CHILD ADO INTRO TO ERIKSON 8 CRISIS

Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Key Concepts

1. Psycho: Relating to the mind, brain, and personality.

2. Social: Focuses on external relationships and environment.

Epigenetic Principle

• Explains that personality develops through a predetermined unfolding of stages.

• Each stage builds upon the previous one, serving as a foundation for the next.

• Personality development is influenced by both early experiences and the environment.

Psychosocial Crisis

• Each stage involves a psychosocial crisis, representing two opposing emotional forces:

• Syntonic: Positive disposition (e.g., Trust).

• Dystonic: Negative disposition (e.g., Mistrust).

• Successfully resolving a crisis leads to the development of a virtue or psychosocial strength.

Outcomes of Psychosocial Stages

1. Virtue/Psychosocial Strength: Positive outcome of resolving a crisis.

2. Malignancy: Too little of the positive and too much of the negative aspect of the task (e.g., inability to trust).

3. Maladaptation: Excessive emphasis on the positive aspect, with too little of the negative (e.g., overconfidence).