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Erikson 's Theory Of Psychosocial Development Essay

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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. On June 15, 1902, Erikson was born in Frankfurt, Germany, to Karla Abrahamsen, a Jewish stockbroker, as Erik Salomonsen at birth (GoodTherapy. 2007-16). His mother married his pediatrician, Theodor Homberger, in 1905, when Erickson was about three years old (The Famous People. 2007). His last name was changed to Homberger, when his step father officially adopted him in 1911, and it

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