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Erikson 's Theory Of Psychosocial Development

Decent Essays

My Reflection of Erikson Erik Erikson was a developmental psychologist known for his theory of psychosocial development. Unlike other theorists of his time Erikson’s theory focused on human development across the lifespan from birth to late adulthood. Erikson believed that development change occurs throughout our lives in eight distinctive stages that emerge in a fixed pattern and are similar for all people. Erikson argued that each stage presents a crisis or conflict which results in either a positive or negative outcome (Feldman p.16). In this essay I will identify incidents in my own life that demonstrate each stage of development according to Erikson that I have lived through. I will also interview my Aunt Tami, who will share her experiences for the remainder of the stages of Erikson’s development that I have not gone through thus far. Erikson’s first stage of development is the Trust versus Mistrust stage that occurs from birth till 18 months of life. According to Erikson this is the period in which infants develop a sense of trust or mistrust, depending largely on how well their caregivers meet their needs (Feldman p. 187). During this stage of my life I was being taken care of by both Mom and Dad, but primarily by Mom. My Mom was a stay at home parent while my Dad worked. Both my parents went above and beyond to make sure I had everything I needed food, shelter, clothes and most importantly love and affection. Through my positive experience in this stage I developed

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