Theory of Erickson

Erick Erickson stages of development
Prepared by sharoon rufan

Eric Erikson (1902 – 1994)
 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 Anna’s
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.
 Erikson’s 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.
ERIKSON’S THEORY
Development of an individual is the result of his
interaction with social environment
Conceptualized development as psychosocial
Individual moves through eight stages of psychosocial
development. Based on epigenetic principle.
Resolution of a stage lays the foundation for negotiating
the challenges of the next.
Emphasis on society, relationships and interaction with
people
Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial
Development
8 successive stages over the lifespan
Addresses bio, social, situational, personal influences
Crisis: must adaptively or mal-adaptively cope with
task in each developmental stage
Respond adaptively: acquire strengths needed for next
developmental stage
Respond mal-adaptively: less likely to be able to adapt
to later problems
Stage 1: Basic Trust vs. Mistrust
 Approximate age : Birth to 18 months (infancy)
 Psychological crisis : Trust /mistrust
 Significant relationship: Maternal Person.
 Totally dependent on others
 Caregiver meets needs: child develops trust
 Caregiver does not meet needs: child develops
mistrust
 Basic strength: Hope
 Belief our desires will be satisfied
 Feeling of confidence
Implications
Parents should ensure a trusting relationship with
the child.
 Satisfying the needs develops trust.
 Anxiousness and anger develops mistrust

Stage 2: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
 Approximate age: 18 months to 3 year (toddlerhood)
 Psychological crisis : Self autonomy/doubt.
 Significant relationship : Parental persons.
 Children try to do things Independently.
 Growing mobility
 Language acquisition
 Ego-strength – will (Determination to exercise freedom
of choice in face of society’s demands)
 If the freedom and exploration are encouraged, toddler
develops autonomy, if they are overly restricted, they
experience shame, self doubt
Implications
Arrange for each child to have something which are
his own and with which he can identify.
Values the things the child makes
Development of early trust is necessary

Stage 3: Initiative vs. Guilt
Approximate age : 3 to 6 year (preschooler)
Psychological crisis : Initiative / guilt.
Significant relationship : Basic Family.
Resolution of Oedipus or Electra Complex
Ego strength- Purpose (Courage to envision and
pursue goals)
Takes initiative in interacting with the environment, if
this tendency is censored, through criticism or control,
develop a sense of guilt
Implications
Do not punish children for their initiative-ness.
Create a playful atmosphere.
Value children's play and talk to them about their play.

Stage 4: Industriousness vs. Inferiority
 Approximate age : 6 to 12 year (elementary school age)
 Psychological crisis : Industry/inferiority
 Significant relationship : Neighborhood /school
 Peers become important and the child tries to measure and
evaluate himself with peers.
 Children seek to establish a clear identity
 Child develops cognitive abilities to enable in task completion
(school work, play)
 Parents/teachers do not support child’s efforts: child develops
feelings of inferiority and inadequacy
 Basic strength: Competence
 Exertion of skill and intelligence in pursuing and completing tasks
Implications
Assign roles for them and appreciate for their effort.
Make confidence in them by giving opportunities to

express their abilities
Praise them for doing their best and encourage to

finish task
Strengthen the school environment

Stage 5: Identity vs. Role Confusion
 Approximate age : 12 to 18 year (adolescence)
 Psychological crisis : Identity / role confusion
 Significant relationship :peer groups /models of leadership
 Children seek to establish a clear self identity (understands
his own unique traits)
 Begins with puberty
 Role confusion
 Ego strength- Fidelity and loyalty
 Failure to discover self identity, results in identity crisis and
role confusion.
 Fidelity;
Sincerity, genuineness, sense of duty in relationships with other
Implications
Help the students to identify their roles that are
socially acceptable.
Give reinforcement towards positive roles.
Prevent them from unlimited imaginations
Assign duties and responsibilities

Stage 6: Intimacy vs. Isolation
 Approximate age : 20 to 40 (young adulthood)
 Psychological crisis : Intimacy / Isolation
 Significant relationship : Partners in Friendship, sex and co-
operation.
 Selection of a mate
 Establishment of an occupational pattern
 Harmonious relationships with others
 Intimacy- “finding oneself, but losing oneself in another
person” Erickson.
 Undertake productive work and establish intimate relationships
 Inability to establish intimacy leads to social isolation
 Basic strength: Love
Implications
Develop harmonious relationship
Develop the habit- To love and to work

Stage 7: Generativity vs. Stagnation
 Approximate age : 40-65 (middle adulthood )
 Psychological crisis : Generativity /self
absorption(stagnation).
 Significant relationship: shared household
 Interest in establishing and guiding the next generation.
 Focus on career and family
 Involve in creative pursuits – voluntary works art science,
etc. By failing to achieve these objectives, one become
stagnant (disinterested in others, concerned only with self)
 Basic Ego strength: Care
-Broad concern for others
-Need to teach others
Implications
 Be active in home and community
Stage 8: Ego Integrity vs. Despair
 Approximate age : 60 + (Late adulthood)
 Psychological crisis: Integrity/ Despair
 Significant relationship : “Mankind”
 Evaluation of entire life(Time of introspection)
 Integrity: Look back with satisfaction
 Despair: Review with anger, frustration
 Acceptance of accomplishments, failures and ultimate
limitation, Accept the finality of death
 If feels his life as unproductive, feel guilty about past,
becomes dissatisfied with life and develop despair
 Basic strength: Wisdom
-Detached concern with the whole of life
Implications
Introspection is necessary
Listen to elderly people.

Contributions of Erikson
Personality develops throughout the lifetime
Identity crisis in adolescence
Impact of social, cultural, personal and situational

forces in forming personality
Criticisms of Erikson
Ambiguous terms and concepts
Lack of precision
Some terms are not easily measured empirically

References
Rana, M. H., Ali, S., & Mustafa, M. (2012). A
Handbook of Behavioral Sciences for Medical &
Dental Students. University of Health Sciences.
Sharma, K. H., & Maan, G. (2018). psychology for

Nurses. Lotus Publishers.

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Erick Erickson stages of development

Prepared by sharoon rufan

 Satisfying the needs develops trust.

 Anxiousness and anger develops mistrust

Values the things the child makes

Development of early trust is necessary

Create a playful atmosphere.

Value children's play and talk to them about their play.

Make confidence in them by giving opportunities to

Praise them for doing their best and encourage to

Strengthen the school environment

Give reinforcement towards positive roles.

Prevent them from unlimited imaginations

Assign duties and responsibilities

Develop the habit- To love and to work

Listen to elderly people.

Identity crisis in adolescence

Impact of social, cultural, personal and situational

Some terms are not easily measured empirically

Sharma, K. H., & Maan, G. (2018). psychology for

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