Erik Erikson

• Born in Germany 1902

• Never knew his father

• Was bullied at school for being a Jew and in Synagogue for having blond hair & blue eyes

• Met Anna Freud (Sigmund Freud’s daughter) and studied under her

• Studied child psychoanalysis under her in Vienna

• Married an American and fled to US just before WWII

• Continued to study cultures in America-Harvard students, boston children at [lay Native Americans

• Died in 1994

• Created his theory in the 1950’s-1960’s

• His focus- ego identity- conscious sense of self we develop through social interaction

• Development as a LIFESPAN, based upon family, culture, and society

• Resolution of the crisis-development of ego strength

  • Everyone’s gonna have the same crisis, and we have to solve that crisis to achieve ego strength

• There are eight stages and at each you will face a crisis that needs resolution

• All of us face the same crises

  • Some of them happen when we’re really young and sometimes we don’t remember them

• If you are able to resolve the crisis at each stage of development, you will have a sense of competence and a healthy personality

• If you are not able to resolve the crisis at each stage, it leads to feelings of inadequacy

• You are able to resolve the crisis from an earlier stage at a later stage and grow from it

Eight Stages 

You cannot achieve the virtue of the next stage until you’ve gotten the one before it (according to Erikson)

1. Trust vs. Mistrust

   1. The crisis that happens when we are infants (ages 0-1)

   2. The most critical

   3. Trust or mistrust they carry

   4. Things babies need

      1. Food

      2. Need to be changed

      3. comfort/love

      4. Touch

   5. Adults are supposed to do that

   6. There are ways this could not happen

   7. 1. Orphan (love, touch, comfort are not guaranteed and you may never trust)

   8. 2. Neglectful parents

   9. 3. Very hard to prevent

      1. Anxiety parents

         1. 1st child

         2. Child is ill

         3. Parents do everything right but they have anxiety

         4. Children absorb the anxiety and they believe they’re not safe

            1. So mistrust can happen even with the best parents

   10. Virtue created: hope, hope of always getting trust

2. Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt

   1. Ages 1-3

   2. Toddlers begin to control their bodies (toilet training)

   3. They wanna dress themselves

   4. Big word is “NO”

   5. If they don’t get to do what they want, they’re gonna throw a temper tantrum

   6. Can they learn control or will they doubt themselves

   7. If a parent yells at the kids, all the kids can feel is guilt and shame

   8. Can they learn control or will they doubt themselves?

   9. The “me do it” stage

   10. Virtue created: will

3. Initiative vs, Guilt

   1. Ages 3-5 (preschool)

   2. When kids don’t need control, but want to know why

   3. No → why

   4. Is their curiosity encouraged or scolded?

   5. We want to encourage this

   6. If they are stifled at that point, they will likely not ask questions in school

   7. Are they going to learn problem solving?

   8. Virtue created: purpose

4. Industry vs. Inferiority

   1. One of the most important stages you will remember

   2. Ages 5-12

   3. School begins

   4. We are evaluated by a formal system and our peers for the first time

   5. Do we feel good or bad about our accomplishments?

   6. Can lead us to feeling bad about ourselves for the rest of our lives… inferiority complex

   7. Gifted tests

   8. What am I good at? What am I not good at? (they do not teach what you can improve upon)

   9. Virtue created: competency

      1. You have industry, you feel competence

5. Identity vs. Role Confusion

   1. In Erikson’s time, it was 12-18 cuz you would be an adult at 18

   2. Today, the age range can be 12-14 to 25

   3. You figure out who you are, figuring out different roles

   4. It’s who you really are, not what others need you to be

   5. If you don’t, you may (will?) develop an identity crisis

   6. Virtue created: fidelity

      1. You know who you are, and you do not change for other people. You change because you want to change, not because others need you to.

6. Intimacy vs. Isolation

   1. Have to balance work and relationships

   2. Erikson said from 18-40

   3. Now it’s approx. 23-45

   4. Erikson believes it is VITAL that people develop close committed relationships with other people

   5. The most important stage as far as Erikson is concerned

   6. You cannot do this unless you know who you are and the person you’re with knows who they are

      1. Emotional intimacy is hard

   7. The exception is if you find out who you are with someone

      1. You have to be growing together, one person can not be in love with who you used to be

   8. Virtue created: love

7. Generativity vs. Stagnation

   1. Ages 40-65 ish

   2. Is everything going as planned?

   3. Am I happy with what I created?

   4. Mid-life crisis!!

   5. The sandwich generation

      1. Sandwiched between their children and parents

   6. Virtue created: care

8. Integrity vs. Despair

   1. Look back on life

   2. Was my life meaningful or do I have regret

   3. Virtue created: Wisdom

Erison focuses on culture and society- certain cultures may resolve the different stages in different ways based on their cultural and survival needs

• Possibly may not occur in every culture everywhere around the world, we don’t know that for sure

• The theory is discontinuous

• Nurture