Comprehensive Study Notes on Eric Erickson's Psychosocial Theory of Development

Eric Erickson is recognized as one of the foremost researchers in the area of developmental theory.
His theory is known as a psychosocial theory as it relates to human development.
Erickson's eight stages of development are universally accepted and hailed for their high level of credibility.

Erickson proposed a total of $8$ stages of development.
A stage is defined as a period of life characterized by a specific underlying organization.
This is categorized as a "step or stage theory."
Comparison with other stage theorists:
- Jean Piaget identified $4$ stages of development.
- Sigmund Freud also utilized stages of development in his theories.
Stages represent periods of time that possess their own unique psychological, physiological, and social-emotional factors.
The Epigenetic Principle:
- This principle states that as an individual grows older, these developmental stages naturally occur.
- Biological growth dictates differences in the person at various ages, such as at $3$ , $12$ , and $17$ years old.
The Re-emergence of Themes: Themes from earlier stages may re-emerge at any point in a person's life. Successfully passing through a stage does not mean the issues are gone forever; for example, trust issues may persist long after the first couple of years of life.

Duration of Development:
- Freud believed that developmental stages were essentially complete by the time a child was approximately $6$ or $7$ years old, with those experiences simply playing out for the rest of existence.
- Erikson believed that developmental stages lasted throughout the entire lifespan.
Social Focus:
- Ericsson differs from Freud primarily in the social aspects of development and the emphasis placed on the importance of interpersonal relationships.

Definition: A psychosocial crisis is a state of tension resulting from a discrepancy between a person's competencies at the beginning of a stage and the expectations society has for that person.
Societal Expectations: Society has specific expectations for individuals at different ages, such as a $4$ year old, a $6$ year old, or a $13$ year old.
Nature of the Crisis:
- It is not a life-threatening or "Oh my God, I'm dying" type of event.
- It is a tension that exists because an individual cannot initially live up to societal expectations at the start of a stage.
Resolution and Competencies:
- The tension must be resolved for social capabilities to be produced.
- Resolution allows the person to perform in a way society expects, providing them with the competencies necessary to move on through life.
Integration and Ratio:
- Most people experience both positive and negative elements of a stage's continuum (e.g., trust and mistrust).
- The goal is not to experience only the positive, but to achieve a healthy integration or ratio between the two.
- Example: In Trust versus Mistrust, one wants to have more trust so they believe people will follow through, but must retain a small amount of mistrust as a backup to recognize when someone might not be trustworthy.
Evolutionary Context: Adaptation and survival are critical to ensuring genes are passed from one generation to the next, and these crises contribute to a person's ability to adapt.

Coping is a literal requirement for all individuals dealing with stressful events in life, such as university assignments, relationship issues, work, or school.
Example of Stressor: Stress at a university can be based on something as simple as trying to find a parking place.
Emotions of Stress: Stress is often associated with emotions such as anxiety, depression, or anger.
The Appraisal Process: Coping begins with an appraisal which involves asking four key questions:
- What is the nature of the stressor?
- How much of a threat is the stressor?
- How much time is available to deal with this challenge?
- How much control does the individual have over the situation?

These are positive resolutions of psychosocial crises.
Definition: These are human characteristics and mental states that shape the interpretation of life experience and are highly beneficial to a person.
Importance of Social Relationships: A key part of this approach is the existence of meaningful social relationships, which are described as being "bidirectional."
- Bidirectional means: "I am reacting to you and you are reacting to me; we are both responding to each other."
Benefits: These qualities foster resilience (the ability to bounce back from adversity) and help in making decisions when facing social demands.
List of Prime Adaptive Ego Qualities:
- Hope
- Will
- Purpose
- Competence
- Fidelity to others
- Fidelity to values
- Love
- Care
- Wisdom
- Confidence

These result from an ineffective or negatively balanced resolution of a psychosocial crisis (e.g., ending up with more mistrust than trust or more guilt than initiative).
Impact on Social Networks: Instead of moving toward others, individuals with core pathologies move away from others.
Consequences:
- Obstructs the ability to explore interpersonal relationships.
- Obstructs the ability to resolve future psychosocial crises.
- Energies are directed toward resisting change.
- Results in states like being withdrawn, compulsive, inhibited, or full of self-doubt instead of self-assurance.
List of Core Pathologies:
- Withdrawal
- Compulsion
- Inhibition
- Inertia
- Dissociation
- Repudiation
- Exclusivity
- Rejectivity
- Disdain
- Diffidence

Positive Way: Leads toward growth and the development of prime adaptive ego qualities. These characteristics are proven to be beneficial for a successful, meaningful, and purposeful life and develop future capabilities.
Negative Way: Results in the introduction of destructive forces, the development of core pathologies, and the restriction of future development.