Erik Erikson's Theory PDF

Erik Erikson’s Theory ◼Like Piaget’s theory, Erikson’s theory is also built on stages. ◼His theory is a life-span theory. ◼Erikson came up with 8 stages, from birth to death. ◼Each stage is based on a basic human conflict.  Erickson’s 8 Stages of Psychosocial De...

Erik Erikson’s Theory ◼Like Piaget’s theory, Erikson’s theory is also built on stages. ◼His theory is a life-span theory. ◼Erikson came up with 8 stages, from birth to death. ◼Each stage is based on a basic human conflict.  Erickson’s 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development 1. Oral-Sensory: Birth to 12-18 months 1. -Issue: Trust vs. Mistrust, Event: Feeding 2. Muscular-Anal: 18 months to 3 years - Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt, Event: Toilet training 3. Locomotor: 3 to 6 years - Initiative vs. Guilt, Event: Independence 4. Latency: 6 to 12 years - Industry vs. Inferiority, Event: School  Erickson’s 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development ◼ 5. Adolescence: 12 to 18 years - Issue: Identity vs. Role Confusion, Event: Peer Relationships - 6. Young Adulthood: 19-40 years - Issue: Intimacy vs. Isolation, Event: Love Relationships 7. Middle Adulthood: 40-65 years - Issue: Generatitvity vs. Stagnation, Event: Parenting 8. Maturity: 65 to Death - Issue: Ego Integrity vs. Despair, Event: Reflection on and acceptance of one’s life  Erickson’s Psychosocial Development 1. Oral-Sensory: Birth to 12-18 months 1. -Issue: Trust vs. Mistrust, 2. Event: Feeding Example: From birth to 12 months of age, infants must learn that adults can be trusted. This occurs when adults meet a child's basic needs for survival. Infants are dependent upon their caregivers, so caregivers who are responsive and sensitive to their infant’s needs help their baby to develop a sense of trust; their baby will see the world as a safe, predictable place. Unresponsive caregivers who do not meet their baby’s needs can engender feelings of anxiety, fear, and mistrust; their baby may see the world as unpredictable. If infants are treated cruelly or their needs are not met appropriately, they will likely grow up with a sense of mistrust for people in the world.  Erickson’s Psychosocial Development 2. Muscular-Anal: 18 months to 3 years - Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt, - Event: Toilet training As toddlers (ages 1–3 years) begin to explore their world, they learn that they can control their actions and act on their environment to get results. They begin to show clear preferences for certain elements of the environment, such as food, toys, and clothing. A toddler’s main task is to resolve the issue of autonomy vs. shame and doubt by working to establish independence. This is the “me do it” stage. For example, we might observe a budding sense of autonomy in a 2-year-old child who wants to choose her clothes and dress herself. Although her outfits might not be appropriate for the situation, her input in such basic decisions has an effect on her sense of independence. If denied the opportunity to act on her environment, she may begin to doubt her abilities, which could lead to low self-esteem and feelings of shame.  Erickson’s Psychosocial Development 3. Locomotor: 3 to 6 years - Initiative vs. Guilt - Event: Independence Once children reach the preschool stage (ages 3–6 years), they are capable of initiating activities and asserting control over their world through social interactions and play. According to Erikson, preschool children must resolve the task of initiative vs. guilt. By learning to plan and achieve goals while interacting with others, preschool children can master this task Initiative, a sense of ambition and responsibility, occurs when parents allow a child to explore within limits and then support the child's choice. These children will develop self-confidence and feel a sense of purpose. Those who are unsuccessful at this stage—with their initiative misfiring or stifled by over-controlling parents— may develop feelings of guilt.  Erickson’s Psychosocial Development 4. Latency: 6 to 12 years - Industry vs. Inferiority - Event: School During the elementary school stage (ages 6–12), children face the task of industry vs. inferiority. Children begin to compare themselves with their peers to see how they measure up. They either develop a sense of pride and accomplishment in their schoolwork, sports, social activities, and family life, or they feel inferior and inadequate because they feel that they don’t measure up. If children do not learn to get along with others or have negative experiences at home or with peers, an inferiority complex might develop into adolescence and adulthood.  Erickson’s Psychosocial Development ◼ 5. Adolescence: 12 to 18 years - Issue: Identity vs. Role Confusion - Event: Peer Relationships In adolescence (ages 12–18), children face the task of identity vs. role confusion. According to Erikson, an adolescent’s main task is developing a sense of self. Adolescents struggle with questions such as “Who am I?” and “What do I want to do with my life?” Along the way, most adolescents try on many different selves to see which ones fit; they explore various roles and ideas, set goals, and attempt to discover their "adult" selves. Adolescents who are successful at this stage have a strong sense of identity and are able to remain true to their beliefs and values in the face of problems and other people’s perspectives. When adolescents are apathetic, do not make a conscious search for identity, or are pressured to conform to their parents’ ideas for the future, they may develop a weak sense of self and experience role confusion. They will be unsure of their identity and confused about the future. Teenagers who struggle to adopt a positive role will likely struggle to "find" themselves as adults.  Erickson’s Psychosocial Development 6. Young Adulthood: 19-40 years - Issue: Intimacy vs. Isolation - Event: Love Relationships People in early adulthood (20s through early 40s) are concerned with intimacy vs. isolation. After we have developed a sense of self in adolescence, we are ready to share our life with others. However, if other stages have not been successfully resolved, young adults may have trouble developing and maintaining successful relationships with others. Erikson said that we must have a strong sense of self before we can develop successful intimate relationships. Adults who do not develop a positive self- concept in adolescence may experience feelings of loneliness and emotional isolation.  Erickson’s Psychosocial Development 7. Middle Adulthood: 40-65 years - Issue: Generatitvity vs. Stagnation - Event: Parenting When people reach their 40s, they enter the time known as middle adulthood, which extends to the mid-60s. The social task of middle adulthood is generativity vs. stagnation. Generativity involves finding your life’s work and contributing to the development of others through activities such as volunteering, mentoring, and raising children. During this stage, middle-aged adults begin contributing to the next generation, often through childbirth and caring for others; they also engage in meaningful and productive work which contributes positively to society. Those who do not master this task may experience stagnation and feel as though they are not leaving a mark on the world in a meaningful way; they may have little connection with others and little interest in productivity and self- improvement.  Erickson’s Psychosocial Development 8. Maturity: 65 to Death - Issue: Ego Integrity vs. Despair - Event: Reflection on and acceptance of one’s life From the mid-60s to the end of life, we are in the period of development known as late adulthood. Erikson’s task at this stage is called integrity vs. despair. He said that people in late adulthood reflect on their lives and feel either a sense of satisfaction or a sense of failure. People who feel proud of their accomplishments feel a sense of integrity, and they can look back on their lives with few regrets. However, people who are not successful at this stage may feel as if their life has been wasted. They focus on what “would have,” “should have,” and “could have” been. They face the end of their lives with feelings of bitterness, depression, and despair.  Problems with Erikson ◼ Erikson got much of his research for creating the stages from reading biographies on famous men like MLK and Gandhi. ◼ Identity formation issues: What about adults who reform their identity, rediscover who they are? Is it possible for an individual to change throughout life? ◼ Critics argue that his theory is more applicable to boys than girls.  Vygotsky’s take on Development ◼ Unlike Piaget’s image of the individual constructing understanding alone, Vygotsky saw cognitive development as depending more on interactions with the people and tools in the child’s world. – Tools are real: pens, paper, computers; or symbols: language, math systems, signs...and more Vygotsky Vygotsky developed the theory of the Zone of proximal development (zoped) – The zoped is the distance between where a learner is at developmentally on their own and where a learner could be with the help of a more knowledgeable other. – A more knowledgeable other can be an adult or a peer, helping a learner in this way is to scaffold their learning.