erik erikson_life and contribution

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Erik Erikson:Life and Contributions

GROUP ASSIGNMENT

PERSPECTIVES ON INDIVIDUAL DIMENSIONS

EPGP 2016-17

JAYESH MAHAJAN 2016 EPGP 018

NIDHISH GUPTA 2016 EPGP 023NIKHIL SARAF 2016 EPGP 024

RACHIT RANA 2016 EPGP 027


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Erik Erikson: Life & Contributions

Perspectives on Individual Dimensions

Table of Contents

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2

A brief history and development of Erik Erikson .......................................................... 2Psychoanalytic Training ............................................................................................... 3

Professional Beginning ................................................................................................. 4

Midlife Achievement and Influence ............................................................................. 6

Moving into Old Age ...................................................................................................... 6

Contribution of Erik Erikson in Psychology ................................................................... 7

First stage ....................................................................................................................... 7

Second Stage ................................................................................................................. 7

Third Stage ..................................................................................................................... 8

Fourth Step ..................................................................................................................... 8

Fifth Stage ...................................................................................................................... 9

Sixth Stage ................................................................................................................... 10

Seventh Stage .............................................................................................................. 11

Eighth Stage ................................................................................................................. 12

Comparing the contributions of Erik Erikson with other dominant schools of

thought .............................................................................................................................. 13

Comparison between Erikson's Theory and Carl Roger's Theory ...................... 16

Critical Evaluation & Takeaways .................................................................................. 18

REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 20


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Introduction

“Someday, maybe, there will exist a well-informed, well considered and yet

fervent public conviction that the most deadly of all possible sins is the

mutilation of a child’s spirit; for such mutilation undercuts the life principle oftrust, without which every human act, may it feel ever so good and seem ever so

right is prone to perversion by destructive forms of conscientiousness.”

- Erik Erikson

Erik Erikson, born as Erik Salomonsen in 1902 near Frankfort, Germany to Danish

parents, is regarded as a champion developmental psychologist and stands apart with

his developmental theory and approach in formulating eighth psychosocial stages in

which humans develop through as they grow both physically and mentally.

His study and subsequently modified theory had a cornerstone as to how a human life

passes from infancy into senior adulthood. While passing through every cycle, the

individual encounters and overcomes new challenges with every subsequent stage

building on the successful completion of the previous step keeping in mind the fact that

the challenges of an unfulfilled stage can reappear as trouble in future. With a vast array

of interests, he studied combat crises among battered United States soldiers in World

War II, child-rearing practices among the Sioux in South Dakota and the Yurok along

the Pacific Coast, the play of disturbed and normal children, the conversations of

troubled adolescents suffering identity crises, and social behavior in India. His later

works reflected the rapid social American changes and he avidly wrote on issues suchas the generation gap, racial tensions, juvenile delinquency, changing sexual roles, and

the dangers of nuclear war. [1]

A brief history and development of Erik Erikson

Erikson's mother, ‘Karla Abrahamsen’, hailed from a Jewish family in Copenhagen,

Denmark. Whilst she married a Jewish stockbroker ‘Valdemar Isidor Salomonsen’, she

became estranged with him and was living separately from him while Erik wasconceived. After discovering her pregnancy, Karla went to Frankfurt, Germany, where

she gave birth to Erik on June 15, 1902 and gave him the surname ‘Salomonsen’.

Subsequently, in 1905 Karla married the Jewish pediatrician Theodor Homburger who

attended to Erik. Three years later, in 1908, Erik Salomonsen's name was rechristened

to ‘Erik Homburger’ and in 1911, Erik was officially adopted by his stepfather Theodor.

[1][11]


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As a young kid, Erik displayed talent as an artist and was encouraged by his mother’s

artist friends to pursue this field. While Erik’s stepfather wished him to be a pediatrician,

Erik decided to seek the life of an art student roaming around from his late teens, until

twenty-five years of age. Eventually, when he realized that he did not have enough

talent to become a full-time artist, he returned to become an art teacher at Karlsruhe. A

friend of Erik’s namely Blos told him about an interesting proposition in Vienna, where

the daughter of the well-established psychologist Sigmund Freud, Anna had befriended

a wealthy American heiress, Dorothy Tiffany Burlingham, who needed a tutor for her

four children. Erik was initially hired to sketch the children but then took over their

tutoring assignment. The children and both women were impressed by Erik’s

competence and empathy. Other members of the Freud circle and patients also wanted

their children to be educated. Blos was invited to set up a small psychoanalytically

oriented school with him and Erik as faculty. [1]

Psychoanalytic Training

In 1927 when Erik joined Blos in Vienna, he did not know much about Psychoanalysis

but this was a good opportunity to get to know the Freuds. Sigmund Freud had

proposed a new theory of anxiety and its use by the ego to keep the personality in line.

Anna Freud was starting with the development of self, building on the concepts of her

father about unconscious defenses to understand how adolescents cope with inner and

outer threats to develop their psychology. [1][11]

Anna was keen on expanding her practice of child analysis by psychiatrists trained

psychoanalytically or by analysts not from the trait of psychiatrists. She offered Erik

Homburger a nearly free training analysis based on his competence which Anna

observed while Erik was teaching the young children. With reluctance, he accepted her

offer but had no plans to practice as a psychoanalyst.

Erik had least of the interactions with Sigmund Freud but learnt his psychoanalytic

theory f rom reading Sigmund Freud’s works and practicing directly from Anna Freud

and from seminars at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute.

As Erik’s ideas about psychoanalytic theory and practice began to become concrete, he

offered them politely and thoughtful manner, avoiding the former disciples of Sigmund

Freud who turned against Freud’s work. In Lawrence Friedman’s accuratecharacterization, Erik engaged in a “process of embracing while amplifying and subtly

criticizing”, not only as a student but throughout the psychoanalytic career.[12]


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of the Murray’s coauthors, under the name of Erik Homburger, when the results of the

major study of the center were published in 1938 as the now-classic volume

‘Exploration in Personality’. By then Erik had a daughter also and his family had moved

on. [1][11]

Henry Murray did not want Erik to leave but Erik was inclined to work which theexperiment-oriented Harvard psychology department was not going to let him do. For

this reason Erik moved to Yale. When he joined Yale he changed his last name

‘Homburger’ (stepfather’s name) to the self -created ‘Erikson’. He did not remove the

name “Homburger” but kept it as the middle name, to honor his stepfather’s

contributions for his upbringing. He thought of ‘Erikson’ recognizing his birth father—

who, according to some Copenhagen rumors, shared the given name of Erik. Erik and

Joan took the name Erikson when they became naturalized US citizens in the year

1938. Later they gave the name to their children also, who felt good because now other

children will not tease them as ‘Hamburger’ anymore. This was one of the reasons Erik

Erikson later applied for the change in the family name as ‘Erikson’. [1]

Erik lasted no longer at Yale than at Harvard. By now, however, his reputation had

spread by far. His cross-cultural expeditions added to his knowledge about contrasting

observations of childhood in Germany, Austria, and America. During World War II, he

provided U.S. government agencies with analysis of German national character. This

included the charismatic appeal of Adolf Hitler to German youth. [1][11]

UC Berkeley did not renew Erikson’s appointment due to his personal conflict with the

sponsoring faculty. During most of the 1940s Erikson financially gained through private

clinical practice in the San Francisco. He also wrote many important papers, whichbegan to look as the foundation for his first book. His growing professional reputation

and the news of his upcoming book, along with a competing offer from Yale, led UC

Berkeley to offer him a full professorship in 1949 which was a commendable

achievement for a person who did not have a formal degree and who started learning

English at an age of 31. Erik was delighted to receive such recognition and accepted

the offer. After a year in this prestigious new position, Erik was part of a faculty protest

against a loyalty oath imposed by the UC’s Board. He resigned his professorship along

with several other members of the psychology department. For several months, he was

working as a temporary researcher at Berkeley, but then moved back to the Northeast.

[1]


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Midlife Achievement and Influence

In October 1950, Erikson published his first and most influential book, ‘Childhood and

Society’. The book was not a systematic pen down of his ideas but included examples

from all his psychoanalytic research and writing. His book was not an immediate best

seller, but within a decade, the ‘Eriksonian psychosocial stages’ were recognized by

many psychologists and other professionals dealing with mental health, as a good way

to organize thinking about major turning points across the individual’s life cycle. [1][11]

He joined the clinical staff of the Austen Riggs Center, a private psychiatric hospital in

Massachusetts. He was given less patients, mostly troubled youth who provided case

material for his research of identity issues, and was allowed substantial time to write. He

became a great writer during his tenure at Austen Riggs, most significantly producing

his first full-length psychobiography, Young Man Luther (1958). [1]

After spending most of the 50s decade at the Austen Riggs Center, Erikson was offereda position at Harvard University. This position was designed considering his work and

area of expertise. He was appointed as a full-time professor of human development, a

title that Erik chose. He had no obligations to any academic department and had the

freedom to teach on the topics of his expertise. He was also made a lecturer in the

Harvard Medical School’s department of psychiatry, even though he had no medical

degree. As Erikson remarked in his “Autobiographic Notes on the Identity Crisis,” he

had come the closest of being a pediatrician (his stepfather’s original aim for him)

without studying at a medical school. [1][11]

Erikson’s focus in his next book was on the seventh stage of his life cycle, ‘generativityvs stagnation’. The Stage Seven issues did not hurt Erikson anymore because after

Joan gave birth to a Down syndrome child in 1944, Erik directed that the child be placed

in a private institution where the child died in 1965. Gandhi’s Truth (1969) written by him

is a psychobiography about a revolutionary figure who resolves a developmental crisis

of his own life by initiating a major movement that changed the culture around him.

[1][11]

Moving into Old Age

Erikson retired from the Harvard teaching faculty in 1970, but did not stop writing. Although he did not complete any psychobiography anymore but he wrote thoughtful

shorter works on Thomas Jefferson and on Jesus. Joan helped Erik to write about the

later stages of the life cycle. His most interesting treatment of the final stage, dealing

with the crisis he called “ego integrity versus despair,” was a paper he had originally

developed for his Harvard undergraduate course as a commentary on the Ingmar

Bergman 1957 Swedish film “Wild Strawberries”. [1]


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In his late seventies Erik thought to write a full-scale autobiography, in which he wanted

to illustrate the final stage of psychosocial development. But he could not do it; as he

moved into his eighties, his memories and his thoughts began to fade. As he had done

throughout his life, he kept moving places after every few years. During his last years he

was unable to recall much. He died in Cape Cod on 12 May 1994 at an age of 91. His

wife continued to write about the life cycle until her own death three years later. [1]

Contribution of Erik Erikson in Psychology

Erik Erikson worked in Ego Psychology and develops theory of human development.

His main and important contribution is providing framework to understand development

of human and influence on or from society on development. Erikson did prove that

general pattern of development exist in across cultures. The frame work helps us to

understand insights of development. It also helps to understand balance between

extremes and develop a better society.Though he has influenced by Sigmund Freud, Erikson argued that Human developed

throughout the life. His work and theory deal with 'Epigenetic principle'. He believed that

human development functions by epigenetic principle. Erikson defined eight stages of

development. At each stage future progressed is influenced by success in earlier

stages. If natural order of development is disturbed, whole development process will be

hampered. Erikson believed that a well manage stage will develop strength that will help

to live better life. [9][10]

First stage

This stage begins at birth of child and lasts for a year and a half of life. In this stage

child develops the trust on his mother as mother feeds him when he is hungry and gets

comfort. Parent’s responses teach him to learn his body. At same time overprotective

parents may harm child’s ability to differentiate trust and mistrust. Erikson cited that

mistrust is also necessary to distinguish who are trust worthy and who are not. On the

other hand, if mistrust is developed in child’s mind, then child may face depression.

Balance between trust and mistrust, develops child who believes in hope. This helps

him to go through difficult period of life in later days. [9]

Second Stage

This stage duration is eighteen months to three year. Erikson illustrates stage as

Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt. In this stage child develop self-control without

damaging self-esteem. A freedom to explore environment will help child a sense of

autonomy. Child may develop shame and doubt if trust is not develop properly or parent


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are too protective with rule book. Simultaneously little shame and doubt are necessary

to control impulsiveness. [1][9][10]

“You see a child play, and it is so close to seeing artist paint, for in play a child

says things without uttering a word. You can see how he solves his problems.

You can also see what's wrong. Young children, especially, have enormouscreativity, and whatever's in them rises to the surface in free play. “ - Erik Erikson

Third Stage

This stage comes in play age. It starts from three or four to five or six. This stage is very

important to learn initiative without guilt. Initiative is must to overcome challenges faced

in daily life. Parent plays important role by motivating child with his own ideas. Parents

need to accommodate child’s curiosity and imagination. Combination of play and

education help the child to see the future and prepare for tomorrow. Child may ask lot of

questions out of curiosity and one should encourage him to poke new. It will help to

keep burning desire of knowledge and develop his own idea of skills, a future he would

like to be. At the same time, the child must have sense what act leads to guilt.

Erikson stated about oedipal experience at this stage. Erikson explained it as child

might show discomfort while coming close to opposite sex parent. While hurrying grown

up process, child may be planted with guilt in his mind. At the same time too much

initiative and little guilt lead to what Erikson called as ruthlessness. A ruthless person

steps upon every step without caring about others. Their sole aim becomes to achieve

goals. Ruthlessness might be bad for others but for that person it might come asblessing to achieve success in life. On other hand guilt causes which Erikson calls

inhibition. The inhibited person may be frigid.

A good balance leads to the strength which will help to fulfill purpose. Purpose gives

meaning to one life for which most won’t find in lifetime. A purpose can develop through

imagination and initiative. [9]

Fourth Step

Erikson described this stage as latency stage. The stage describes development need

of school going child of age typically six to twelve. At this stage of development child

expected to dedicate to education and to acquire skills to do well in society. Child

interact with larger crowd now comprises not only parents and family members but also

teachers, neighbors and other society members. Everyone plays different role in child

development. For example, child looks to parent for encouragement, teachers take

cares and importantly friends and other society members start accepting the child.

During stage child will try to execute plan and get sense of success and joy of it. [9]


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The best way to differentiate between third stage and fourth stage is observing how

child plays the game. Four year old, typical for third stage, would not follow rule of game

and rarely play till end. He may through pieces of Jig Saw puzzle instead of arranging in

order to complete it. An eight year old typically at fourth stage of development, will

definitely obey the rules and would like to complete the game. Completion of game

successfully, will give him more joy out of accomplishment.

If child did not enjoy success at this stage because of strict teacher or bulling friend or

peer, he will develop inferiority. As Alfred said 'if at first you don't succeed, don't ever try

again'. Many of us deter to do a thing if we failed in first few attempts and we would not

know real meaning of success. This will develop inferiority complex, leading to person

become inert.

Erikson further explained inferiority as belief of success coming out of who are you

rather than how you do. This inferiority will arise due to society discrimination such as

Racism (White considered superior over others) and Sexism (Good looking consider

himself above others).

There are some children who behave like adult and confine themselves to one or other

activity only. Parent or teachers of such children burden children to excel in one activity

or competence. This hampers development of other interest of children. These children

don't enjoy life but mere an order obeying person like Child actors and young sports

person etc. Though such children may appear happy and enjoying, a closer look may

reveal their sorrow. Erikson called this as too much Industry exposure and child

behavior as narrow virtuosity. [9]

Erikson explained right balance between Industry exposure and inferiority will keep child

under development humble and competent.

Fifth Stage

Stage of adolescence as Erikson named, is most Erikson interested in. Stage starts at

beginning of teenage and ends around age of eighteen or maximum twenty year. The

stage is helpful to develop identity and avert confusion over role. This stage lead

Erikson's thinking about all the other stages. [9][10]

Ego help one find his own identity and image that your society found useful and

meaningful. All it takes is to mold your learning and skill to role fit in society. Though this

is most difficult and crucial part of life, good role models, homogeneous and open

culture, communication and peaceful environment helped one to identify role.

Erikson cited importance of passage rites. Those are rituals and tradition society may

follow to distinguish childhood with no power and responsibility to adulthood with power

and responsibility. In ancient India, boy asked to out to jungle and live on his own for

few days or months. In a way he was tested for capability to perform duties to perform in


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teachers and many other with whom they grown up. This isolation slowly leads to lose

faith in social community. This is mainly contributed by society you live in and what it

demands from you. A typical urban society demands to prove individual and there will

always a competition among individuals. Whereas a typical rural society is more

homogeneous where peoples are very close to each other.

Erikson calls too much intimacy as promiscuity. It can be explain as one can relate with

other very freely and easily. Other person may interpret it wrongly and can lead it

sorrow ending.

On other hand if one try to remain lonely and treat himself as sorry guy because of

others, Erikson term it as Exclusion. He refers it as individual inclination to keep

distance from any sort of relationship like love, friendship or social gathering.

A successful negotiation between intimacy and exclusion will give lifelong strongest

strength, Erikson called it as Love. He explains Love as one ’s ability to bridge

differences and devote better relationship that helps to progress society. Love will result

successful marriages, ideal neighborhood, successful enterprise and successful and

developed nation.

Seventh Stage

This stage addresses development of people age between mid-twenties and late forties.

This is stage most of people engage in raising the children and hence important to

shape new generation. In this stage people pass love into future called Generativity

development. Generativity is very crucial for next and future generation. One needs to

differentiate love in intimacy stage and love in generativity. Love during intimacy is lovebetween two equals and reciprocate from either individual. There is slight selfishness.

But in generativity reciprocation of love is not expected and love is showered from one

side i.e. from parents on children. [9][10]

Parenthood is one way of generativity. Erikson terms every activity that contributes in

welfare of society such as arts, invention, social work, teaching and performing arts as

generativity. [9]

There will be some people who will little contribute in generativity. It can be explained by

self-absorption. The person is literally stagnant. Such person never contributes in

society. Erikson termed it as Overextension. Overextension arises from excessive

generativity. A person involved in generativity causes like social work he won’t find time

for relaxation and himself. Fatigue arise from overstretch, slowly cause person to

contribute lesser and lesser and push person towards stagnation.

Extreme end of stagnation and little generativity give rise what Erikson called

'Rejectivity'. The more common term is 'midlife crisis'. This crisis arises solely because

people think about themselves only and not about their children, partners and friends.


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Otherwise people would have asked from whom I did rather than what they did. They try

to aim what they intended when they were think to be during younger days. More they

try to search for such things more they lost [9]

Success at this stage can be achieved through higher generativity but at same time

allocating some time for own personal things. This is stage where you can balancebetween your ambitions and what you achieved. A small time for oneself will give a

window for relaxation, meet friends and peers whom you lost during race of success

and develop interest and hobbies through which you can enjoy yourself. A success at

this stage will helped to live last days of life in peace, calm and with filling of

accomplishment. These people will pass legacy to next generation and they do next. In

this way society flourishes and develops.

Eighth Stage

This is last stage of development that Erikson referred. One can call it as old age or late

adulthood. The stage starts around somewhere at late fifties or around sixties. Erikson

argued that reaching at this stage is itself a success as one already successfully

developed in earlier stages. This stage deals with what Erikson called as Ego integrity

and Despair. This stage is one most of difficult to deal with. Firstly, at this stage most of

people are retired from job or pass on their business to next generation. Those who

involved in parenthood (such as housewife) and managing home found that their duties

are now over. Most of time society doesn’t need their inputs. Secondly, at this stage

body slowly start too given up. Women passed through painful menopause, eliminatingtheir womanhood. Most of people came across long lasting illness through diabetes,

cancer, heart problems and fragile bones. A fear is develop about life which otherwise

would not in youth. Most importantly fear of death overshadow as one witness death of

friend, relative or spouse. All this lead to people at this stage into despair. [9][10]

Erikson explained that overcome despair one has to deal with Ego integrity.

Ego integrity means one acquiesce to life. One has to look back and identify and accept

accomplishment one has during life, despair will not come. One has to accept whatever

loss or mistake happened that was in course of life. If those would not be there, one

would not accomplish what he did. Instead of crying on lost opportunities, one should

look upon gains considering all circumstances. If there would not be failures or

mistakes, life would be plain and not enjoyable as it is.

Erikson called one has strength of 'Wisdom' to someone who accepted all achievement

and failure in life without regret at this stage of life. Erikson called wisdom as gift to

children. Most simple and humble people are most gifted with wisdom as they come to

term with life. These people teach most important lesson – dealing with life and death.


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Comparing the contributions of Erik Erikson with other dominant

schools of thought

Sigmund Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939, was an Austrian neurologist and the

father of psychoanalysis, a methodology for treating psychopathology through dialogue

between a patient and a psychoanalyst. [2] He is often referred to as the father of

psychology. He qualified as a doctor of medicine in 1881 at the University of Vienna. [2]

Erik Eriksson’s work on psychosocial theory is known to been inf luenced by the

Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual theory. While Eriksson’s was influenced by the work

done by Freud, their theories differ in a number of ways.

As is the case with Freud’s psychosexual theory, Eriksson’s psychosocial theory

describes the personality development as a set of pre-defined stages. However, unlike

Freud, Eriksson theory describes the impact of social experience across the lifespan of

an individual.

As per the Psychosexual Development theory, Freud's called the period between the

children being born to the one year as the “oral stage”, where the child’s primary source

of pleasure is via mouth, be it satisfaction derived from the pleasure of feeding at the

mother's breast, and from the oral exploration of his or her environment.[3] However,

Erickson called this stage as the “trust versus mistrust stage”, when the child develops a

sense of security on the basis of the parent’s response towards his behavior. The care

that the adults provide determines whether the children develop this towards the world

around them. Children which do not receive adequate care develop mistrust of the

others.

Between the age of one and three, which the psychosexual development theory calls

the “anal stage” of development, this is when the erogenous zone moves from the

mouth to the anus. During this period the child gains the mastery of controlling the

bladder and bowel movements, at this stage the child faces the dilemma between

demanding instant gratification and demanding delayed gratification in eliminating bodilywaste. The style of parenting influences the resolution of the conflict, the ideal being the

child adjusting to the moderate parental demands, which teach him the value of physical

cleanliness, environmental order, leading to self-control. If the parents make

immoderate demands of child in toilet training, it might lead to compulsive personality.

Eriksson called this stage in the child growth as “autonomy versus shame and doubt

stage”, in which the child develops self- sufficiency by controlling activities such as

https://www.verywell.com/freuds-stages-of-psychosexual-development-2795962https://www.verywell.com/freuds-stages-of-psychosexual-development-2795962


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eating and toilet training. Those children which succeed at this stage develop a sense of

independence, while those who struggle will be left doubting themselves.

Between the ages three and six, which Freud referred to as the “phallic stage” of

development, this is when the erogenous zone moves from the anus to the child's

genitalia. At this stage the children become aware of their bodies, the body of the other

children and the body of their parents. The boy experiences what he termed as the

Oedipus complex while girls experience the Electra complex. Erikson terms this period

as the “Initiative versus guilt stage”. At this stage the child begins to take control of his

environment, like dressing himself. Those children who are successful at this stage feel

a sense of accomplishment and those who struggle are left with a sense of guilt.

Between the age seven to eleven, which Freud referred to as the “latent period” of

development, at this stage the libido is suppressed and the child derives pleasure from

external activities such as schooling, friendship, hobbies etc. This is an important stage

in child development as it impacts the self-confidence of the child. Erikson calls this

stage the “industry versus inferiority stage”; at this stage the child can recognize major

disparities between the abilities of his own versus the abilities of others. Erickson places

special emphasis on the role of the teacher, for the child to succeed in developing a

sense of pride.

The stage at which the child hits adolescence, Freud referred to this stage as the

“genital stage” and it spans through the life of the adult life. In this stage the child

detaches from the parents and begins to explore romantic relationships. The goal of this

stage is to develop balance in all spheres of life. The individuals who have usefully

completed the previous stages no have a well-balanced and caring life. Erikson refers to

the stage between adolescence and to adulthood as “identity versus role confusion”

stage. At this stage the children begin to question themselves, who am I? wWhere do I

go from here? And in the process develop a personal identity. Hos who receive support

and encouragement will emerge strong with a sense of purpose. However, if constantly

pushed by their parents face identity confusion.

Largely speaking the fraud’s theory largely focuses on the period between birth and

adolescence. As per the theory of Psychosexual Development the genital stage lasts

throughout adulthood, with the goal to develop balance between life areas. Whereas,

Erikson’s theory includes three more stages which span adulthood:

Intimacy vs Isolation: this stake lasts between the ages of 18-35. Dating, family,

love and companionship are a part of this stage.

Generativity vs Stagnation: the second stage of adulthood between the ages of

35 to 64. During this period the individuals are enjoying raising their children. If


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the person is not comfortable during this stage of their life they look back at the

past with a sense of uselessness.

Integrity vs Despair: This is the stage which sets in post 65 years of age. The

older adults reflect back on their lives with a sense of bitterness or fulfillment.[4]

Abraham Harold Maslow an American psychologist a contemporary of Eriksson, best

known for creating Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Though his theory did discuss the

human life and aspirations in stages like Eriksson, he proposed a series of motivational

stages each building on the previous one.

According to Maslow the human has multiple needs, of varying importance. The

aspiration for a higher order need arises only when the lower order need has been

satisfied. The various stages of the development as per Maslow’s Theory of hierarchical

needs are as below:

Figure 1 : Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs


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Physiological needs: These include the basic necessity for human existence,

like food, water, sleep sex and alike.

Safety: once the absolute necessary has been achieved the human aspires for

the higher order needs like personal and financial security, financial wellbeing

and healthy living.

Love and affection/Affiliation needs: once the physiological and safety needs

have been fulfilled, the human seeks to fulfill his hunger for affection, need for

friendship, intimacy and family.

Esteem: It represents the human desire to be admired by the others; people

indulge in profession and hobbies to for this. If this stage is unfulfilled the person

id left with an inferiority complex.

Self-actualization: This is what a man seeks when he has achieved the rest of

his basic human needs. This is when a human seeks to reach his maximum

potential.

The hierarchy of needs theory talks about the human progression through the various

stages of life, based on circumstances and achievements, as opposed to Erikson who

proposed a series of pre-determined stages, which were time related and during each

stage the individual develops traits either beneficial or detrimental to him.[5][6][7]

Comparison between Erikson's Theory and Carl Roger's Theory

Though Erikson's theory was influenced by Fred's theory, he was the first to propose

eight stages of human development. He believed that every child has its own ego and

its ego that drive his progress. The progress highly influenced not only by parents but

also by other social factors like schools, friends, neighbors and role models. Erikson

basically deals with psychosocial theory.

Carl Rogers is the first person and hence father of psychodynamic model of humanistic

theory. He believed in positive approach and emphasized on internal growth. He argued

that theory is applicable to not only to human but also equally on animals. He stated thatthere is no predetermine stages of development. It was a continual process that

happened throughout the life. He treat people came to him for counseling as client and

not patients. Roger drives the theory based on his experience during his clinic career.

According to Erikson any person will try to grow and achieve higher position in society

at stage 7, the stage where person age around thirty. Whereas Roger argued that

development and hence thrust to grow in higher order is found right from childhood and


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it last long throughout the life. He also mentioned that thrust is common for all – human,

animal and even trees and plants. His experience with Potato is famous for that.

Erikson state that a successful completion of seventh stage will give enough strength

and correct path to person so that he can contribute in society. Person’s actions, goals

and behavior will give competence to do better jobs in world. Any failure at this stagewill only push person in isolation. Such person will be burden on society as he will not

able to contribute in growth of society.

On contrary Roger advocate those early years of child influenced progress of child in

adulthood. He stated that if parents criticize too much or show very low love and

affection during early year of child, serious psychology problem arises in adult hood.

This can be observed in drug addicts or serial killers. Humanistic theory state that

people see themselves based on experiences they had. To accomplish the goals, a

person must be homogeneous, honest and true to his senses. A sense to grow and rise

in upper ladder or to achieve goals can be lost if a person don’t find any positivity during

childhood.

Erikson gave importance to stage seven as this is crucial stage to pass culture values to

next generation. Parents typically engaged in raising of child at this stage. Erikson

termed Generativity. Generativity is very crucial for next and future generation. Erikson

terms every activity that contributes in welfare of society such as arts, invention, social

work, teaching and performing arts as generativity. Severe development crises can

arise if person did not experience generativity during childhood and as an adult he will

be introvert and self-absorbed.

On the other hand, though Roger acknowledged the importance of influence of

childhood on progress in adulthood, he state that development problems in adulthoodcan be overcome if person got purpose and meaning of life. He explained that self-

concept – a person’s wish to grow and rise to a ladder, can help person. If one level of

self-concept achieved, it will be replaced by other level and hence process continue.

Rogers theory about self-esteem accepted by all psychologist, major psychologist are in

option that Erikson finding are more important and humanity is based on Erikson's

theory. Both theories are similar in some areas. Both theory stresses importance of

good childhood experiences shaped adulthood. Erikson categorized development in

stages whereas Rogers approaches theory behind development as continual progress.

Most of time Erikson do not provide alternative if any one do not succeed stage ofdevelopment. Whereas Roger believes in a person, his choices and self-concept,

Erikson's theory can be witnessed across the cultures and patterns. Erikson drew the

finding through his personal experiences with children, students, adults and different

society members that he came across at different places across Europe and America.

Rogers draw his theory solely from interactions happened with his patients at his clinic.

Limitation of his theory is that it can’t be tested for all cultures.


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Critical Evaluation & Takeaways

Erikson acknowledged the basic premises of Freud’s theory, but contested that Freud

missed few important aspects of human development. He impressed that humans keep

evolving throughout their life span, while Freud stressed that our personality is shapedby the time one reaches five. Erikson developed eight psychosocial stages that humans

encounter throughout their life. The different cycles are Trust vs. Mistrust, Autonomy vs.

Shame and Doubt, Initiative vs. Guilt, Industry vs. Inferiority, Identity vs. Role Confusion,

Intimacy vs. Isolation, Generativity vs. Stagnation, and Integrity vs. Despair. Erikson

was of the opinion that development is actually qualitative since changes are stage like,

but quantitative as well, owing to the fact that as one's identity gets stronger,

simultaneously, one's convictions crystallize and become concrete. Erikson became

convinced that nature determines the order of the stages and sets the barriers within

which nurture functions. However, all must go via one stage before they embark onto

the next in the stated order. [13]

“Every adult, whether he is a follower or a leader, a member of a mass or of elite,

was once a child. He was once small. A sense of smallness forms a substratum in

his mind, ineradicably. His triumphs will be measured against this smallness; his

defeats will substantiate it.” - Erik Erikson

The quotes of Erikson reflect the notion that his theory has valid and acceptance and

value. A lot of people relate to his theories regarding various stages of the life cycle

from their own experiences. Erikson in the year 1964 acknowledged that this theory is

more of a descriptive understanding of human, social and emotional development thatdoes not completely explain the basis of this development. For instance, Erikson does

not completely explain how the output of one psychosocial stage influences personality

at a subsequent stage of life. He is not explicitly clear regarding the causes of

development or the types of experiences that a person must possess to successfully

solve various psychosocial conflicts and graduate among different stages. There is a

lack of universal mechanism for crisis resolution in this theory.

Erikson's theory can be questioned as to whether the stages must be regarded as

subsequent and in a defined order, and should occur only within the age ranges he has

suggested. There is this question as to whether people are looking for answers to theiridentity only during their adolescent days or if one stage has to first complete before

subsequent can be completed. In defence of his studies, the subject psychologist of this

study came out with the notion that each of these processes transpire during the

lifespan in one form or the other, and he stresses on the "phases" only because it is at

these times that the conflicts become most prominent.


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The prominent and pragmatic research into Erikson’s works connects his views on

adolescence while trying to institute identity. After due deliberations, his academic

approach was held as valid, chiefly about teenage years, by James E. Marcia.

[14] Marcia, whose work has segregated various forms of identity, stated that there is

some empirical evidence that persons who form the most coherent self-concept in

adolescence can make intimate attachments in early adulthood. It endorses the concept

in Eriksonian theory, implying that those best equipped to resolve the crisis of early

adulthood are those who have most properly resolved the crisis of adolescence.

However, Erikson has stressed that his work was a ‘tool to think with rather than a

factual analysis’. Its purpose then is to provide framework within which development can

be considered rather than testable theory. One of the strengths of Erikson's theory is its

ability to tie together important psychosocial development across the entire lifespan.

[15]


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REFERENCES

[1] Alan C. Elms - http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Erik_Erikson.aspx

[2] Ford & Urban 1965, p. 109

[3] Noel Sheehy, Alexandra Forsythe (2013). "Sigmund Freud". Fifty Key Thinkers inPsychology. Routledge. ISBN 1134704933.

[4] http://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html

[5] Erikson, Erik H. (1997). The Life Cycle Completed. Extended version with New

Chapters on the Ninth Stage of Development by Joan H. Erikson. New York: W. W.

Norton, p. 61.

[6] Maslow, A.H. (1943). "Psychological Review 50 (4) 370 –96 - A theory of human

motivation" . psychclassics.yorku.ca.

[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs

[8] A-http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/erikson.htm, Miller, P. (1983).

Theories of Developmental Psychology. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and Company,

& Santrock, J.(1996). Child Development. Dubuque, IA: Brown and Benchmark

Publishers.

[9] Dr. G.C. Boeree – http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/erikson.html

[10] Wendy Sharkey-

http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/erikson.htm#Theory

[11] Life History and the Historical Moment by Erik H. Erikson (1977)

[12] Freudian theory (1999, p. 88)

[13] A-http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/erikson.htm, Miller, P.

(1983). Theories of Developmental Psychology. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and

Company, & Santrock, J.(1996). Child Development. Dubuque, IA: Brown and

Benchmark Publishers.

[14] Ego Identity: A Handbook for Psychosocial Research 1993, by James E.

Marcia and Alan S. Waterman[15] Erikson, E. H. (1964). Insight and responsibility . New York: Norton.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1134704933https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1134704933https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1134704933http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htmhttp://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htmhttp://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htmhttp://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htmhttp://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htmhttp://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htmhttp://www.amazon.in/James-E.-Marcia/e/B00NXKH4R6/ref=la_B00NXKH4R6_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1462267940&sr=1-1http://www.amazon.in/James-E.-Marcia/e/B00NXKH4R6/ref=la_B00NXKH4R6_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1462267940&sr=1-1http://www.amazon.in/Alan-S.-Waterman/e/B00IP40R9M/ref=la_B00NXKH4R6_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1462267940&sr=1-1http://www.amazon.in/Alan-S.-Waterman/e/B00IP40R9M/ref=la_B00NXKH4R6_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1462267940&sr=1-1http://www.amazon.in/James-E.-Marcia/e/B00NXKH4R6/ref=la_B00NXKH4R6_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1462267940&sr=1-1http://www.amazon.in/James-E.-Marcia/e/B00NXKH4R6/ref=la_B00NXKH4R6_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1462267940&sr=1-1http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htmhttp://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htmhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1134704933https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number

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