Erickson's 4 Stages

The attachment style that an individual exhibits as an infant can affect their adult romantic relationships. An attachment pattern is established in early childhood attachments and continues to function as a working model for relationships in adulthood. This model of attachment influences how each of us reacts to our needs and how we go about getting them met. The ability to recognize one 's attachment can help someone to understand their strengths and vulnerabilities in a relationship.

They are not bothered by small issues. When a person has a secure attachment, they are capable of developing very trusting, and lasting relationships. They usually have good self-esteem also. They are comfortable sharing with their family and friends. Securely attached adults tend to have a good view of themselves, and their relationships with others. They feel comfortable balancing intimacy and independence, without any issues. This style of attachment usually results from a history of warm and responsive interactions with relationship partners. They often talk about experiencing more fulfilling relationships than people with other attachment styles. Being reliable and consistent, people who are secure may seem boring at first to those with other styles because there is little drama in their love lives, but secure people have a stabilizing effect on those with less secure styles and they report the highest level of satisfaction in their relationships.

role confusion stages range from ages twelve to nineteen and is the stage in life where we explore who we are, who we want to be, and where we are headed in life. The Intimacy vs. isolation stage ranges from ages twenty to thirty-four, and is when we decide whether we are loved by others, feel rejected by others, and if we want to spend life with someone else or alone (Erikson, 1994).

Attachment is the emotional bond between humans, which is based on our relationship with a parent or early caregiver during the years of childhood. There are four different attachment styles – secure, preoccupied, dismissive, and fearful – each describing a different way in which individuals interact with others, approach social and romantic relationships, and deal with life.

Intimacy versus isolation is stage six in Erik Ericksons eight stages of human development. This stage takes place from approximately 19-40 years of age (Orlofsky, Marcia, & Lesser, 1973). The big question that people face in this stage is will I be loved or will I be alone. During this stage people start to develop more long term relationships. Friendship, dating, marriage and family play a big role in the happiness of this stage. This is when we leave the people that we grew up with and start our own lives. By establishing

Psychologist Phillip Shaver expanded upon Bowlby’s theory too and stated that the attachments formed in one’s infancy extend to adult romantic relationships (Feldman, 2011). According to Shaver, securely attached adults enter into romantic relationships confidently and happily. They also tend to be supportive and sensitive to their partner’s needs. Those who have avoidant attachment style tend to be less into relationships and feel lonelier. Ambivalent or anxiously attached adults tend to be too invested in their relationships, have low self-esteem, and often are intrusive rather then helpful when

The gender differences appeared quite uniformly and consistently, using the four-category model and related measures. Previous studies regarding the difference of attachment style between men and women found large difference in fearful and dismissing categories, where men are more dismissing and women are more fearful than the opposite gender. Women are also found classifying themselves as ‘secure’. In summary, men are found to have a dismissing attachment style, while women have a preoccupied attachment. Moreover, the secure attachment style is most common in both men and women (Männikkö, 2001). Women are found to have more secure, more anxious, and less avoidant attachment style than men. The individuals with secure attachment are more likely to be female, better educated, married, older, and better off financially than other individuals (Mickelson, Kessler & Shaver, 1997). In addition, it is found that most of the women in relationships have a secure attachment style, and least have a dismissive attachment style (Skentelbery & Fowler, 2016).

The insecure/preoccupied anxious attachment style preoccupied, and they seek approval from their partners. They tend to extremely clingy; consequently, pushing the person away with their self-doubts and insecurities. Individuals who have fearful/avoidant attachment style tend to have suffered abuse or sexual abuse, and they want close relationships, nonetheless they cannot bring themselves to be intimate with other people.

There are several different attachment styles. Secure is an attachment style when an individual feels confident and has trust in their relationship. Avoidant is an attachment style when an individual is unsure about getting into in a relationship. Anxious attachment style is where individuals demand closeness and have trust issues.

Eric Erickson and Sigmund Freud both believed there are stages in personality development with few differences. The Erickson theory is composed of eight stages that a normal human will go through from birth until death or one lifetime. Each of these stages can be related to different characters so it is easier to relate to.

As I was going through the different attachment styles to try to categorize which one best suited me, I felt that secure attachment style was my style. I believe that I am worthy of love and capable of getting love, while others are willing and able to love me. I feel like I am the friend that everyone comes to talk to about their problems because they depend on me for emotional strength because I, myself, am intuitive with my own emotions. I am not fearful of feeling upset, happy, anger, and more. For example, my sister always comes to me about her problems with her boyfriend, whether if he has done something to upset and vice versa, and asks me for advice on what she should do in order to resolve the problem; therefore, I try to give her

Secure attachment relationships are relationships where the individuals are comfortable depending on their partner. They are trusting of their partner, and tend to show emotional control in situations where their partner would be gone for some time. Anxious attachment relationships are those where either one or both of the individuals are obsessed with their partner. They are

After carefully going through the attachment styles on pages 46 – 48, I have both avoidant and secure attachment style tendencies. Focusing primarily on the secure attachment style, of which I did in fact relate to the most, it is described as those who “[a]ren’t afraid of emotions”, “[a]re willing to seek and accept comfort from other people”, “[t]ake responsibility for themselves”, “[k]now that relationships can be safe and that knowledge gives them courage for love and intimacy”, and “[f]ind the courage to act when action is needed” (Clinton, Sibcy 65). While this list does not fully describe those who have a secure attachment style, it does include the majority of the characteristics. The secure attachment style can be observed through

theorist concludes how attachment styles influence the way an individual conceptualizes themselves as they relate to others. Object, refers to people, an environment, or images

Secure Attachment Style. People who refer to this category have a positive view of themselves and of the other people also. I suppose this category could fit Daniel Cleaver from “Bridget Jones`s Diary”. That is because they are true optimists and it is their life philosophy to trust people and not only those who they love (Harms, 2011). They consider a person as such who deserves being treated kindly and respectfully. They feel secure about people and do not get ready to defend themselves because they do not put themselves in a position of defense from the outside world. They are open to the world. Moreover, they know there might be difficulties and conflicts, but still they do not afraid of them. In the adult life,