Adult Reflection: Freshman KU Students And Observed Junkyard Jazz

Erikson’s stage of Identity vs. Role Confusion (13-19 years old), was a crucial time for my brother and I, as my parents decided to put us back in public school. I was thirteen-years old at the time, just entering the eighth grade as a “new kid” in a very small rural community. This was beyond some of my toughest

It outlines the struggle an individual faces in finding stability between developing a sense of forming a unique identity while still being accepted and “fitting in” with society. Erikson believed that when teenagers adequately navigated their way through this crisis, they would transpire into having a clear understanding of their individual identity and easily share this new ‘self’ with others. However, if an individual is unable to navigate their way through this crisis period, they may be uncertain of who they are which can result in a lack of understanding, leading to disconnection from society and the people around them. If youth become stuck at this stage they will be unable to become emotionally mature adults, according to Erikson’s theory. This period of an individual’s life allows them to investigate possibilities which will lead them to discovering their own identity based upon the result of their explorations.

Adolescence is Erikson’s fifth stage of development wherein the person must master the conflict of identity versus role confusion. The question, who I am? Is a question that arises during this time? The child is concerned with

One of the main ideas in the movie centers around Erik Erikson’s first stage of psychosocial development

Erikson goes into depth about development with eight stages; therefore, when one continues to develop, they can understand and identify themselves more precisely. Erikson created eight stages to describe development; the amount of stages is important because one of his stages are dedicated to identity. In phase five of Erikson’s social theory, “a sense of identity is formed at the end of adolescence, and it is based on all pre-adult experiences” (Barnes). Establishing ‘Who am I?’ is crucial for making adult decisions. This stage cannot be found in Piaget because he did not incorporate adulthood into his theory. However, Erikson knew the importance of identity involvement because this fifth stage maps out the rest of one’s development and how they view themselves. In order to fulfill the next three stages, identity must be formed since one cannot struggle with identity and face the difficulties of the following stages. With more stages, each stage is specific to a key aspect in one’s lifetime. In phase six, “Graduation from adolescence requires a sense of identity; graduation from the first phase of adulthood requires finding a sense of shared identity” (Maier 70). Having a partner means incorporating one’s identity into themselves; therefore, it is important to discover oneself in phase five. One cannot be in a committed relationship when they themselves do not have a solidified identity.

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

In 1963, the psychology theorist Erik Erikson, developed the idea that each life stage has a psychosocial task that they must conquer. I was given the opportunity to observe his theory on my own through a series of interviews. The first person that I interviewed was an adolescent, whose psychosocial developmental conflict is between identity and role confusion. The next person that I interviewed was a young adult, whose conflict is between intimacy. The next person that I interviewed was of middle adulthood, whose crisis is between generativity and stagnation. Finally, I interviewed a woman in the stage of late adulthood, whose crisis is integrity versus despair. Ultimately, I was able to be a first-hand witness to development throughout life

“[C]ollege students are not getting the opportunities they need to grow into autonomous, healthily connected adults when parents are still hyper-involved in their lives,” Barbara Hofer claims. In order for kids to make the transition into adulthood, they must find the courage to thrive as such, letting their parents take a less invasive place in their lives. The transition will ultimately be smoother if the student truly feels like an adult, meaning government stops sending mixed signals and simply gives these new adults the privileges that accompany maturity.

The first approach in understanding such a peculiar man will be to insert his life into a series of events and match that to Erik Erikson’s Life-Span Developmental process. As it is widely believed, we develop a personality, rather an identity, derived from the eight stages throughout life; that of which molds us into the person that we become (Erickson 1963, 1978).

During school the individual will analyze and figure out what skills they have and how they are able to contribute to the society of the school. The skills learned here will enable the child to connect with others that have similar interests and strengths. Later in life as the student moves into adulthood they begin learning about career paths and how their strengths, weaknesses, and interests may further contribute to society. As they journey through this stage, the individual will begin to have a better grasp of the person they have become and begin to transcend to being a person that thinks of others instead of just themselves. Erikson understood human development as a series of learnings about how one could manage one’s own growth as a human being, in the process becoming more and more in charge of oneself, enlarging the sphere of one’s agency, both physically and linguistically, imaginatively and willfully (Starratt,

1902-1994” Erik Erikson – Erikson changed the way of thinking around the development of children. His theory was that child’s personality develops through the social influences throughout one’s life. His theory was that there are 8 stages in life that people encounter and through these stages, if resolved, one will continue to mature in their social development and one’s personality throughout life, not just through single events.

Erik Erikson progressed human development studies when he branched off of Freud’s developmental perspective and created his own theory regarding human development containing the “Eight Stages of Man,” (Robins, Chatterjee & Canda, 2012, pg. 213). Erikson believed that the environmental aspects combined with the biological makeup of an individual created a crisis in each developmental stage to which a person would have to resolve, successfully or unsuccessfully, before entering the next developmental stage, (Sougstad, Face-to-Face #3, 2018). In the following, Erikson’s first four stages of development will be analyzed based on needed components of successful completion as well as disadvantages that may occur due to individual specific life experiences.

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

He was a developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst known for his theory on psychosocial development of human beings. Erikson, famous neoanalyst, focused less on unconscious processes and more on conscious choice and self-direction. According to Erikson, we undergo several different stages of psychosocial development. Erikson’s stages are, in chronological order in which they unfold: trust versus mistrust; autonomy versus shame and doubt; initiative versus guilt; industry versus inferiority; identity versus identity confusion; intimacy versus isolation; generativity versus stagnation; and integrity versus despair. Each stage is associated with a time of life and a general age span.

Little kids often wish they were grown up, wish they were able to drive, and wish they were in high school. They fantasize about the freedom they would have and of all the possible paths they could take, only if they were old enough. They dream about their teenage years and becoming responsible for themselves, not having to rely on their parents. When their parents yell at them for the littlest things, like not taking out the trash right away when asked, this fantasy grows stronger: “Imagine being able to take out the trash whenever you want, not whenever you’re told.” As they grow older though, they realize “adulting” isn’t all it’s set out to be. By the time they get to high school, they still have to deal with their parents and still don’t have the complete freedom of choosing everything they want -- this does not usually come until college. Although high school and college both offer more freedom and are both about furthering one’s education, they are far from the same.