Erikson's psychosocial development

1. Erikson’s Psychosocial
Development
By
Sharath N

2. Erik Erikson: The Father of Psychosocial Development
“Children love and want to be loved and they
very much prefer the joy of accomplishment to
the triumph of hateful failure. Do not mistake a
child for his symptom”
-Erik Erikson

3. Erik Erikson has made a contribution to the field of psychology with his developmental theory.
He can be compared to Sigmund Freud in that he claimed that humans develop in stages.
Erikson developed eight psychosocial stages in which humans develop through throughout
their entire life span.Erik Homberger Erikson was born in 1902 near Frankfort, Germany to
Danish parents. Erik studied art and a variety of languages during his school years, rather than
science courses such as biology and chemistry. He did not prefer the atmosphere that formal
schooling produced, so instead of going to college he traveled around Europe, keeping a diary
of his experiences. After a year of doing this, he returned to Germany and enrolled in art
school. After several years, Erikson began to teach art and other subjects to children of
Americans who had come to Vienna for Freudian training. He was then admitted into the
Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute. In 1933 he came to the U.S. and became Boston's first child
analyst and obtained a position at the Harvard Medical School. Later on, he also held
positions at institutions including Yale, Berkeley, and the Menninger Foundation. Erikson then
returned to California to the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Palo Alto
and later the Mount Zion Hospital in San Francisco, where he was a clinician and psychiatric
consultant.
Erikson's interests were spread over a wide area. He studied combat crises in troubled
American soldiers in World War II, child-rearing practices among the Sioux in South Dakota
and the Yurok along the Pacific Coast, the play of disturbed and normal children, the
conversations of troubled adolescents suffering identity crises, and social behavior in India.
Erikson was also constantly concerned with the rapid social changes in America and wrote
about issues such as the generation gap, racial tensions, juvenile delinquency, changing sexual
roles, and the dangers of nuclear war.

4. Objectives:
•Describe the eight stages of Erikson’s Theory of
Development,
•Differentiate the psychosocial crisis in different life
stages and;
•Value the importance of the virtue and
maladaptation/malignancy in every stages of psycho-
social development.

5. Life stages
•Psychosocial crisis
•Relationships/issues
•Basic virtue
•Maladaoptation/malignancy

6. Erikson’s Psychosocial Development
Age
(Years)
Stage Psychosocial
Crisis
Psychosocial
Strength
Environmental
Influence
1 Infancy Trust vs.
Mistrust
Hope Maternal
2-3 Early childhood Autonomy vs.
Shame and
Doubt
Willpower Both parents or
adult substitutes
3-6 Preschool Initiative vs.
Guilt
Purpose Parents, family
and friends
6-11 Middle Childhood Industry vs.
Inferiority
Competence School
12-18 Adolescence Identity vs. Role
confusion
Fidelity Peers
18-40 Young adulthood Intimacy vs.
Isolation
Love Spouse, lover,
friends
35-65 Middle adulthood Generativity vs.
Stagnation
Care Family, society
Over 65 Old age Integrity vs.
Despair
Wisdom All humans

7. Stage 1. Infancy
Birth to 18
months

8. Psychosocial crisis:
Trust Vs. Mistrust
Relationships:
Mother
Issues:
Feeding and being comforted
teething,sleeping
Basic virtue:
Hope and Drive
Maladaptation:
Sensory maladjustment
Malignancy:
Withdrawal

10. Stage 2. Early chilhood
18 months to
3 year

11. Psychosocial crisis:
Autonomy Vs.shame and Doubt
Relationships:
Parents
Issues:
Bodily functions, toilet training,
muscular control, walking, toilet training
Basic virtue:
Willpower and self-control
Maladaptation:
Impulsivity
Malignancy:
Compulsion

13. Stage 3 . preschool
3 to 6 years

14. Psychosocial crisis:
Initiative Vs. guilt
Relationships:
Family
Issues:
Exploration and discovery,
adventure and play
Basic virtue:
Purpose and Direction
Maladaptation:
ruthlessness
Malignancy:
inhibition

16. Stages 4. School Age
6 to 11 years

17. Psychosocial crisis:
Industry Vs. inferiority
Relationships:
School,teachers,friends,neighbourhood
Issues:
Achievement and accomplishment
Basic virtue:
Competence and method
Maladaptation:
Narrow Virtuosity
Malignancy:
Inertia

19. Stages 5. Adolescence
12 to 18 years

20. Psychosocial crisis:
Industry Vs. Role confusion
Relationships:
Peers, group,influences
Issues:
Resolving identity and
direction,becoming a grown-up
Basic virtue:
Fidelity and Devotion
Maladaptation:
Fanaticism
Malignancy:
Repudiation

22. 19 to 40 years
Stages 6.Young Adulthood

23. Psychosocial crisis:
Intimacy Vs.isolation
Relationships:
Lovers,Friends,Work connections
Issues:
Intimate relationshios, work and
social life
Basic virtue:
Lover and Affiliation
Maladaptation:
Promiscuity
Malignancy:
Exclusivitty

25. Stages 7.Middle Adulthood
40 to 65years

26. Psychosocial crisis:
Generativity Vs.Stagnation
Relationships:
Children, Community
Issues:
‘Giving back’ helping contributing
Basic virtue:
Care and Production
Maladaptation:
Overextension
Malignancy:
Rejectivity

28. Stages 8. Old age
Over 65years

29. Psychosocial crisis:
Ego integrity Vs.Despair
Relationships:
Society, The world
Issues:
Meaning and purpose,life
achivements
Basic virtue:
Wisdom and Renunciation
Maladaptation:
Presumption
Malignancy:
Disdain

31. Erik Erikson’s Eight Stages of Human Development
1 - Trust vs. mistrust
2 - Autonomy vs. shame and doubt
3 - Initiative vs. guilt
4 - Industry vs. inferiority
5 - Identity vs. identity confusion
6 - Intimacy vs. isolation
7 - Generativity vs. stagnation
8 - Integrity vs. despair