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Erik Erikson 's Theory Of Psychosocial Development Essay

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Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development is one of the most influential theories of human development. While highly influenced by the works of Sigmund Freud, Ericson’s theory incorporates the impact of society and conflicts of the ego, and expands it across the entire life-span of human existence. His theory breaks a life into eight stages of Psychosocial Development. In each stage a person will undergo a psychosocial crisis, which he defines as “…not a threat of catastrophe, but a turning point, a crucial period of increased vulnerability and heightened potential, and therefore, the ontogenetic source of generational strength and maladjustment” (Erikson, 1968). To overcome the crises of each stage one must properly balance a positive and negative tendency (Papalia & Martorell, 2015). Successfully completing a stage will result in a healthy personality and acquisition of basic virtue; a strength of character that will help resolve the crises in the next stage. (McLeod, 2013). Failing to successfully complete a stage does not stop development, but the lack of the virtue makes subsequent stages more difficult for the individual to resolve. The stages of Psychosocial Development Like Freud, Erikson considered the first conflicts a person would experience occurs as soon as life begins. The first stage of Erik Erikson 's psychosocial development theory runs from birth to about eighteen months old. During this initial stage, an infant must balance basic trust versus

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