Influences of Erick Erickson’s Theory of Psychosocial Stages of Human Development
The process of human growth and development takes place procedurally and progressively right from conception, through infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, all the way to elderly. According to Erikson, the psychosocial process of the development of human growth and development takes place in 8 stages: 1) Trust versus mistrust, 2) autonomy versus shame and doubt, 3) initiative versus guilt, 4) industry versus inferiority, 5) identity versus confusion, 6) intimacy versus isolation, 7) creativity versus stagnation, and 8) inferiority versus despair (Batra, 2013). During each stage, human development takes a different direction depending on the kind of interactions one has with the immediate surroundings. This theory has influenced people’s understanding of lifespan development in many ways.
First and foremost, it has made people to acknowledge that the process of human growth takes place in 8 stages. During each of the stages, personality development occurs in human beings. Meaning, personality development is a process which does not stop, but takes place throughout a person’s life beginning from birth to death (Beckett & Taylor, 2016). Erikson has made people to believe that the success of each stage has a permanent influence in an individual’s life because it involves the development of some influential ego.
The other influence of the theory is that it has made people to know and believe that the process of personality development in human beings is influenced by social experiences (Newman & Newman, 2014). A simple translation of Erikson’s theory implies that the process of psychosocial development does not take place in a vacuum, but only occurs as a result of the interaction between an individual and the immediate environment in which a person lives. This means that the character traits and personality developed by an individual are only provided by the environment. A close attachment one has with the environment has a direct influence on the kind of person they become when they grow up. For example, during the second stage, a child can end up being autonomous or shameful depending on the kind of toilet training provided by the care taker of the parents.
Finally, Erikson’s theory has influenced people to hold the view that the process of personality development involves some conflict. As clearly outlined in the theory, each stage has a conflict whose end results determine the personality traits of an individual. For example, in the first stage, there is a conflict between mistrust and trust. During the second stage, there is a conflict between shame and independence (Sigelman & Rider, 2014). During adolescence, there is a conflict between confusion and identity. On the other hand, isolation and intimacy; and stagnation and creativity are the conflicts which happen during early and late adulthood respectively. From these two opposing conflicts, Erick has influenced people to believe that the kind of personality developed depends on the success in the management of conflicts during each and every stage since there is a direct relationship between the subsequent and preceding stages (Shaffer & Kipp, 2013).
In conclusion, Erick’s theory has been successful in explaining the development of personality traits in human beings. It has made people to acknowledge that the process of human development takes place in eight stages each of which involves an interaction with the surroundings, a conflict, and development of ego which influences the entire life of a person.
References
Batra, S., (2013). The Psychosocial Development of Children: Implications for Education and Society--Erik Erikson in Context. Contemporary education dialogue, 10(2), pp.249-278.
Beckett, C., & Taylor, H. (2016). Human growth and development. New York: Sage.
Carr, A. (2015). The handbook of child and adolescent clinical psychology: A contextual approach. London: Routledge.
Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2014). Development through life: A psychosocial approach. New York: Cengage Learning.
Sigelman, C. K., & Rider, E. A. (2014). Life-span human development. New York: Cengage Learning.
Shaffer, D. R., & Kipp, K. (2013). Developmental psychology: Childhood and adolescence. New York: Cengage Learning.
