Comparing Erikson's Life And Personal Identity

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Erikson was born in Frankfurt, Germany. His mother was from a wealthy Jewish family, she married several years earlier, but her husband disappeared within hours of the wedding. She became pregnant by another man, whose name she never revealed, and was sent by her family to Germany to give birth, to avoid the social disgrace of a child out of wedlock. She remained in Germany after the baby was born and named him Erik. His mother married his pediatrician, Erik did not know for many years that was not his biological father and grew up unsure of his name and psychological identity. He kept his surname Homburger, which was the name of his mother’s husband last name until he was at the age of 37, after then he became a United States citizen and …show more content…
Erikson considered young adulthood to be an extended stage than the previous ones that he had endured. From the end of adolescence to the age of 35, during this time, we can establish independence from our parents and Quasi-parental institution, such as college, and begin to function more autonomously as mature, responsible adults. We undertake some productive work and develop an intimate relationship, friendships, and sexual unions. In Erikson’s view, intimacy was not restricted to any sexual relationships, but also encompassed feelings of caring and commitment. These emotions could be displayed openly without resorting to self protective or defensive mechanisms and without being afraid of losing the sense of self identity. There is a way that we can merge identities with someone else’s without submerging or losing it in the process. Humans that are unable to establish intimacies in young adulthood will develop feelings of isolation. They also avoid social contacts and reject other people as often as they can, and at the same time they will become aggressive toward them; they rather be alone because they are afraid that intimacy will become a threat to their ego identity. …show more content…
If another responds appropriately to the infant’s personal needs and provides ample affection, such as love and security, the infant will develop a sense of trust, an attitude that will also characterize the child’s growth and view how far along he or she is with the others.
We learn to expect “consistency, continuity, and sameness” from other people and situations surrounding environments. Erikson stated that this expectation provides a source of self identity, and he recalled that he had formed a bond of trust with his mother. If the mother is rejecting, inattentive, or inconsistent in her behavior, the infant develops an attitude of mistrust and will become suspicious, fearful, and anxious. These things also can be acknowledged in youths and the adults at an age of maturity, they too can feel rejected. Mistrust can also occur if the mother does not display an exclusive focus on the child.
Erikson argued that a new mother who resumes a job outside the home and leaves her infant in the care of relatives or a day care center risk promoting mistrust in the child. The pattern of trust or mistrust as a dimension of personality set in infancy; the problem
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