V. M. WESTERBERG'S SUPER BRIEF DEVELOPMENTAL THEORIES SERIES.

ERIK ERIKSON

Because of the time he was born, Erik Erikson lived the stigma of being the out-of-wedlock son of a Jewish Danish woman and a mysterious man, possibly called Erik, possibly of Scandinavian origin. Little Erik was rejected by the other children in the Jewish community because he looked so very different from all the other children: He was tall, blonde, and blue-eyed. When Erik was 5 years old, his mother married his paediatrician, who adopted Erik but concealed that he was somebody else’s child until he was in his late teens. This had a big impact on Erik to the point that he decided to cut loose from his past by changing his surname to Erikson (son of Erik) to reaffirm his identity. It is, therefore, not by chance that he coined the now well-known term “identity crisis”. Despite his own psychological and social conflicts, Erikson pulled himself together and went on to study Medicine and then psychoanalysis with Anna Freud. He admired Freud but not his focus on sexuality and on childhood for the development of personality, so he transformed Freud’s psycho-sexual theory into a psycho-social theory. He moved from Germany to the USA and became a professor at Harvard University. Erikson was an accomplished writer and got a Pulitzer prize (the Oscar of journalism) in 1970 in the General Nonfiction category for a book about the psychology of the doctrine of non-violence, called Gandhi's Truth.

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT THEORY

ERIK ERIKSON’S PSYCHO-SOCIAL THEORY

This is the theory that gave rise to the term "identity crisis."

Erikson was the first to propose that humans developed in "stages" throughout our entire lifespan, not just childhood. Failure to successfully complete a stage

can result in a reduced ability to complete further stages and therefore a more

unhealthy personality. Success in each stage means the acquisition of a virtue.

1. Trust Vs. Mistrust ( 0 – 1 year) Virtue: Hope

Newborns and infant’s are completely dependent on their caregiver to satisfy

their basic needs. When the baby cries because he is hungry or his diapers need

changing, his mother feeds or changes him. This ways the child develops a sense of trust in the world, he knows that he can hope for a dependable

someone to satisfy his needs and care for him.

However, when his mother does not respond to the baby’s need or does it

inconsistently and the baby cries for hours for food or waiting to be changed, the

infant will have a sense of mistrust, that is, he feels that the world is unreliable and that if you don’t get things for yourself, nobody is going to do it.

2. Autonomy vs. Doubt (1-3 years) Virtue: Will

At this age the child begins to explore his environment. When the parents are supportive and encourage him to do things by himself but still protect him from

danger, the child feels a sense of autonomy (hey, l can do this, and I will!)

However, when parents or caregivers do not let the child do things for himself,

like getting dressed when he says he can do it, the child may question or doubt

his capacity to do things and may be reluctant to try new experiences in the

future.

3. Initiative vs. Guilt (3 to 6 years) Virtue: Purpose

When the child reaches this age, children are very eager to please their parents. They want to accomplish activities on their own for a certain purpose, taking

initiatives. Caregivers must promote this sense of initiative in them by, for

example, letting them arrange their birthday party.

On the other hand, he may feel guilty about his needs and wants if the parent

would not allow him to take initiative.

4. Industry vs. Inferiority (6 to 12 years) Virtue: Competence

At this age, children are more eager than ever to learn more things, and want to master skills like reading and writing, to the extent that they compete with other

children. They become very industrious, especially when praised by parents

and teacher for their accomplishments. They feel they are competent at what they are doing.

However, if they are never praised for their efforts or are constantly punished for their mistakes, they may feel inferior and their self-esteem becomes low.

5. Identity vs. Role Confusion (12 to 19 years) Virtue: Fidelity

Becoming an adolescent involves feeling a mixture of emotions. At this age, the

teenager wants to find out his true identity, wants to know who he really is through the role he plays in his environment. They are more influenciable by

friends than by family. Their fidelity to friends is very strong.

If he fails to overcome this identity crisis, he will feel confusion which may affect his entire adult life.

6. Intimacy vs. Isolation (20 to 45 years) Virtue: Love

At this age, an individual develops intimacy and strong emotional attachments with one special person, whom he loves and who loves him, he feel he has

encountered that special someone with whom he can share the rest of his life.

Aaaaaaaah, that’s love.

However, when he sees that his friends settle for good to form their own families

and he is left without anyone to accompany him, he may feel isolated and

withdrawn from society.

7. Generativity vs. Stagnation (45 to 65 years) Virtue: Care

At this age, the person wishes to produce or generate something of real value

for the benefit of the younger generation, because he cares for them. That is

generativity.

When, he fails to do so, he may feel that he is unproductive and stagnant.

8. Integrity vs. Despair (65 years onwards) Virtue: Wisdom

Towards the end of life, the person tends to look back at his past years. When

he feels that he had lived a fine life and has been true to his principles and

values, he would have a sense of satisfaction or of (ego) integrity. All those

years of life experience lead to wisdom.

However, he may have a sense of despair if he feels he was unproductive, or

has many regrets, or was not able to accomplish his life goals.