Summary and Comparison: A Psychological Interview Analysis of Levinson’s Life Structure Approach and Erikson’s Theory of Human Development Approach
This psychological interview analysis will compare and summarize the theoretical applications of Erikson’s Theory of Human Development and Levinson’s Life Structure Approach. The subject of the interview, Charlotte McBeth, will express the challenges that arise in the stable and transitional periods of life in a Scottish family, which she expresses in the various aspects of instability and transitional periods that Levinson defines. The death of an infant brother defines one such instability, which reflects the high infant mortality rate and a sense of guilt that Erikson would analyze through the “Initiative v Guilt” stage of childhood. However, Charlotte had a large and supportive family unit, which allowed her to find intimacy in adolescent with her close friend, Rena. In adulthood, Charlotte was able to transition to America by having a family support when leaving Scotland to find better job opportunities abroad. In essence, a summary of Charlotte’s interview will be accompanied by a psychological comparison of Erikson and Levinson’s life development theories. Levinons’s theory of early childhood development is related to the lack of stability that Charlotte encountered in a big family, especially within the context of high infant mortality amongst her siblings: “Mom: There was a boy named Jimmy that only lived for a
Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, as articulated by Erik Erikson, in collaboration with Joan Erikson,[1] is a comprehensive psychoanalytic theory that identifies a series of eight stages, in which a healthy developing individual should pass through from infancy to late adulthood. All stages are present at birth but only begin to unfold according to both a natural scheme and one's ecological and cultural upbringing. In each stage, the person confronts, and hopefully masters, new challenges. Each stage builds upon the successful completion of earlier stages. The challenges of stages not successfully completed may be expected to reappear as problems in the future.
Eric Erikson was one of the most famous theorists of the twentieth century; he created many theories. One of the most talked about theories is his theory of psychosocial development. This is a theory that describes stages in which an individual should pass as they are going through life. His theory includes nine stages all together. The original theory only included eight stages but Erikson‘s wife found a ninth stage and published it after his death. The nine stages include: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. identity confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, integrity vs. despair, and hope and faith vs. despair (Crandell and Crandell,
No matter who you are I believe that everyone will go through stages in their life that will get them to where they are on today. I am a person who has a very interesting story; this is the first time it will be told in full. We were asked to use Erik Erikson’s theory of development as a guideline to telling the story of our lives. At first I was very nervous; however, I soon realized that this would be a fun task. Erik Erikson has eight stages of Development (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman). I will be walking you though my life using each one of his stages drawing out the map of my life. Within my life I have had some very interesting encounters. I have been through foster care, abuse, rape, molestation, starvation, adoption, depression, and
Both Erik Erikson’s theory and Mary Ainsworth and John Bowlby theory support the idea that early life experiences impact the person across their lifespan. Erikson’s developmental theory discusses the eight stages of life and the forces and values that arise at each stage, which should be developed within this frame. The attachment theory focuses on the interaction an individual has and the impact it may have on their psychological and social development. Both theories believe that personality begins to develop from a young age and therefore occurrences in early life can have lasting impacts on the developmental of an individual.
Thank you for sharing such an excellent post and drawing attention to such a profound and systemic issue in our global culture. Researcher Daniel Levinson in A Conception of Adult Development addresses the issue of the role of gender in adult life development. Levinson and his colleagues believed that women go through the same developmental periods as men, although some of the specific issues might differ between men and women. Based on the study, “the small proportion of women at senior management levels suggests that many women do not move beyond jobs in lower and middle levels of management” (Greenhaus, Callanan and Godshalk 323), indicating the reality of a proverbial glass ceiling.
Well, Erikson dedicated his time investigating the development of a child to adulthood. During that process, he recognizes the importance of the first four stages of the life cycle, simply because they are the “prerequisites in physiological growth, mental maturation, and social responsibility to experience and pass through the crisis of identity.” (d’Heurle & Tash, 2004, Pg. 255) Those stages are imperative for his growth, without them, his future could possibly look bleak; ultimately, become troublesome. (d’Heurle & Tash, 2004, Pg. 259) The others were equally important and slightly more reliant on the earlier teachings, which will also prepare the child for either an accomplished life and a hopelessly, depressed and despair life.
It is a well-known fact that an individual’s childhood has a significant impact on one’s life. This upbringing may consist of abuse, violence, or love as the type of treatment one receives, is out of their control. However one thing will always remain constant, the individual will continue to grow and develop regardless of whether or not specific childhood stages are successfully fulfilled and completed. These stages were established by psychologist Erik Erikson in his theory named, stages of development that consist of eight phases (five being between the ages of 1-18) that he believed were crucial in the development of a healthy human.
Erik Erikson “proposed a comprehensive developmental theory that included the entire life span” (38). His theory is composed of eight developmental stages that each has their own challenge. Starting from the day we were born all the way up to the day we die, we will have “traveled” through all eight developmental stages or challenges. Erikson’s theory was unlike others in the time period: Erikson believed that development occurs throughout the whole lifespan, not just until age 20 (notes). Similarly, Erikson, like Sigmund Freud “believed that problems of adult life echo unresolved childhood conflicts” (39). For example, if a person does not develop autonomy in early childhood, as an adult, they are likely to be dependent on others. Erikson
Prior to this course I was aware of that lifespan development theory are about to understand human aging. I knew of human development notion is ‘maturity’. Although the concepts of development can be defined in may ways, such as a change that involves moment from one stage to another, transition, growing, phases, and more. And, what may be maturity or appropriate behavior in one setting or situation to one person or culture may be nothing of the sort to another.
Exploring many different theories can help explain the different stages in human development. Over the course of an individual’s lifetime various experiences can shape their perception of the world and how they cope with challenges or even how they function in their everyday lives. Using the Psychosocial Development and Learning theories, a better understanding of Kendra Phillip’s development can be attributed to the difficulties she has faced over the years of her life. Within the Learning Theory the Levinson’s theory can be applied. This theory is, “Built around the idea of life structures, or patterns of behavior that, in combination with the environment, are shaping forces in people’s lives (p.341, Rogers, 2013). An individual’s way of
There are eight stages of Erikson’s theory. These stages indicate key developmental points in our lives, in which the resolution of each developmental crisis influences individual perceptions of oneself
Eric Erikson was one of the most remarkable theorists of the twentieth century. One of his famous theory is the psychosocial development theory. This theory comes in different stages as part of human development. The first stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development is the trust vs mistrust stage which occurs from birth to 12 months old. Erikson proposed that “infants learn about the basic trustworthiness of their environment from their caregivers” (Dunn & Craig, 2013, p.14).
Erik Erikson’s theories of development are among some of the best-known theories regarding aging and developing. Erikson divided the stages of life into eight categories: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and integrity vs. despair. Each stage offers its unique age frame and focus.
Lifespan development evaluates the whole person and the interactive forces that act upon them and are acted upon by them (Wong, Hall, Justice, & Hernandez, 2015). Erikson’s theories provide a structure to examine the progressive psychosocial development stages of the individual throughout the lifespan.
For my life journey I have chose to use Eric Erikson’s theory I have decided to use his theory because to me his theory suited my life appropriately. Eric Erikson is a well known theorist from the twentieth century, he has produced many theories. One of his most known and recognized theory is the psychosocial development. This theory describes the steps a person goes through in life. There are nine stages in his theory. Originally his theory only eight steps, but his wife found the last step after his death and published it. The nine stages are: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. role confusion, intimacy and soliditary vs. isolation, generativity vs. self absorption and stagnation, and integrity vs. despair. Although, I have not gone through all of these steps yet due to my age I am only twenty two. I will speak about the steps I have gone through so far.