Analyzing Erikson's Stages Of Psychosocial Development

Theorist Essay Erik Erikson is the theorist behind the Stages of Psychosocial Development. Like Freud, Erikson takes a look at the development of the emotional like and psychological traits, however Erikson also looks at the development of self-identity. Erikson had his own share of identity problems but still managed to create a personally meaningful life. One of Erikson’s key components in his theory of development would be his eight stages. He took Freud’s five stages and extended them to eight, rather than going after parts of the body that lead to fixations, Erikson focused on age groups and the life-crisis’ they face during that time. His theory is that at each stage in life you face a life-crisis and how you develop after that stage is determined by which path you chose to take. The other key component of Erikson’s theory is that he focuses on human choice rather than submitting to or fighting urges, implying that humans are face with obstacles and ultimately choose which route they’re going to take to get out of it. Reflection and comparison I think Erikson’s theory is very relevant as it is very applicable to people’s lives. Most people would be able to look back at their childhood and find an example of when they experienced something that fit into Erikson’s theory. There are a few comparisons that can be made between Erikson’s theory and the Ecological perspective. As well there are a few similarities and differences that can be found between the two. Following the stages of Erikson’s theory of development I can offer the example of when I began picking out my own clothes. …show more content…
When I was three years old I began becoming very fussy when it came to getting dressed and brushing my hair. I would squirm and tell my mom “no” and if she put my hair up I would take it down. My mom got fed up and eventually let me do it all myself. This I believe is a good example of the Autonomy Versus Shame. I was not shamed for this instead I was given the independence that my three year old self was demanding. I soon after began planning my outfits the night before showing initiative, my mother loved this as she didn’t have to worry about it so I did not feel guilt for my initiative, thus learning that planning and following through with my plans was a positive thing. This led to me being confident to make my own decision in my early adulthood and also ties into the idea that it is more important to look at humans making choices rather than being driven my urges. Erikson’s Theory of Development and the Ecological Perspective both look at aspects of psychological, social and emotional development. …show more content…
They both look at child development have to do with the environment in which they are places. The Ecological Perspective looks more at where they live, whereas Erikson’s Theory looks more at situations they are placed it (crises). One of the strongest comparisons is that the Ecological Perspective really looks at the interaction between parent and child. With Erikson’s theory between the ages of zero - twelve much of the interaction is between child and parent. The parents have lots of influence in which choice the child makes when faced with their crises. One of the similarities I found was the parent child interaction similarity. Both perspectives show that the child’s development is strongly influenced by how their parents interact with them. The