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- Herausgeber: GRIN Verlag
- Sprache: Englisch
Scientific Essay from the year 2005 in the subject Psychology - Developmental Psychology, grade: 1,0, University of Kassel, language: English, abstract: Erik H. Erikson (1902 – 1994) is without a doubt one of the most outstanding psychoanalysts of the last century. The native Dane and later US-American further developed the psychosocial aspects and the developmental phases of adulthood in Sigmund Freud’s stage theory. It is Erikson’s basic assumption that in the course of a lifetime, the human being goes through eight developmental phases, which are laid out in an internal development plan. On each level, it is required to solve the relevant crisis, embodied by the integration of opposite poles presenting the development tasks, the successful handling of which is in turn of importance for the following phases. The term crisis does not have a negative connotation for Erikson, but rather is seen as a state, which through constructive resolution leads to further development, which is being integrated and internalized into the own self-image. "Each (component) comes to its ascendance, meets its crisis, and finds its lasting solution (...) toward the end of the stages mentioned. All of them exist in the beginning in some form." Hence, the human development is a process alternating between levels, crises, and the new balance in order to reach increasingly mature stages. In detail, Erikson studied the possibilities of an individual’s advancement and the affective powers that allow it to act. This becomes particularly obvious in the eight psychosocial phases, which now should be the focus of this paper. This demonstrates that Erikson did see development as above all: a lifelong process.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014
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Stages of Psychosocial Development
According to Erik H. Erikson
1. Introduction
2. Stages of Psychosocial Development
2.1 Basic trust vs. basic mistrust
2.2 Autonomy vs. shame and doubt
2.3 Initiative vs. guilt
2.4 Industry vs. inferiority
2.5 Identity vs. role confusion
2.6 Intimacy and dissociation from self-centeredness
2.7 Generativity vs. Stagnation
2.8 Integrity vs. Despair and Disgust
3. Epigenetic Diagram of a System of Stages
3.1 Commentary
4. Conclusion
5. Literature
1. Introduction
Erik H. Erikson (1902 – 1994) is without a doubt one of the most outstanding psychoanalysts of the last century. The native Dane and later US-American further developed the psychosocial aspects and the developmental phases of adulthood in Sigmund Freud’s stage theory.
It is Erikson’s basic assumption that in the course of a lifetime, the human being goes through eight developmental phases, which are laid out in an internal development plan.
On each level, it is required to solve the relevant crisis, embodied by the integration of opposite poles presenting the development tasks, the successful handling of which is in turn of importance for the following phases.
The term crisis does not have a negative connotation for Erikson, but rather is seen as a state, which through constructive resolution leads to further development, which is being integrated and internalized into the own self-image.
"Each (component) comes to its ascendance, meets its crisis, and finds its lasting solution (...) toward the end of the stages mentioned. All of them exist in the beginning in some form."[1]
Hence, the human development is a process alternating between levels, crises, and the new balance in order to reach increasingly mature stages.
In detail, Erikson studied the possibilities of an individual’s advancement and the affective powers that allow it to act. This becomes particularly obvious in the eight psychosocial phases, which now should be the focus of this paper. This demonstrates that Erikson did see development as above all: a lifelong process.
2. Stages of Psychosocial Development
2.1 Basic trust vs. basic mistrust
In this phase of life, the state of the child is characterized by the trauma of birth. All of a sudden, the child is ripped out of the familiar environment and the bond with the mother is redefined.
The sense of basic trust, defined as "an essential trustfulness"[2], develops during this first phase of life, the first year of life, during the so-called oral stage[3] (Freud), and is, so Erikson, "the cornerstone of a vital personality"[4].
The child learns the simplest and the earliest modality: to "get", not in its negative sense of unsolicited or forcible taking, but in that of accepting what is given[5].
The social reference person is the mother, who through offering the breast not only meets the child’s elementary basic needs, like eating, but hereby also provides oral satisfaction. She takes on the role of provider the child can rely on.
The trust is not just depleted in the person of the mother, but according to Erikson it also refers to the infant himself. "By ″trust″ I mean an essential trustfulness of others as well as a fundamental sense of one’s own trustworthiness"[6].
"This forms the very basis in the child for a component of the sense of identity which will later combine a sense of being “alright”, of being oneself …"[7]
This basic trust in oneself and others forms the basis for any later development and consequently is not a stage that has to be overcome, but is something that will always remain and resonate subliminally.
In the second half of the first year of life, according to Erikson, a first crisis does occur.
This crisis appears to consist of the coincidence in time of three developments:
On one part of the physiological, namely that the infant experiences the growing need to absorb, appropriate, and observe things, on the other part of a psychological development, namely the growing realization of being an individual. The third development is dependent on the environment, as evidently the mother seems to turn away from the child and to focus on other activities.
The child can possibly interpret this turning away as a withdrawal of motherly love.
If a child does not overcome this conflict, and the negative experiences dominate, so according to Erikson, this leads to "(…) acute infantile depression (Spitz, 1945) or to a mild but chronic state of mourning which may give a depressive undertone to the remainder of one’s life."[8]
Instead of basic trust, the infant develops basic mistrust.
For this reason, it is important to uphold and strengthen a child’s basic trust during this stage, which is connected with increasingly frequent impressions of deceit, separation, and of being abandoned.
The basic attitude that is generated during this first stage of life has an impact on a person’s entire life.
If basic trust was built, there is a predominantly optimistic attitude towards other people. If this basic trust is lacking, there is the risk of developing a general basic mistrust, not just towards the world, but also towards oneself. A severely damaged basic trust, or one that is not formed in the first place, can lead to psychic disorders like depression.
The positive experiences, such as feelings of security, warmth, dependability, attentiveness, and devotion should outweigh negative experiences and frustration, such as having to wait for the satisfaction of needs, disappointment, solitude, disregard, or physical pain.
Naturally, frustration cannot be avoided completely in childhood.
According to Erikson it is important, however, that not only positive experiences predominate in order to develop a sense of trust, but that the sum of trust that a child takes away from these early experiences does not absolutely depend on the quantity, but rather the quality of the mother-child-relationship. "Mothers create a sense of trust in their children by that kind of administration which in its quality combines sensitive care of the baby’s individual needs and a firm sense of trustworthiness (…)."[9]
Hence, success is rather dependent on the fulfillment of motherly functions within the respective cultural environment and set of values, like knowledge, religion, etc., and not on the quantity of produced motherly love.
So this is the beginning – the coming together of an infant, a pair of parents, and a society, in an act of faith and trust.
2.2 Autonomy vs. shame and doubt
