family
BELIEF AT WORK: I am what I imagine
Industry vs.
inferiority
(School age)
Childs world extends beyond family to
school. Movement from play to work

CRISIS: Child tries to develop a sense of self-worth by refining

skills. Must learn the skills of the culture
EXPECTED RESOLUTION: Child learns to do things well or
correctly in comparison to a standard or to others. Feel competent.
Method & Competence
FAILURE TO RESOLVE: Is discouraged from taking initiative and
being productive. Child doubts own abilities. Feel inferior to others
CHILDS NEED & PRIMARY RELATION: Develops sense of pride
in accomplishments. Neighborhood, school
BELIEF AT WORK: I am what I can achieve
IMPORTANT EVENT: school
Identity vs.
Role confusion
(adolescence)
Formulating a sense of self and belonging

To achieve this, adolescents must bring together

everything they have learned about themselves as a
son or daughter, an athlete, a friend, a fast- food
cook, a student, a garage band musician, and so on,
and integrate these different images into a whole
that makes sense. If the adolescents cannot do this,
they are left with role confusion; that is, they are left
unsure of what kind of person they are and are
uncertain what they can do or what kind of person
they can become.
Intimacy vs.
isolation
(young adult)
Forming adult, loving relationships and
meaningful attachments to others.
Intimacy is the ability to relate well with other people, not only
with members of the opposite sex but also with ones own sex to
form long- lasting friendships.
A sense of intimacy grows out of earlier developmental tasks,
because people need a strong sense of identity before they can
reach out fully and offer deep friendship or love. Because there is
always the risk of being rejected or hurt when offering love or
friendship, individuals cannot offer it if they do not have
confidence they can cope with rejection or if they did not
develop a sense of trust as an infant. Parents without a sense of
intimacy may have more difficulty than others accepting
pregnancy and beginning to love a new- born child.
Generativity
vs. Stagnation
(Middle adult)
Being creative and productive;
establishing the next generation
People extend their concern from just themselves and
their families to the community and the world. They
may become politically active, work to solve
environmental problems, or participate in far- reaching
community or world- based decisions.
People with a sense of generativity are self- confident
and better able to juggle their various lives ( mother,
soccer coach, church member, teacher, political party
chairperson, gourmet cook). People without this sense
become stagnated or self- absorbed. Those who have
devoted themselves to only one role are more likely to
Ego integrity
vs despair
(maturity)
Accepting responsibility for ones self
and life

Older adults with integrity feel good about the

life choices they have made; those with a feeling
of despair wish life could begin over again so
that things could turn out differently. A sense of
integrity is helpful in a grandparent who
provides childcare, as it helps children develop a
sense of trust and learn initiative.