Theories of Personality - Ch 6 Erik Erikson - Kean University Fall 2023 PDF

Theories of Personality Kean University Fall 2023 Tuesday October 31 1. Test 2 not graded yet 2. Today: a. Chapter 6: Erik Erikson: Identity Theory 3. Next class = Tuesday November 7 a. Election Day - University closed Introduction ● ● ● ● ● Erik Erikson’s books were bestsellers, and his pict...

Theories of Personality Kean University Fall 2023 Tuesday October 31 1. Test 2 not graded yet 2. Today: a. Chapter 6: Erik Erikson: Identity Theory 3. Next class = Tuesday November 7 a. Election Day - University closed Introduction ● ● ● ● ● Erik Erikson’s books were bestsellers, and his picture appeared on the covers of Newsweek and the New York Times Magazine, unusual recognition for a personality theorist. He achieved this high level of prominence without ever earning a university degree in any subject. Publicly defined himself as a loyal ____ His theory is viewed as an ____ of Freud’s Psychosexual Stages Erikson extended Freud’s theory in three ways: ○ 1. He elaborated on Freud’s stages of development, suggesting that personality continues to develop over the ____. ○ 2. He placed greater emphasis on the ____ than on the id. In Erikson’s view, the ego is an ____ part of the personality. It is not dependent on or subservient to the id, as Freud had said. ○ 3. He recognized the impact on personality of ____ and ____ forces. He argued that we are not governed entirely by biological factors. Although they are important, they do not provide a complete explanation of personality. The Life of Erikson (1902–1994) ● Born in Frankfurt, Germany ● Erikson experienced multiple “____” growing up ● ____ = ○ From a Jewish family; Lived in Denmark ○ When she was pregnant with him, she was sent to Germany to give birth in order to avoid the “social disgrace” of having a child out of wedlock. ○ Stayed and remarried in Germany ○ Erikson grew up thinking this man was his father ○ Identity Crisis #1: Despite his pleading for years, his mother never told him who his ____ was. The Life of Erikson (1902–1994) ● Identity Crisis #2: Despite being Danish, he considered himself German as he was born and grew up there ○ However, his German classmates ____ him because his mother and stepfather were Jewish. ● He earned mediocre grades, but he showed some talent for ____. ● After graduating high school, he “dropped out of society” and traveled around Europe in search of an identity. ○ Gave art school a try, then moved on The Life of Erikson (1902–1994) ● He described himself as “sensitive and neurotic” ● His daughter later wrote that he suffered from ____ and ____ issues: ○ “My father suffered terribly from the sense that his real father had abandoned him and had never cared to know him. He struggled with a ____ tendency all his life.” ● Similar to every personality theorist before him, Erikson’s ____ is what led to the development of his theory The Life of Erikson (1902–1994) ● At the age of 25, Erikson received an offer to teach at a small school in Vienna that had been established for the children of ____ patients and friends. ● Erikson later confessed that he was drawn to Freud in part because of his search for a ____ ● It was then that Erikson’s professional career began and that he felt he had finally found an ____. ● He trained in ____ and was analyzed by Anna Freud. ● Anna Freud was interested in the psychoanalysis of ____. ● Her influence, plus Erikson’s own classroom teaching experiences, made him aware of the importance of ____ on personality and led him to also focus on ____. ● Eventually became a member of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute. The Life of Erikson (1902–1994) ● ____ = Erikson met a Canadian-born artist and dancer who was receiving psychoanalysis. ● They fell in love and she became pregnant ● Erikson ____ her at first. ● It was said that he was afraid of the ____ and made up various excuses including that his mother and stepfather would disapprove because she was not Jewish. ● It became clear that Erikson was ____ ● When Erikson realized this, he changed his mind for the best and married her becoming life-long partners. The Life of Erikson (1902–1994) ● ____ = With the rise of WW2, Erikson immigrated to the United States and settled in Boston, MA ● ____ = ○ Established a psychoanalytic practice specializing in the treatment of ____. ○ He also worked at a guidance center for ____ and “emotionally disturbed” ____ ○ Served on the staff of Massachusetts General Hospital ○ Erikson began graduate work at Harvard, intending to get a Ph.D. in psychology, but he failed his first course and dropped out. ○ Retired at age 70 Psychosocial Stages of Personality Development ● ____ = To Erikson, eight (8) successive stages encompassing the life span. ○ At each stage, we must cope with a ____ in either an adaptive or a maladaptive way. ● The first four stages are similar to Freud’s oral, anal, phallic, and latency stages. ○ The major difference between their theories is that Freud focused on ____ factors and Erikson emphasized the ____ factors. Psychosocial Stages of Development ● Erikson suggested that the developmental process was governed by what he called the ____. ○ Development depends on ____ factors ○ However, it is the ____ forces to which we are exposed that control the ways in which the genetically predetermined stages develop. ○ The interplay between ____ and ____ = ■ nature affecting nurture ■ nurture affecting nature Nature and Nurture ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ____ = the study of how social, psychological, and environmental influences can actually change which genes in a person’s DNA may activate (turn “on”) or may deactivate (turn “off”)​ Environment (nurture) can trigger genetic expression (nature) AND Environment (nurture) can stop genetic expression (nature) ____ = Sometimes experiences (nurture) changes the expression of DNA— the genetic code is still there, but some genes are “turned off”​ Example: Oullet-Morin et al., 2013 study showed that being bullied was associated with increased methylation of a gene that has been linked to mood Being bullied literally caused changes in the brain’s production and/or use of serotonin In other words, an experience (bullying) led to changes in genetic expression (a gene linked to mood was “turned off”)​ and caused decreased mood This is seeing at a biological level how environment (nurture) can change the way your genetics (nature) expresses itself. Psychosocial Stages of Development: Conflicts and Crises ● ____ = To Erikson, the turning point faced at each developmental stage. ● Human development involves a series of personal conflicts in which the environment will demands certain ____. ● Each developmental stage has its particular crisis or conflict that necessitates some ____ in our behavior and personality. ● We may respond to the crisis in one of two ways: ○ a ____ way ○ an ____ way ● Only when we have ____ each conflict can the personality continue its normal developmental sequence and acquire the strength to confront the next stage’s crisis. ● If the conflict at any stage remains ____, we are less likely to be able to adapt to later problems. ○ This points out the importance of early life experiences affecting later life ● A successful outcome is still possible, but it will be ____ to achieve. Psychosocial Stages of Development: Basic Strengths ● ● ● Each stage provides the opportunity to develop: ____ = To Erikson, motivating characteristics and beliefs that derive from the ____ at each stage. These strengths or qualities are ____ in that one strength cannot develop until the strength associated with the previous stage has been developed. Trust versus Mistrust: Birth to 1 year ● Occurs during our ____ of life, the time of our greatest helplessness. ● The infant is totally ____ on the mother or primary caregiver for survival, security, and affection. ● Similar to Freud, Erikson viewed the ____ as important during this stage; used as the infant’s way of exploring the world… ● However, the relationship between the infant and the world is not exclusively biological. It is also ____. ● The baby’s interaction with the ____ determines whether an attitude of ____ for future dealings with the environment will be incorporated into their personality. Trust versus Mistrust: Birth to 1 year ● Textbook does describe the mother as being the sole provider for the child at this point, however, this can be passed onto the ____ (the person the child sees the most) ● If the caregiver responds appropriately to the baby’s physical needs and provides ample ____, ____, and ____ = ○ infants will develop a sense of ____, an attitude that will characterize the child’s view of themselves and others. ○ “Here is when we begin to build our model of what to expect, of who will be there, of how we will be received [by others], of how safe it is out there [in the world], of how we can make ourselves known and be comforted.” ● On the other hand, if the caregiver is ____, ____, or ____ in their behavior = ○ infants may develop an attitude of ____ and become ____, ____, and ____. ● According to Erikson, mistrust can also occur if the caregiver does not display an exclusive focus on the child. ○ He argued that a new mother who resumes a job outside the home and leaves her infant in the care of relatives or in a day care center risks promoting mistrust in the child. Trust versus Mistrust: Birth to 1 year ● Trust Can Be Lost Later in Life ● Although the pattern of trust or mistrust as a dimension of personality is set in ____, the problem may ____ at a later stage. ● Ex: An ideal infant–mother relationship produces a high level of trust, but this can be ____ if the mother dies or leaves home. ○ If that occurs, mistrust may take over the personality. ● Ex: On the other hand, childhood mistrust can be ____ later in life through the ____ of a loving and patient Trust versus Mistrust: Birth to 1 year ● The basic strength of ____ is associated with the successful resolution of the crisis during this stage. ● Erikson described this strength as the belief that our ____. ● Hope involves a persistent feeling of ____, a feeling we will maintain despite temporary setbacks or reverses = ____ = to continue even in the face of difficulties Autonomy versus Doubt and Shame: Age 1 to 3 ● Children rapidly develop a variety of ____ and ____ abilities ● They are able to do many things: ○ They learn to communicate, talk, walk, climb, and to ____ of things. ○ Children take pride in these skills and usually ____. ● The most important point about this stage is that for the first time children are able to exercise some ____, to experience the power of their ____. ● Although still dependent on their parents, they begin to see themselves as ____ and want to exercise their newfound skills. Autonomy versus Doubt and Shame: Age 1 to 3 ● The idea of being able to ____ things and ____ at appropriate times is describing something more than just objects. ● Yes, children learn how to do this physically, but according to Erikson, this becomes something important throughout life: ○ Ex: “____” can be displayed in a ____ (e.g., holding onto someone that needs your help, continuing loving someone despite a mistake they made, etc.) or in a ____ (e.g., holding onto grudges, or holding onto people, not letting them leave, etc.) ○ “____” can also be for good or bad – Letting go can be bad if done destructively or be good if necessary (e.g., letting go of a grudge, letting go of a toxic relationship, etc.) ● Considered these to be prototypes for ____ in later conflicts in life Autonomy versus Doubt and Shame: Age 1 to 3 ● The Toilet Training Crisis ● The major crisis between parent and child at this stage typically involves ____, seen as the first instance when ____ attempts to regulate an instinctual need. ● The child is taught to ____ and ____ only at appropriate times and places. ● Parents may permit the child to toilet train at their own pace or may become ____. ● Parents may ____ the child’s ____ by forcing the training, showing impatience and anger when the child does not behave correctly. ● When parents deny their child’s attempt to exercise ____, the child develops feelings of ____ and a sense of ____ in dealing with others. ● Although toilet training is the center of this conflict (something biological), we can see that the expression of the conflict is more ____ = the idea of losing ____ and feeling ____ about something that goes against societal expectations Autonomy versus Doubt and Shame: Age 1 to 3 ● The basic strength that develops from autonomy is ____ ● Involves a determination to exercise ____ and ____ in the face of society’s demands. Initiative versus Guilt: Age 3 to 5 ● Motor and mental abilities are continuing to develop, and children can accomplish more ____. ● They express a strong desire to take the initiative in many activities. ● ____ = take charge independently; doing things without being asked Initiative versus Guilt: Age 3 to 5 ● ____ ● One initiative that may develop is in the form of fantasies, manifested in the desire to possess the parent of the opposite sex and establish a rivalry with the parent of the same sex. ● How will the parents react to these self-initiated activities and fantasies? ○ If they ____ the child and otherwise inhibit these displays of initiative, the child will develop persistent ____ feelings that will affect self-directed activities throughout the person’s life. ● In the Oedipal relationship, the child inevitably fails, but if the parents guide this situation with ____, then the child will acquire an awareness of what is permissible behavior and what is not permissible. ● The child’s initiative can be channeled toward realistic and socially appropriate goals in preparation for the development of ____ and ____. Initiative versus Guilt: Age 3 to 5 ● The basic strength called ____ arises from ____. ● Purpose involves the courage to ____. Industriousness versus Inferiority: Age 6 to 11 ● The child begins school and is exposed to new social influences. ● Ideally, both at home and at school, the child learns good work and study habits, which Erikson referred to as ____, primarily as a means of getting ____ and ____ from ____. ● Thoughts on this? The idea that even if you don’t remember anything you learned in school at this age, you are essentially learning how to function within a society. Industriousness versus Inferiority: Age 6 to 11 ● Developing New Skills ● The child’s growing powers of ____ and the ability to ____ lead to the refinement of the skills displayed in ____. ● The attitudes and behaviors of parents and teachers largely determine how well children will ____ and using their skills: ○ If children are scolded, ridiculed, or rejected, they are likely to develop feelings of ____ and ____. ○ Praise and reinforcement foster feelings of ____ and encourage continued striving. Industriousness versus Inferiority: Age 6 to 11 ● The basic strength that emerges from industriousness during the latency stage is ____ = the ability to do something successfully and efficiently ● It involves the exertion of ____ and ____ in pursuing and completing tasks. ● The main thing underlying here is ____. First Four Stages Versus the Final Four Stages ● The outcome of the crisis at each of the ____ childhood stages depends on ____. ○ The resolution comes more from ____ than what they can do for themselves. ● In the ____ stages of psychosocial development, we have ____ over our environment. ● We consciously and deliberately choose our friends, careers, spouses, and leisure activities. ● However, these deliberate choices are affected by the personality characteristics that have developed during the stages from ____. ● Whether we show primarily the ____ outcomes of these stages (trust, autonomy, initiative, and industriousness) or the ____ (mistrust, doubt, guilt, and inferiority) will determine the course of the rest of our lives. Identity Cohesion versus Role Confusion: Age 12 to 18 ● ____ = The self-image formed during adolescence that integrates our ideas of what we are and what we want to be as well as what others think of us ● Adolescence is the stage at which we must ____ the crisis of our ego identity. ● If this process is resolved satisfactorily, the result is a ____ that establishes personal values and attitudes ● Shaping an identity and accepting it are difficult tasks, often filled with ____. ● Adolescents ____ with different roles and ideologies, trying to determine the most ____ fit. ● Erikson suggested that adolescence was a ____ between childhood and adulthood, to give the person time and energy to ____ different roles and live with different self-images. Identity Cohesion versus Role Confusion: Age 12 to 18 ● ____ = The failure to achieve ego identity during adolescence. ● People who emerge from this stage with a strong sense of self-identity are equipped to face adulthood with ____ and ____. ● Those who fail to achieve a cohesive identity—who experience an ____—will exhibit a ____. ○ They do not know who or what they are, where they belong, or where they want to go. ● They may ____ (education, job, marriage) as Erikson did for a time or seek a negative identity in crime or drugs. ● Erikson noted the strong impact of ____ on the development of ego identity in adolescence. ○ He noted that ____ with fanatical (obsessive concern with) groups (or cults), or ____ with popular culture, could ____ the developing ego. Identity Cohesion versus Role Confusion: Age 12 to 18 ● The basic strength that should develop during adolescence is ____, which emerges from a cohesive ego identity. ● Fidelity encompasses sincerity, ____ (the quality of truly being what something is said to be) and a sense of duty in our relationships with other people. ○ ____ Intimacy versus Isolation: Age 18 to 35 ● Erikson considered ____ to extend from the end of adolescence to about the age of 35. ● During this period we establish our ____ from our parents and quasi-parental institutions, such as college, and begin to function more autonomously as ____. ● We undertake some form of ____ and establish ____, typically close friendships and sexual partners. Intimacy versus Isolation: Age 18 to 35 ● Caring and Commitment ● In Erikson’s view, intimacy was not restricted to sexual relationships but also encompassed feelings of ____ and ____. ● These emotions could be displayed openly without resorting to self-protective or defensive mechanisms and ____. ○ We can ____ without submerging or losing it in the process. ● People who are unable to establish such intimacies in young adulthood will develop feelings of ____. ○ They avoid social contacts, reject other people, and may even become aggressive toward them. ○ They prefer to be alone because they ____ to their ego identity. Intimacy versus Isolation: Age 18 to 35 ● The basic strength that emerges from the intimacy of the young adult years is ____, which Erikson considered to be the greatest of all human virtues. ● He described it as a ____ (support and commitment) in a shared identity, the ____ of oneself with ____. Generativity versus Stagnation: Age 35 to 55 ● ____ (ages 35–55) is a stage of maturity in which we need to be actively involved in teaching and ____. ● This need extends beyond our immediate family. ● In Erikson’s view, our concern becomes ____ and more ____, involving ____ and the kind of society in which they will live. ● Person does not need to be a parent to display generativity, nor does having children automatically satisfy it. ● Erikson believed that all institutions—whether business, government, social service, or academic—provide opportunities for us to express generativity. ○ Thus, in whatever organizations or activities we are involved, we can usually find a way to become a ____ for the betterment of society at large. Generativity versus Stagnation: Age 35 to 55 ● When middle-aged people cannot or will not find an outlet for generativity, they may develop feelings of ____, ____, and ____ ● Erikson’s depiction of these emotional difficulties in middle age is similar to ____ description of the ____. ● These people may ____, indulging themselves in ____ ways. ○ Preoccupied with their own needs and comforts. Generativity versus Stagnation: Age 35 to 55 ● ____ is the basic strength that emerges from generativity in adulthood. ● Erikson defined care as a broad ____ and believed it was manifested in the need to ____, not only to ____ but also to fulfill one’s identity. Ego Integrity versus Despair: 55+ ● Final stage of psychosocial development, we are confronted with a choice between ____ or ____. ● These attitudes govern the way we ____. ○ We ____ and ____ on life, taking its final measure. ● If we look back with a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction, believing we have ____ with life’s wins and loses, then we are said to possess ____ = involves accepting one’s place and one’s past. ● If we review our life with a sense of frustration, ____ about missed opportunities and ____ of mistakes that cannot be rectified, then we will feel ____. ○ We become disgusted with ourselves, disregard others, and become bitter (resentful) over what might have been. Ego Integrity versus Despair: 55+ ● ____ = Erikson reported the results of a long-term study of 29 people in their 80s on whom life-history data had been collected since 1928, meaning he following these people from their 20s all the way into their 80s. ● His findings were that for older people to develop successfully, they must: ○ Remain ____, seeking ____ and ____ ○ Involve themselves in such ____ as grandparenting, returning to school, and developing ____. ● As an older person himself, Erikson said that ____ (the focus of mature adulthood) was even more important than he had thought when he was first developing his theory. ○ “Much of the despair [of older people] is in fact a continuing sense of ____” Ego Integrity versus Despair: 55+ ● The basic strength associated with this final developmental stage is ____. ● Being able to look at your life with a sense of ____ and ____ Basic Weaknesses ● ____ = Motivating characteristics that derive from the unsatisfactory resolution of developmental crises. ● Similar to the way basic strengths arise at each stage of development, so may basic weaknesses. ● We saw earlier that the ____ and ____ ways of coping with the crisis at each stage of life are incorporated into the ego identity in a kind of creative ____. ● Although the ego should consist primarily of the ____ attitude, it will also contain a share of the ____ attitude. Don’t Forget 1. No Journal 2. Next class = Tuesday November 7 a. Election Day - University closed 3. Tuesday November 14 a. Chapter 9: Maslow b. Chapter 10: Rogers 4. Tuesday November 21 a. Review for Test 3 (Ch. 6, 9, 10) 5. Tuesday November 28 a. Test 3 (Ch. 6, 9, 10)