Erikson’s Psychological Theory and Personal Experience

Erikson’s Psychological Theory and Personal Experience

The current paper aims to present Erikson’s psychological theory and to reflect on it. Moreover, personal experiences’ examples will be presented and discussed in light of the theory. Concerning an outline, the work consists of the following parts: a brief overview of Erikson’s biography, a presentation of the theory, and a reflection on it, a description of the personal experience in terms of Erikson’s theory.

To begin with, it is crucial to present Erik Erikson and his theory briefly. Erikson was born in Germany in 1902, however, he lived his whole life in the United States (died in 1994). He was a psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist and became widely known for his theory on the psychological development of human beings (Erikson’s 8 Stages, para. 1). It is interesting to note that his theory was influenced by psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, whose works Erikson respected. Erikson’s theory focused on psychosocial development instead of psychosexual development, which was brought up by Freud (Cherry, 2020, para. 1). However, the origin and the essence of the theory have many references to Freudian philosophy.

Concerning what is the theory, Erikson sees adequate personality development through a series of stages. These stages demonstrate the influence and the meaning of social experience during personality development and formation (Degges-White, 2017, para. 1). The psychoanalyst focuses on the role of social connections and relationships in the development of people. According to the theory, there are eight different stages, each of which is tightly connected with the previous and affects the subsequent. Every person, while in the development process, passes through each of the eight abovementioned stages and faces a particular conflict that he or she needs to resolve to proceed to the next level successfully. Experiencing each of these conflicts is an essential stage of the development of human beings. As Erikson states, going through the stages allows a person to acquire a psychological skill or fail to do so. These skills are vital for personal mental strength, stable self-esteem, and strong self-identity (Cherry, 2020, para. 6). Below the eight stages of development will be presented and discussed.

The first stage, “Trust vs. mistrust”, takes place between birth and one year of age, and it is fundamental for the whole future development of a person. During this stage, babies learn to trust their parents who provide them with food, attention, safety, and interaction. It is vital for babies to develop trust skills at this stage to be able to see the world adequately. In the second stage, “Autonomy vs. shame and doubt”, which occurs between the first and third years of life, toddlers develop their early independent skills by learning dressing, feeding, and making necessary decisions. This period is vitally important, as children learn to be self-confident. The third stage, “Initiative vs. guilt”, takes place between three and five years of age. Children learn about the world and discover their place in it. Moreover, they gain social skills that define their future and self-confidence in taking the initiative.

At the fourth stage, “Industry vs. inferiority”, which occurs in middle childhood (from 6 to 12 years), children learn to be outside of home – at school. At this stage, they position themselves in the world and become self-confident by gaining different competencies. The next stage, “Identity vs. identity confusion”, refers to the adolescence period (13-18 years old) when teenagers explore numerous roles. They learn how to integrate different selves in the overall life: being a child, a school student, a friend, an employee. A young person’s identity needs to be formed to avoid a problem of confusion in these roles. The sixth stage addresses in the theory called “Intimacy vs. isolation” and refers to early adulthood (19-39 years old). In this period, people learn to form intimate relationships and to share their lives with others. Success in establishing this kind of relationship depends on how the previous stages of development were completed. When people fail to have intimate relations during this period, it leads to isolation.

The seventh stage, according to Erikson, is “Generativity vs. stagnation” (40-65 years old). In middle adulthood, people tend to share their lives’ experiences and lessons with others. It can be done in numerous ways: raising children or grandchildren, building communities, enhancing professional knowledge. The stage is vital, and a lack of sharing leads to stagnation. The last stage of a person’s development is “Integrity vs. despair” (from 66 years old onwards). During