Erik Erikson’sStages of Development

Presentation and Study by

Elizabeth Eaton

Life of Erik Erikson (1902-1994)

• Born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1902

• Raised by mother and stepfather, Dr. Homburger

• Wandered Europe after high school

• Studied child psychoanalysis with Anna Freud

• Married Joan Serson at age 27

• Forced to leave Europe in 1933, moved to US

• First child analyst in Boston, MA

• Studied normal development of children across cultures

• Held positions at Yale, the University of California, and Harvard

• Died as a professor at Harvard University in 1994

Erikson’s Interest in Identity

• Struggle to find his own identity• Did not know his father• Adopted stepfather’s last name• Did not resemble his parents• Did not do well in high school• Went through a moratorium

• Creation of his own identity• Began studying the work of Sigmund Freud• Built on Freud’s stages of development• Changed name from Erik Homburger to Erik H.

Erikson

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

• Born in Moravia, 1856

• Studied neurology and psychology

• Founder of psychoanalysis• Free association

• Theorized about• The Unconscious• Dreams• Psychosexual Development

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages

Freud believed that a person’s identity was set by the time they were an adult, and that it was governed by the outcome of five developmental stages:

• Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, and Genital

In each stage, the child’s libido is focused on an erogenous zone. If the child is over or under stimulated in a stage, he or she may develop neurotic behavior relating to that stage’s part of the body. Examples of neurotic traits would be having an oral fixation or being anal retentive.

Erikson’s vs Freud’s Theory of Development

Erik Erikson• psychosocial

• 8 stages

• general

Sigmund Freud• psychosexual

• 5 stages

• specific

(more adorable than Freud)

Erikson’s Stages of Development

Erikson’s First Stage of Development

• Age: Birth to 1 year

• Conflict: Basic Trust vs Basic Mistrust

• Core ego strength: Hope

• Freud’s stage: Oral

• “Can I trust the world?”

Erikson’s Stages of Development

Erikson’s Second Stage of Development

• Age: 1 to 3 years

• Conflict: Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt

• Core ego strength: Will

• Freud’s stage: Anal

• “Is it okay to be me?”

Erikson’s Stages of Development

Erikson’s Third Stage of Development

• Age: 3 to 6 years

• Conflict: Initiative vs Guilt

• Core ego strength: Purpose

• Freud’s stage: Phallic

• “Is it okay for me to do, move, and act?”

Erikson’s Stages of Development

Erikson’s Fourth Stage of Development

• Age: 6 to 11 years

• Conflict: Industry vs Inferiority

• Core ego strength: Competence

• Freud’s stage: Latency

• “Can I make it in the world of people and things?”

Erikson’s Stages of Development

Erikson’s Fifth Stage of Development

• Age: Adolescence

• Conflict: Identity vs Role Confusion

• Core ego strength: Fidelity

• Freud’s stage: Genital

• “Who am I? Who can I be?”

Erikson’s Stages of Development

Erikson’s Sixth Stage of Development

• Age: Young Adulthood

• Conflict: Intimacy vs Isolation

• Core ego strength: Love

• Freud’s stage: Genital

“Can I love?”

Erikson’s Stages of Development

Erikson’s Seventh Stage of Development

• Age: Adulthood

• Conflict: Generativity vs Stagnation

• Core ego strength: Care

• Freud’s stage: Genital

“Can I make my life work?”

Erikson’s Stages of Development

Erikson’s Eighth Stage of Development

• Age: Old Age

• Conflict: Ego Integrity vs Despair

• Core ego strength: Wisdom

• No equivalent stage for Freud

“Is it okay to have been me?”

My Study

• Questions• Is Erikson’s theory really observable in a small child?• What specific behaviors outlined in Erikson’s second stage does a

child of that age exhibit?• Does a child in Erikson’s second stage exhibit behaviors from the

first or third stage?

• Hypothesis• I will be able to observe evidence that a child between one and

three years of age is going through Erikson’s second stage of development, as opposed to the first stage or third stage.

Method (Participants and Activities)

• Case study of one child, 21 months of age

• Observation conducted in the presence of Mom, Nana, and Papa

• Observation lasted about 1 hour

• Activities were chosen by Mom and the grandparents and included• A brief walk• Play time• Meal time

Method (Rubric for Erikson’s Stages 1-3)

Stage 1o Sucking

o Biting

o Unable to walk or sit up

Stage 2o Feeding self

o Grabbing / Picking up

o Likes to walk on own

o “No!” “Mine!”

o Throwing / Placing

o Able to sit up on own

Stage 3o “Why?”

o Intrusive curiosity

o Efficient at walking

Results (Rubric for Erikson’s Stages 1-3)

Stage 1 Sucking

o Biting

o Unable to walk or sit up

Stage 2 Feeding self

Grabbing / Picking up

Likes to walk on own

o “No!” “Mine!”

Throwing / Placing

Able to sit up on own

Stage 3o “Why?”

o Intrusive curiosity

o Efficient at walking

Observations

• Stage 1 • Stage 2

• Child repeatedly puts fingers in mouth and sucks on them

• Child feeds self with hands, spoon and holds sippy cup to feed self juice

• Child picks up decorative items, moves them to another location, places them. Child stacks blocks.

• Child walks and climbs by self. When child falls, picks self up.

Conclusion

• Answers• Is Erikson’s theory really observable in a small child? Yes!• What specific behaviors outlined in Erikson’s second stage does a child of

that age exhibit? Feeding self, grabbing, likes to walk on own, throwing, able to sit up on own.

• Does a child in Erikson’s second stage exhibit behaviors from the first or third stage? This child exhibited one trait from the first stage, sucking.

• Hypothesis• I will be able to observe evidence that a child between 1 and 3 years of age

is going through Erikson’s second stage of development as opposed to the first stage or third stage. Confirmed!

Limitations

• Small sample (just 1 child)

• Did not observe potty training

• Rubric was self made

Sources

Crain, W. (2000). Theories of Development (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Prentice Hall

Erikson, E. H. (1950). Childhood and Society (2nd ed.). New York: W. W. Norton.

Erikson, E. H. (1959/1980). Identity and the Life Cycle. New York: W. W. Norton.

Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and Crisis. New York: W. W. Norton.

Freud, S. (1959). The Question of Lay Analysis. Trans. Strachey, J. (1978). New York: W. W. Norton.

Hoare, C. H. (2002). Erikson on Development in Adulthood: New Insights from the Unpublished Papers. Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 7–12.

Macnow, A. S., ed. (2014). MCAT Behavioral Science Review. New York: Kaplan Publishing. p. 220.