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I’m sure you’ve heard the
term “Identity Crisis” before. It’s thought of as a
conflict of self and society and its introduction came
from one of the most famous psychoanalyst of the 20th
century.
Sigmund Freud is probably
the most familiar name that comes to mind when one thinks
of famous psychologists. His basic foundation theories of
instinct, phallic symbol obsession and oedipal complexes
are prevalent in almost every artistic aspect of our
culture. However, it was a friend and fellow psychoanalyst
of Freud’s, Erik Erickson, who created one of the major
theories that open a window to the development of
everything that makes us who we are on the inside. It is
referred to as Erickson’s Theory of Human Development
and it simplifies the complex topic of human personality.
First, let’s talk about
the man himself. Erik Homberger was born in Frankfurt,
Germany in 1902. The conditions under which he began life
give a great deal of insight into his obsession with
identity. He was challenged with it from the stat. His
parents weren’t married and his Danish father left
before Erik was born. His Jewish mother married Erik’s
pediatrician when he was three. Erik had Nordic features;
he was tall, blond and had blue eyes. Neither the Jewish
children at temple nor the German children at school
accepted him.
As he grew up, psychology
and art began to interest Erik and led him to various
institutes including one where he was psychoanalyzed by
Anna Freud, wife of Sigmund. Both later became close
friends to Erickson. When the Nazis came to power, Erik
moved to Boston where he studied child psychoanalysis and
was influenced by many psychologists and anthropologists
Mead, but many famous psychologists and anthropologists.
He is considered a Freudian
ego-psychologist, meaning he takes the basic foundation of
Freud’s theories, but veers away by focus on social and
cultural orientation. Erickson’s theory closely ties
personality growth with parental and societal values. His
1950 book, Childhood and Society, is considered a classic
in its field.
There are eight stages of
human development, each focusing on a different conflict
that we need to solve in order to development successfully
into the next stage of our lives. The idea is that if we
don’t resolve each stage or we choose the wrong of two
choices, our ability to deal with the consecutive stages
is impaired and the failure will return to us at some
point later in life.
Stage One: Oral Sensory
Ages: Birth To 12-18 Months
Conflict: Trust vs Mistrust
The infant’s bond with their primary caregiver is about
trust and love. The connection with that person (usually
Mommy) allows them to feel like they are safe and can rely
on the person who is basically the only thing they know.
It’s about touch and being there and can be seen in that
tender stare they give you as you feed them.
Stage Two: Muscular Anal
Ages: 18 Months To 3 Years
Conflict: Autonomy vs Doubt
This stage focuses on self control and self confidence and
Erickson gives toilet training as the greatest example of
this conflict. He also points out that this is the stage
where an overprotective parent can do the most damage. The
child wants autonomy. We’re all familiar with the two
hour wait because they have to tie their own shoes. We
wait because in this stage, failure to reinforce these
efforts will lead the child to doubt themselves and your
trust in them.
Stage Three: Locomotor
Ages: 3 To 6 Years
Conflict: Initiative vs Guilt
This is all about independence and letting the child exert
his/her initiative. This is the stage where carrying your
car keys or helping Mommy in any way possible is very
important. They are developing a sense of responsibility
and limitations. They will try to do things they can’t
and the response the parent gives them, encouragement or
refusal, will allow the child to understand limitations
without guilt.
Stage Four: Latency
Ages: 6 To 12 Years
Conflict: Industry vs Inferiority
This is about completion. Before this stage, we’re all
familiar with the child beginning to do something, but
then snap; he drops it and is on to something else. In
this stage, completion and the pleasure it brings becomes
crucial. This is greatly influenced by their introduction
to school beyond day care. It is the coming together of
mental and physical capabilities as well. Parents need to
encourage their child to handle the different experiences
of a home atmosphere and the atmosphere at school among
others.
Stage Five: Adolescence
Ages: 12 To 18 Years
Conflict: Identity vs Role Confusion
This stage could be a book in itself; the teenage years.
They are hard on everyone, but especially the child
herself. They are aware that they will become a
contributor to society (industry) and the search for who
they are drives their actions and thoughts. The desire to
know what it is they want and believe separate from what
they’ve adopted from their parents is crucial to their
self confidence.
Stage Six: Young Adulthood
Ages: 19 To 40 Years
Conflict: Psychosocial Development
Love relationships dominate this stage for all of us and
relies heavily on our ability to solve the conflicts faced
in stage five. Can you be intimate? Can you be open? Can
you commit? Intimacy is referred to as the ability to make
a personal commitment and doesn’t necessarily mean sex.
Personal commitment, met with mutual satisfaction, make
this a successful stage. If unable to handle this stage,
an adult will resort to isolation.
Stage Seven: Middle
Adulthood
Ages: 40 To 65 Years
Conflict: Generativity vs Stagnation
The words are getting bigger, but stay with me.
Generativity is our ability to care for someone else which
is mostly displayed in parenting. Specifically, it’s the
ability to direct someone into society and the next
generation. We don’t focus on death, but we begin to
understand that we are high in the order of society and
owe society something. If we haven’t dealt with our
previous conflicts, we become stagnant and our lives
won’t exhibit anything we can look back on.
Stage Eight: Maturity
Ages: 65 to Death
Conflict: Ego Integrity vs Despair
This is when we begin to reflect on our lives, accepting
it for what it was. If we have done well in previous
stages, especially stage seven, we can feel a sense of
fulfillment and accept death as an unavoidable reality
with dignity. If we haven’t done well, we can be filled
with regret, despair over the time running out and fear of
death.
When you read through the
stages, it’s impossible not to identify them as you’ve
experienced them or as you see your children experiencing
them. However, Erickson’s theory is not without critics.
Many say that it is too focused on infancy and childhood
and isn’t very helpful for later in life. Others say it
really applies to boys and not girls using Erickson’s
belief (Freudian) that boys and girls naturally develop
different personalities.
In general, Erickson’s
Theory of Human Development is widely accepted and plays a
major role in all human and psychological development
studies and theories. The best advice is to use the theory
as a framework or map for understanding and identifying
what issues/conflicts unresolved lead to current behavior
and preparing for the stages to come.
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About
The Author
Angela
Winters is a freelance writer, journalist
and national bestselling author of over
twelve novels and short stories. |
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