Erik Erikson's Personality Theory

The first stage of Erikson's psychosocial stage is trust vs. mistrust, which is experienced, in the first year of life. Infants learn to trust in order to satisfy their needs thus developing a feeling of self-worth. When infants receive inconsistent care they

Erikson’s theory, developed in 1963, supports the idea that early life experiences impact an individual across their lifespan. This theory considers that growth of an individual is a result of interaction with the environment, biological maturation and societal influences, therefore, allowing for experiences from early life, to influence an individual throughout their lifespan. Erikson’s theory focuses on eight different developmental stages within a lifespan and in order to progress from one stage to another, an individual must overcome a potential crisis of two opposing forces at each

Dr. Whitbourne refers to the well-known psychologist Erik Erikson throughout the article. First, the author explained Erikson’s personality stages that express valid stages from the time one is born to the time they die. However, what was mainly focused on was the fifth crisis, “Identity Achievement vs. Identity Diffusion,” which described the personality deviations from the beginning of adolescence. The author affirmed that this stage is the timeframe where teens being to experience major personality changes which are mostly linked to puberty. Dr. Whitbourne, further informed readers about the causes of these changes by stating that “Teenagers experience rapid changes in body build, hormones, emotions, and cognitive abilities. Perhaps

Life Span Development involves a process of age-related changes that individuals go through beginning from birth though old age. Individuals can undergo physical, psychological, behavioral, and social changes that can impact the development of personality. According to Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory personality evolves through several stages of development (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2015). One of the benefits of having a cross-cultural perspective in regards to life span development is that it allows practitioners to see the “various cultural values, beliefs, and practices” of clients, that can change during the course of a person’s life (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2015). For practitioners, it is crucial to stay updated with relevant cultural information about the populations that they serve. Pepitone (2000) found that, in studies, comparisons that aim to support hypothesis use “convenient national samples” that do not reflect or take into account the diversity of populations, which is a limitation. Using a cross-cultural approach in human development and research can increase the representation of a population’s diversity.

Many of our temperament traits are evident at birth. However, other characteristics such as trust, guilt and competency are learned based upon our life experiences and the support we receive as we grow and develop. Based upon his research, Erikson became aware of the influence maturation and social demands have on behavior and ultimately on our development. He believed these two forces "push[ed] humans everywhere through…[a set of] eight psychosocial crises" (Sigelman, C. & Rider, E., 2009, pg.332). He organized life into eight stages that extend from birth to death.

Generativity versus self-absorption and stagnation occurs during middle age when the adult focuses on building their lives, such as finding a career and starting a family. In order for this stage to feel successful, the person will feel proud of their accomplishments at work and their relationship with their life partner. They will be happy to watch children grow and live an active life at home and in the community. I can definitely relate to this stage. I am at a stage in my life that I'm happy with my marriage, family and enjoying watching my son grow into a healthy, happy child. I am building my career for a better future with my husband and son, which is why I am in this program. I have been more physically active since my son was born because I feel the need to be healthier in order for me to be there for my family. There are things on my list that I would like to accomplish and I'm slowly fulfilling them. Sometimes when this stage is not achieved, the person might feel a sense of failure. Finding satisfaction in how a person lives their life will help give a sense of

Trust versus mistrust is Erikson’s first stage in his theory psychosocial development. It is also believed to be the most important. In this stage, infants learn whether or not they can trust the people around them, especially those they’re closest to. It occurs during the first year of life when the infant is completely dependent on its mother/caregiver. Because the infant is utterly helpless during this time, the personality is affected by the degree of love, care and dependability of the parent. If the parent attends to the child’s needs accordingly, is present and responsive, it is rational to believe that he or she will grow up feeling safe and secure

Erikson once proposed a theory that at different parts of our lives, we’re in different stages as well. It stated that at a certain age, people will be in a psychosocial dilemma, and after interviewing six different people, his theory is one that turned out to be true. The six people I choose to interview were between the ages of 6 to 67, which is a very broad spectrum, and their stages ranged from early childhood to late adulthood. They were also a few people that are very close to me in relation, and some that were not so close to me. In a way, this helped me tremendously when it came to gauging their answers, and their reactions to the questions I gave to them. Because it gave me a chance to see how these people felt about certain

The theory of psychosocial development created by Erik Erikson is perhaps one of the best known personality theories. The theory differs from many others in that it addresses development across the entire lifespan, from birth through death. At each stage, the individual deals with a conflict that serves as a turning point in development. When the conflict is resolved successfully, the person is able to develop the psychosocial quality associated with that particular stage of development (Crain, 2011).

Life is full of drastic changes, from birth all the way through adulthood there are many significant changes that occur throughout a person’s life. One of the most important changes is the period of adolescence. This is a period in which a child transitions to adulthood. During this time a person goes through changes emotionally, physically, and mentally. Teenagers try to find their own unique personality and identity. This consists of changing their appearance, personalities, and identities in order to be accepted by their peers or surrounding environment. Personalities are complex mental characteristics that are expressed through our temperament or emotions (“Process of Socialization”). Therefore, our personalities show our own beliefs, personal values, and expectations. Progressively throughout adolescence, an individual’s personality shifts due to their surroundings and their associations with others, this is seen in Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development. As studies have shown, children grow and reach certain periods of their lives where their personalities and identities shift over time in order for them to become more like an adult.

Erkison discusses the psychological stages and is better known for his life stage of human development. Erikons first stage explains Trust vs Mistrust which usually occurs from conception to a year. This is when a infant is soley dependent on their caregiver for all of their needs such as food, comfort, love, safety and nurturing. When the caretaker fails to provide those needs that is when the infant may become mistrustful, frustrated, draw away from care giver and may lack self assurance. On the other hand, caregivers who provide the love, comfort, care, who are emotionally available, consistent within the child lives. The child does strongly develop that assurance, they will feel a sense of security within the world. Failure to establish that trust with the caregiver can result

Generativity vs. Stagnation - (middle adulthood) find someway of contributing to the developement of the next generation

The first stage of Erikson’s developmental theory is trust vs. mistrust. This stage covers the entire first year of life. During this stage, the most fundamental principle of life “trust” is formed. While this bond is typically formed parentally during this year, psychologically wise it goes far beyond that. The child having this trust allows them to form the basis for a sense of identity, otherwise mistrust brings with it a

Growing up experiencing his own identity crisis and misfortunes during his childhood, Erik Homberger Erikson, a well-known psychologist, used this as an inspiration to further one’s understanding of a healthy personality and sense of self. This gave rise to his successful establishment of the theory of Psychosocial Development. Although derived from Sigmund Freud’s theory of Psychosexual Development, Erickson believed that a person’s social experiences cause a great impact on their sense of identity throughout their entire lifespan in eight different stages of development, as opposed to the five stages Freud assumed ended when a person reaches early adulthood (Cherry. 2016). Erickson theorized that a person’s ability to successfully complete a stage of development, regardless of their developmental challenges, directly affected the outcome of a healthy or unhealthy personality and sense of self. In his attempt to exceed further in understanding how a person’s social environment affects their personality and identity, Erikson’s findings became great contributions to the study of psychology.

Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development comprises eight stages that every individual should pass through, starting from the time that they are born (cite the source). At each stage, a person goes through a psychosocial crisis that can have positive or negative impacts on the development of their personality. The eight stages clarify the developmental challenges that individuals face at different times of their lives. According to Berk (2017), every person must successfully complete one stage so as to move on to the