Erik Erikson Essay

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Erik Erikson

Erik Erikson was a German born American developmental psychologist. Erikson is the father of the famous phrase “Identity Crisis”. He also comes up with a theory on psychosocial development of human being. He believed all human being personality is shape by the experience they have throughout their childhood and adulthood. Some of this experience can either be positive or negative. These experiences and challenges that we go throughout in our childhood help us to grow; and then be able to deal with our childhood line. In his theory he develop eight stages we go through. The first five are from when we are born to our early adulthood; the last three stages cover adulthood to when we are old. Erikson believed everyone goes through these eight stages. They might change a little depending on the culture or society we live in. Each stage builds on the proceeding stage, so each one pave the way for the next stage. In each stage a person goes through a psychosocial crisis, these crisis is made worse sometime by the demand that is place on a person by let say their parents, friends, society as a whale. Each crisis in the different should be resolve so the development can continue correctly. The result obtain in one crisis is not permanent; it can later be change, in a different experience. So let say if from one of the psychosocial crisis an individual goes through the outcome is negative. In a later experience or crisis it could change with a positive outcome. Our personality is made up of the different stages we go through. Some of these traits or experience are either good or bad. Erikson theory states that a person personality can be considered good. If most of the outcome of the different stages that person goes through are positive or negative. Erikson theory also states that every person when they go throughout a crisis stage and the outcome was positive come out with a virtue. That is an inner strength, or you can also call it a good quality, feature or trail an example of a virtue is becoming patient: tolerant. These basic virtue that you acquire, can be used to resolve subsequent crisis. When you aren’t able to successfully complete a stage, these reduced your ability to complete further stages; and your personality of self is very unhealthy. However you can resolve some of this issue at a later stage.

Now we will take a look at Erikson light crisis stage and the virtue that may be acquire:
1. Trust vs. Mistrust: This stage cover the period of infancy 0-1 year of age. This stage cover the most important time period of a person. This stage is the base in a child. Character, it is a very crucial stage, but the only problem is that this stage in the hand of the person taken care of the child, let it be the mother or any caregiver. If the child feels secure, this baby will develop a sense of trust and the virtue it develops is hope. On the other hard if the opposite occurs, and the child have a caregiver that is inconsistent and feel rejected, this child will have the feeling of mistrust.

2. Autonomy vs. Shame: This stage occur in early childhood from age 1-3 year old. In this stage the child must learn self control, learn to walk, he fall and then must get over his fear and get up again. The baby must function, and toilet train. If the child goes throughout this stage without a traumatic impact like being laugh at, if he or she goes on himself, or for changing clothes that aren’t proper. Will have completed this stage successfully and will feel secure and confident. And will have developed the virtue of will. This child will have a strong will power and self-control. If the outcome was negative this child will be insecure, impulsive, and will have the feeling of inadequacy.

3. Initiative vs. Guilt: This stage cover 3 to 6 years of age. This is the stage in which a child starts to explore. He will start making his own decision, on what
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