Kennedy Singer 4B

Erik Erikson
Erik Erikson developed eight stages through which a healthy, developing human being should pass from infancy to late adulthood. Erikson believed each stage of life had favorable outcomes known as virtues. His research suggests that each individual must learn how to balance both extremes of each specific life-stage challenge, not rejecting one or the other. The virtue for a stage can surface only when both extremes are understood and accepted as required and useful. For example, trust and mistrust must both be understood and accepted in order for hope to emerge as a virtue of the first stage. Integrity and despair must also be understood and accepted for wisdom to become the virtue of the last stage. Below is a chart summarizing Erikson's stages of psychological development.

Approximate Age 02 years 24 years 45 years 512 years 1319 years 2039 years 4064 years 65-death

Virtues Hopes Will Purpose Competence Fidelity Love Care Wisdom

Psycho Social Crisis Basic Trust vs. Mistrust Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt Initiative vs. Guilt Industry vs. Inferiority Identity vs. Role Confusion Intimacy vs. Isolation Generativity vs. Stagnation Ego Integrity vs. Despair

Significant Relationship Mother Parents Family Neighbors, School Peers, Role Model Friends, Partners Household, Workmates Mankind, My Kind

Existential Question Can I Trust the World? Is It Okay To Be Me?

Examples Feeding, Abandonment Toilet Training, Clothing Themselves

Is It Okay For Me To Do, Exploring, Using Tools Move and Act? or Making Art Can I Make It In The World Of People And Things? Who Am I? What Can I Be? Can I Love? Can I Make My Life Count? School, Sports Social Relationships Romantic Relationships Work, Parenthood

Is It Okay To Have Been Reflection on Life Me?

Wow #1: Our progress through each stage is in part determined by our success, or lack of success, in all the previous stages. A little like the unfolding of a rose bud, each petal opens up at a certain time, in a certain order, which nature, has determined. If we interfere with the natural order of development by pulling a petal forward prematurely or out of order, we ruin the development of the entire flower. Wow #2: We dont stop developing psychologically after our twelfth or thirteenth birthdays. Wow #3: Erikson pointed out that children influence their parents development and grandchildren can even influence their grandparents development. Wow #4: "You see a child play, and it is so close to seeing an 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 enormous creativity, and whatever's in them rises to the surface in free play." Erik Erikson Wow #5: Erikson recognized the basic notions of Freudian theory, but believed that he misjudged some important dimensions of human development. Erikson said that humans develop throughout their life span, while Freud said that our personality is shaped by the age of five. I agree with Eriksons idea that in order for a person to successfully move on from a stage they have to understand and accept both extremes. However, I dont believe that a certain virtue comes of it. I perceive that understanding both extremities is vital to becoming truly successful in life. I agree with Eriksons chart for the most part,

but I do not believe that one must go through that face and accomplish it in order to move on to the next level.