Piaget and Erikson Theories PDF

# Erikson's Eight Stages **Farrah Zeba <[email protected]>** **Mon, Sep 16, 2024 at 12:45 AM** ## Erikson's Key Concepts: * **Psychosocial Development:** * This theory describes how individuals develop socially and emotionally over eight stages across their lifespan. * **Crisis:**...

# Erikson's Eight Stages **Farrah Zeba <[email protected]>** **Mon, Sep 16, 2024 at 12:45 AM** ## Erikson's Key Concepts: * **Psychosocial Development:** * This theory describes how individuals develop socially and emotionally over eight stages across their lifespan. * **Crisis:** * In each stage, individuals face a crisis that must be resolved to develop a healthy personality. ## Erikson's Eight Stages with Examples: 1. **Trust vs. Mistrust (0-1 year):** * **Crisis:** Infants learn whether they can trust the world to meet their basic needs. * **Example:** If a baby's caregiver responds consistently to their cries, they develop trust. If not, they may develop mistrust. 2. **Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (1-3 years):** * **Crisis:** Toddlers learn to do things for themselves or doubt their abilities. * **Example:** If toddlers are encouraged to try new skills like dressing themselves, they feel independent. Over-criticism may lead to feelings of shame or doubt. 3. **Initiative vs. Guilt (3-6 years):** * **Crisis:** Children learn to initiate activities or feel guilty about their efforts to be independent. * **Example:** A child who is allowed to play and explore freely develops initiative. If their efforts are frequently punished or criticized, they may feel guilty. 4. **Industry vs. Inferiority (6-12 years):** * **Crisis:** Children either develop a sense of competence or feel inferior. * **Example:** Children who are encouraged in school and praised for their accomplishments feel industrious. Those who struggle or are compared unfavorably to others may feel inferior. 5. **Identity vs. Role Confusion (12-18 years):** * **Crisis:** Adolescents explore their identity and develop a sense of self or become confused about their role in life. * **Example:** A teen who is encouraged to explore different roles and express themselves develops a strong identity. A lack of support or pressure to conform may lead to role confusion. 6. **Intimacy vs. Isolation (18-40 years):** * **Crisis:** Young adults form close relationships or feel socially isolated. * **Example:** A person who forms deep friendships or romantic relationships feels intimacy. If they struggle to connect with others, they may feel isolated. 7. **Generativity vs. Stagnation (40-65 years):** * **Crisis:** Adults need to feel like they are contributing to the world or they feel a lack of purpose. * **Example:** A person who raises children, mentors, or contributes to society feels generativity. If not, they may feel stagnant and unfulfilled. 8. **Integrity vs. Despair (65+ years):** * **Crisis:** Older adults reflect on their life and feel a sense of satisfaction or regret. * **Example:** Someone who feels they've lived a fulfilling life experiences integrity. A person with many regrets may feel despair. # Piaget's Key Concepts: 1. **Schemas:** A schema is a mental framework that helps organize and interpret information. * Think of a schema as a mental folder. For example, if a child learns what a "dog" is, they create a "dog folder" in their brain. This folder helps them understand and categorize different dogs they see. 2. **Assimilation and Accommodation:** * **Assimilation:** The process of fitting new information into existing schemas. Suppose a child sees a small dog, like a Chihuahua, after seeing only big dogs. They'll place the Chihuahua into their "dog folder" because it fits their existing idea of a dog. * **Accommodation:** The process of altering or creating new schemas when new information doesn't fit. If the child sees a cat, they might think it's a dog because it has four legs and fur. But after learning that the cat meows instead of barking, they'll create a new "cat folder" in their brain. This is accommodation-adjusting their understanding to fit new information. ## Piaget's Four Stages with Examples: 1. **Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years):** * **Focus:** Learning through senses and actions. * **Example:** A baby explores by putting toys in their mouth or shaking a rattle to make a sound. * **Object permanence:** Understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of sight. A baby under 8 months may think a toy that is hidden no longer exists. But by the end of this stage, they'll know the toy still exists, even if they can't see it (e.g., if you hide a toy under a blanket, they will look for it). 2. **Preoperational Stage (2-7 years):** * **Focus:** Developing symbolic thinking and using imagination. * **Example:** A 4-year-old might pretend that a broom is a horse and "ride" it around the room. * **Egocentrism:** The inability to see things from others' perspectives. Children at this stage have trouble seeing things from others' perspectives. For instance, if they are standing in front of the TV, they assume everyone can see it just as they can, not realizing they're blocking others' view. * **Conservation:** Understanding that the amount of something stays the same even if its shape changes. A child in this stage may not understand that if you pour the same amount of water from a tall, thin glass into a short, wide glass, the amount of water doesn't change. They might think the taller glass holds more water simply because it looks taller. 3. **Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years):** * **Focus:** Developing logical thinking but only about concrete, real objects. * **Example:** A 9-year-old can solve puzzles and understand math problems based on physical objects, like arranging sticks in order from shortest to longest. * **Conservation:** Understanding that changing the shape of an object doesn't change its quantity. Now, they understand that even though you change the shape of something, like water, in different glasses, the amount stays the same. * **Reversibility:** Understanding that actions can be reversed. If you ask a child in this stage, "What's 3 + 5?" and then, "What's 5 - 3?" they will understand that the operations are reversible. 4. **Formal Operational Stage (12 years and older):** * **Focus:** Thinking abstractly and solving problems with logic. * **Example:** A 14-year-old can understand hypothetical scenarios like, "What would happen if the Earth had no gravity?" They can think about possibilities that aren't directly tied to real-world experiences. * **Abstract thinking:** The ability to think about complex ideas and solve problems like algebra equations. They can solve problems like algebra, where they must think about unknowns (e.g., solving for "x" in a math equation). They can also debate complex ideas like justice, fairness, or moral dilemmas.