erik erikson stages essay

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIALOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOUR H.N.C. SOCIAL CARE In this essay, I intend to explain the classic life cycle theory of Erik Erikson, and apply that to the development of personality and identity of James  taking into account the nature and nurture debate. Eriksons theory (which is based on Freud's theory but is more society and culture oriented) has eight stages of development, with a different conflict that must be resolved at each stage, the person has two choices in handling each crisis, or task, being either adaptive or maladaptive, when each task is solved and there is a change in personality, then the individual can move on to the next stage. If a conflict is not dealt with in the stage in which it arises it will either be carried through, or crop up at a later stage CONFLICT- Trust v.'s Mistrust IMPORTANT EVENT/INFUENCE- Feeding/Mother. PSYCHOSOCIAL VIRTUES “ Hope, Faith At this stage the infant will only develop trust if the parent or carer regularly meets the child needs in a consistent and responsive way. The child must learn to trust and bond with the parent (namely Mother at this stage) otherwise, they will begin to develop signs of mistrust. If a good balance is achieved the child will develop hope, knowing even if things are not going well they will be alright in the end. MALADAPTATIONS AND MALIGNANT TENDENCY Babies, who have not formed a strong bond with their mothers, are more likely to be uncooperative and aggressive towards their mother. When they are older, tend to be withdrawn, unenthusiastic, give up easily, with little drive for life or sympathy, and understanding for those around them. If a mother is overly protective, the child may become gullible and over trusting. (Sensory distortion) On the mistrust side depression, paranoia or psychosis (with Essays Related to Eriksons Life Cycle a Case Study.
Enter Your Search Terms to Get Started! Erikson Theory Erick Erikson was one such person who further developed Freud's theories in such a way as to give their intuitive nature a basis in reality. Erikson's stages of human psychological development, encompassing the entire human life-cycle, have stood up well to the test of time and research and have provided a solid base for researches and theorists alike. In my assignment I would like to explore these stages of psychosocial development which Erikson outlined, focusing particularly on adolescence to middle adulthood - a period that perhaps constitutes the most powerful and creative stage of the human life-span. I will also explain how knowledge of the crises in that particular age group can contribute to a better understanding for dealing with patients of that age in the hospital setting. Erikson’s formulation is a stage theory. “A stage is a development period during which characteristic patterns of behaviour are exhibited and certain capacities become established” (Weiten, 1995, p.432). Erikson partitioned the life span into eight stages, each stage consists of a psychosocial crisis or internal crises that must be faced. According to Erikson, this internal crisis is not a catastrophe but a turning point of increased vulnerability and enhanced potential. The individual resolved a crisis between a positive and negative alternative. Resolution of a crisis does not mean that a person rejects one alternative completely, but rather, that he or she finds a balance between the two alternatives. The more an individual resolves the crises successfully, the healthier development will be. Trust versus mistrust is Erikson’s first psychosocial stage (Erikson, 1963, cited in Weiten, 1995), which is experienced in the first year of life. A sense of trust requires a feeling of physical comfort and a minimal amount of fear and.
Enter Your Search Terms to Get Started! The Psychological Development Theory of Piaget and Erikson Intelligence and personality are two integral components involved in psychological development that can be examined according to concrete stages. The two most prominent researchers that investigated psychological development using stage theories are Piaget and Erikson. These two researchers provided perspectives on the study of psychology that had never been experienced before, and pioneered revolutionary ideas, especially in regards to stages of child development for Piaget and stages of development throughout the life-span for Erikson. Like all theories, the ideas proposed by these researchers have limitations, but they also both have important implications for the study of development as well as for the field of social work. Both Erikson and Piaget introduced theories that would continue to influence psychological research and practice. Erikson developed an eight-stage theory of psychological development that occurs as people grow through the entire lifespan. Each stage contained within this theory of development consists of a crisis that must be confronted and overcome. These crises represent psychological turning points that are characterized by increased vulnerability and enhanced potential (Essortment, 2002). Healthy development results from the effective resolution of the crises within these psycho-social stages of development. The first stage of in Erikson's theory is the trust vs. mistrust., and this occurs in the first year of life. In order for an infant to feel trust in this stage, he must feel physical comfort and little fear about the future, and if the infant has a strong basic trust, he will maintain a hopeful attitude (Childstudy.net, 2005). If the infant does not have his basic needs satisfied at this stage in life, a sense of mistrust is developed.