Erik Erikson's Theories of Psychosocial Development Regarding Aging and Development

The sixth stage is the intimacy versus isolation stage, which occurs in young adulthood. During this stage, people begin to venture into more serious and long-term relationships. If the completion of this stage is successful, a sense of commitment and safety are achieved, while if the completion of this stage is unsuccessful, a sense of isolation and loneliness can

Trust vs. Mistrust- During this stage the infant is uncertain about the world in which they

7).” The Formal Operational Stage (adolescence to adulthood): During this final stage, there is an increase in logic, deductive reasoning, and understanding in a child’s abstract ideas. Children become capable enough to develop numerous, different solutions to a problem. That said, physically seeing ‘objects’ or drawing pictures are no longer required because mental operations can be done, such as math calculations and imagining the outcomes of certain situations. Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development A German psychologist, Erik Erikson, believed that personality develops in eight separate stages and build upon each other. In each he identified critical issues we face from infancy to elderly and that our personality is influenced by the outcome of conflicts we face. Trust versus Mistrust (infancy): During this stage, the infant is unsure about the world, and look to their caregiver for care that is consistent and stabile. If the care they receive is, in fact, reliable and consistent, they will develop a sense of trust. For instance, feeding them, changing their diaper, tending to them when they cry,

Trust versus mistrust starts as a baby when they need to establish a relationship with a caregiver or teacher. The next stage is when they are potty

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

Stage five is identity versus role confusion and appears in adolescence stage of life. It was crucial for me to find my personal identity. It was something I remember struggling with because I wanted to be myself but at the same time, liked by my peers. I went through a period in school where I would copy others personality to appear well-liked and for a while I think I went though some role confusion.

Trust vs mistrust is the first stage, which takes place during infancy the first year of life. The development of trust during infancy is likely to happen for a lifelong belief that the world will be a good and amiable place to live.

Erik Erikson’s identification of the several stages of psychosocial development is a brilliant theory. He acknowledged the significance of the unconscious mind and early childhood, as well as, furthered his studies and developed his own ideas. It provides a good base of knowledge for understanding what conflicts individuals may be facing at their particular developmental levels. This involves developing a sense of trust in others, a sense of identity in society, and assisting the next generation for the future. The Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial stages of development accuracy can perhaps be demonstrated when reflected to one’s life’s span. I was surprised by the accuracy of the stages when reflected to my own, especially my current stage which is Erikson’s sixth stage (young adulthood, 20 to 39 years old) Intimacy vs Isolation. In this stage, the most important factor is intimate relationships. I can strongly relate to Erikson’s theory of this stage where he asserts, it is not the quantity, but the quality of the relationships that

Psychoanalyst Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development explains how the human identity develops and evolves in eight stages from birth to death. Each one occurs in a predetermined order; the current stage builds upon the previous one and lays the groundwork for future stages (Wikimedia). Each stage has a specific “crisis” or conflict, a turning point in the individual’s life which must be reconciled before moving on to the next. If the conflict is handled well, the individual gains “ego strength” in the form of a corresponding virtue. If the conflict is handled poorly, the individual not only fails to develop that virtue, but his/her ability to complete later stages is hindered resulting in diminished “ego quality” or

1 Describe the growth and developmental tasks that were displayed by the child you interacted with in this setting (Erikson, Piaget, and Freud). Were these tasks age appropriate? Did you assess any developmental challenges in the client that you interacted with? How were they dealt with (by you and by the health care team)?

Erik Erikson’s life span development theory, also known as the Eight Stages of Man, offers a perspective of human development through all stages of life. Erikson believed that as humans grow older, they go through eight stages of development that each present a crisis for the individual to resolve during that stage. Each crisis must be resolved before a new one can be presented. Successful resolution at each stage creates the foundation needed to build the next. This paper will discuss Erikson’s first four psychosocial stages of development; infancy, toddler, preschool, and middle childhood. Although typical development includes successfully resolving each crisis during the sensitive period and moving on the next stage of development,

Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial stages, is considered a significant concrete basis for understanding human progression and development (Arnold, 2016)

Ashley is six year old and she is in first grade. Base on Erikson’s theory, she is in stage 4 : Industry vs. Inferiority.

Erik Erickson was a man who made a huge contribution in the field of psychology. He did studies of what he came up with to be called the developmental theory. “Each stage brings a psychosocial crisis involving transitions in important social relationships” (Weiten 350). According to Erickson, every person must go through a series of eight interrelated stages over their entire life cycle. “Each stage is presented as two opposing statements representing the challenges a person faces at a particular age” (Erickson’s Eight Stages of Development 1).

The sixth stage of Erikson's theory of psychosocial development takes place during the period of early adulthood when people are exploring personal relationships. The next stage of development in my narrative is Intimacy vs. Isolation. In this stage of my life I felt like all of the above mentioned stages played a role in how I interacted with members of the opposite sex. Fortunately I have a strong sense of personal identity, which helps when trying to form an intimate relationship with another person. I am currently happily married and experiencing a secure and committed relationship.