Angie Griffin

Human Growth and Development

PSY 223

The Erik Erikson Experience: A Short Explanation and Evaluation

02/04/2019
Erik Homburg Erikson was a renowned German-American psychosocial theorist. Born to a

Jewish mother and unknown biological father, Erik Salomonsen was adopted by his stepfather

in 1911. His stepfather pushed for him to pursue a medical career but he enrolled in an art

school for a year, instead. Erikson’s wife, Joan, was an artist, who took an interest in his studies

of childhood development. He studied at the University of Vienna before taking a position at

Heitzing School that earned him and certification from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society

among other teaching degrees and a certification in the Montessori method. His interest and

success with the children at Hietzing gained him the attention of Anna Freud. Erikson was an

important revisionist of her father, Sigmund Freud’s ideas. After relocation and assistant

professorships in America at Yale and Harvard, he applied for citizenship, which was granted in

1939. Various books and papers were published by Erikson, like his extensive work on the life

and personality of Mahatma Gandhi, ​Gandhi’s Truth, ​which earned him a Pulitzer Prize and a

National Book Award. He taught at Harvard until retirement. In 1980, serious health problems

pushed for his full retirement. Battling multiple conditions, one of them being prostate cancer,

Erik Erikson died at 91, in his sleep in Rosewood Manor, Harwich, MA, on May 12th, 1994.

Erikson was prominently known for his research and theories in childhood development, and

development throughout the human lifespan. His most famous theory being the eight stages of

development. According to Erikson, there were various “crises” that developed naturally and

inevitably at various points in the life cycle. Successful resolution of these crises would

determine where one later experienced relative happiness or discontent and neurosis. He
focused more on development as psychosocial rather than Freud’s psychosexual viewpoints. He

believed that motivation is to be social, which reflects the desire to connect and be around

others. Erikson’s theory is that eight stages of development arise throughout life, unique

complications in each stage that confronts individuals, a crisis that must be solved, an answer

that must be found, a decision that must be made. It’s vulnerability versus potential.

Stage 1-Trust vs. Mistrust

The first of Erikson’s eight stages is during the first year of life, up to about eighteen months, in

which a basic viewpoint of how the world is or will be is formed. During the first year of life,

infants learn trust when they are cared for in a consistent and nurturing manner, if this care is

neglected, or hindered, mistrust will be the outcome of this stage. Physical comfort and

sensitive care is key to establishing a basic level of trust in infants, the attachment and lifelong

expectation that the world is a good place.

Stage 2-Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

The following stage, during 1-3 years revolves around a child understanding that their behavior

is their own. Erikson stressed that independence is an important issue in the second year of life,

mistakes, restraint and punishment causes shame and doubt. The stage of autonomy versus

doubt has important implications for the development of self and independence and identity

during adolescence.

Stage 3-Initiative vs. Guilt

The third stage in Erikson’s developmental theory comes during the preschool years, when

one’s social world is expanding and is beginning to require purposeful, active actions and

responsibilities. Guilt may arise of a child is made to feel anxious or irresponsible. Children are
convinced now that they are their own person and they identify intensely with parents who, to

them, seem beautiful and powerful, though often unreasonable and disagreeable. Play, Erikson

agrees with Freud, helps children master anxieties and conflicts. Young children in this stage

improve their self understanding and their understanding of others.

Stage 4-Industry vs. Inferiority

This stage comes during the elementary years when children begin to master knowledge and

intellectual skills. Inferiority may stem from feelings of incompetence, inadequacy and

unproductiveness. Industry is the understanding of how things are and how they work. If

children are encouraged in their efforts, to make, build and work, their sense of industry

increases. If a parent sees a child’s efforts at making things as “mischief” or “making a mess”, it

will tend to foster a sense of inferiority in their children.

Stage 5-Identity vs. Identity Confusion

This stage occurs during adolescence, when development takes a turn into who they are, what

they’re about. A time of finding themselves or a time of not knowing who you are or where you

belong. Identity is considered a key aspect of adolescent development. Among “identity crisis”,

Erikson coined the term “psychosocial moratorium”, meaning the gap between childhood

security and adult autonomy. Society generally leaves adolescents relatively free of

responsibilities and in turn they are able to try out different identities, search culture roles and

experient with who they think they may be. The debate of “delinquency” is addressed vaguely

but pointedly by Erikson. (1968) He argues the adolescents whose development in this identity

stage has restricted them from acceptable social roles, have been made to feel as if they cannot
measure up to plans, may choose negative identity (delinquency) in an attempt to establish an

identity, even if it is a negative one.

Stage 6-Intimacy vs. Isolation

Erikson’s sixth stage encompasses early, or young adulthood, when it's time for forming

intimate relationships, or if not, isolating themselves instead. Intimacy can be seen as finding

oneself while losing oneself in another. It requires commitment and is a key development issue

in early adulthood.

Stage 7-Generativity vs. Stagnation

The seventh stage is that of middle adulthood, where the concern for helping the next

generation and being generous is rivaling against feeling unsuccessful in leaving legacies or

helping the next generation. If felt to be unsuccessful, like they have done little or nothing for

the next generation, stagnation occurs.

Stage 8-Integrity vs. Despair

Erikson’s final stage comes in late adulthood and through the end of one’s life. This is a time for

reflection, a time to look back on one’s life and relate either a positive, life well spent review, if

life is full of integrity. If a person’s retrospect is doubtful, a regretful past, their life may end in

despair.

Erikson’s theory best describes the changes that occur throughout one’s life, distinct, unique

stages of development that bolster his favor of discontinuity in lifespan development. The

timing (age range) of the first four of Erikson’s stages line up to Freud’s psychosexual stages.

Erikson leaned towards a more balanced biological-cultural interaction perspective, and that

development primarily depends on the unconscious mind and that it is heavily couched in
emotion. Erikson’s theory helps pinpoint certain areas of development, which allows for more

in-depth researched to be performed in lifespan development cases or studies. As with

development, Erikson’s eight stages and early childhood psychoanalysis work is

multidisciplinary. In the medical field, theory-directed nursing practices, especially when

dealing with children’s development, are based primarily on Erikson’s theories. Erikson was

concerned with the psychoanalytic approach to psychopathology. Rather than focusing on

libidinal influences on development, as Freud did, Erikson viewed development within the

context of family and its historical-cultural heritage. This broad view of developmental

influences, as well as the psychosocial focus of the theory, has made Erikson’s theory very

relevant to practitioners in the health sciences, including nurses. This theory can lend direction

to guide an RN in identifying aspects of child development on any specific case to find

intervention points based on current development, and averages. Erikson, in his theory,

identified a crisis related to a task which much be accomplished in order for an individual to

move on to the next stage. Development can be expressed in terms of gaining competency in a

struggle between two opposite outcomes, usually one positive, one negative. Erikson’s theory

can be used in all phases of the nursing discipline, and since development is viewed from an

environmental as well as a biological perspective, intervention with whole families becomes

and important factor in nursing, families that are spread about among different stages of life.

His theory can be used in generating a variety of nursing diagnoses that can be individualized to

a patient’s developmental level and problem area. When using Erikson’s theory, nursing

interventions are able to focus on enhancing the psychosocial development in children, helping

the child to gain and maintain a sense of adaptation and identity. RNs can be involved in this
process by helping the child and/or family set appropriate goals and look toward the outcomes

they expect to occur. Erikson’s theory can be used to guide this process, using its specification

of the attributes of one who has achieved successful mastery of each of the developmental

crises. Therefore, goals can be set to guide the attainment of these attributes.

Erikson’s theory allows for specifying and pinpointing areas throughout our life in which we had

turning points or crises that changed our development. It allows for research into possible

outcomes if a stage is successful or failed, in turn, and perhaps how to make these crises

malleable enough to manage and overcome, positively to the next stage of development. Along

with those in the medical field and multiple other disciplines, parents can use Erikson’s theory

to develop a sense of understanding the child’s mind during the early stages of development

and perhaps how to foster positive outcomes throughout those stages that are so influenced

early on.
Works Cited

Essentials of Life-Span Development 4th Edition - Santrock, John W.

​ ttp://www.nndb.com/people/151/000097857​)
NNDB-Notable Names Data Base (h

Theory-Directed Nursing Practice Second Edition- edited by Ziegler, Shirley Melat