Thursday, January 14, 2016

How does Erikson's theory about the stages of psychosocial development shape our life?

Erik Erikson, a developmental psychologist, identified eight stages that each person must go through at different times of life. If an individual does not face and master the challenges of each stage, he or she have difficulty in later stages. For example, from birth to age 2, a child deals with issues of trust versus mistrust. If a child does not feel essential trust coming from a caretaker, the child will face the world with...

Erik Erikson, a developmental psychologist, identified eight stages that each person must go through at different times of life. If an individual does not face and master the challenges of each stage, he or she have difficulty in later stages. For example, from birth to age 2, a child deals with issues of trust versus mistrust. If a child does not feel essential trust coming from a caretaker, the child will face the world with suspicion as he or she gets older. The later stages are autonomy versus doubt; initiative versus guilt; and industry versus inferiority. The teenage years involve the idea of forming one's identity, and then, one moves on to the stage of intimacy versus isolation. People who do not form a strong sense of identity cannot often achieve intimacy with others and may wind up feeling isolated. Later stages include generativity versus stagnation (which involves finding a life filled with meaningful work), and ego integrity versus despair (meaning finding one's life has been worth it). Erikson's stages mean that a person has social and psychological work to accomplish during each stage to move on and live a meaningful and connected life. 

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