Topic > The psychological phases of Erik Erikson

Index Autonomy versus shame and doubt: Braxton, 3 years Identity versus role confusion, Evan, 13 years Generativity versus stagnation, Joshua, 35 years Conclusion Works Cited Erikson was a very significant, psychoanalyst (Erikson Institute) . It is best known for its eight psychological stages of development. Erikson believed that personality develops in a sequence of stages. He believed that every person goes through these different eight stages of development and during each stage every person faces a psychological crisis. This struggle ends with a positive or negative result for personality development. According to Erikson's theory, if each stage is successfully completed, it will result in a healthy personality and the achievement of characteristic strengths that a person uses to resolve subsequent crises (McLeod, 2018). If a person does not successfully complete these eight stages, Erikson states that this can result in a reduced ability to complete further stages (McLeod, 2018). This in turn would create an unhealthy personality and low self-esteem. Recovery of these “failed phases” can however be done later (McLeod, 2018). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Erik Erikson's theory has eight psychological stages. The stages are as follows: trust versus mistrust (from birth to 1 year), autonomy versus shame and doubt (from 1 year to 3 years), initiative versus guilt (from 3 to 6 years), industry versus inferiority (from 6 at 12 years old). years), Identity versus role confusion (ages 12 to 18), Intimacy versus isolation (ages 18 to 30), Generativity versus stagnation (ages 30 to late adulthood), and Integrity versus despair (late adulthood) (Boyd & Bee, 2015). Finding a balance in many of these phases is important. Here we will discuss three of these eight phases. We will focus on Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt, Identity versus Role Confusion, and Generativity versus Stagnation. An interview was conducted with three individuals who fall into these three phases. We will relate the answers to the interview questions to the specific stage to determine exactly how the person fits into that stage. Each interviewee was asked the same questions; just in different forms to make sure the question was understood for each person. One interviewee was three years old, the second was thirteen years old, and the third was thirty-five years old. Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt: Braxton, age 3 Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt is the second stage of Erikson's eight stages. This stage takes place during a child's early childhood (Boyd & Bee, 2015). The main idea behind this stage is that the child is starting to learn independence and develop greater personal control (Cherry & Gans, 2018). Children who successfully complete the phase of independence from shame and doubt will feel confident in themselves; however, if they fail to complete this stage, the child will likely feel inadequate (Cherry & Gans, 2018). Braxton states that in the future he is looking forward to doing his job, which is feeding animals, which is the same as his current 'job'. This shows that Braxton expresses his independence by feeding all his animals himself almost every days. He does not rely on his mother and father to do the work for him. This also shows that Braxton does not have the full ability to think futuristically. Braxton's favorite thing about himself is that he is handsome having a list a mile long in which to criticize ourselves and point out every little flaw However, Braxton still has an innocent mentality and still doesn't think negatively about himself When asked whichis his least favorite thing about himself, Braxton insisted that he likes himself. He doesn't have negative thoughts or think anything about him is "bad." This shows that he has not yet entered stage three (initiative versus guilt) because it makes him not see things about himself as good or bad. Braxton thinks other people think he's nice and awesome. This goes hand in hand with not noticing the negative things in him. Children of this age are so innocent-minded and mostly focused on their increased independence. Braxton's greatest fears are snakes and bears. This response shows that he has understood what fear is but has not consumed it. He understands that these things could hurt him but he doesn't always focus on that, he just knows that these things could be mean to him and that scares him. If Braxton could change anything in the world, he would change his underwear. This makes it very clear that Braxton is unable to see the big picture or see the overall negative things in the world at this age. When asked what he would change about himself, he said he would turn into a cowboy. This goes along with having an innocent mind and not seeing the negative in him at the age of three. Braxton was given the opportunity to master his independence from a safe distance. His parents supported and encouraged his independence and this shows through his development. Patience is huge for parents as their children go through this stage. Letting the child dress himself or put on his own shoes also helps the child; although it is good for parents to provide support and assist if and when the child asks for help. Braxton said he cares most about going to the park and that his favorite people right now are two of his cousins, Silas and Violet. It is only in the third stage (initiative versus guilt) that children really focus on playing and interacting with others. Braxton may be very close to entering the third phase because he has been much more interested in spending more time with his cousins ​​and playing with them. If Braxton could teach someone younger than him something, he said he would teach children how to walk and how to talk. It is very clear, based on this response alone, that Braxton is in the stage of autonomy versus shame and doubt. This stage is about children learning to gain independence and Braxton very clearly would just like to teach someone younger than him that little bit of independence that he knows and has mastered. Overall, it appears that Braxton is mastering the Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt stage. It seems that he has confidence in himself and that he will obtain the virtue of will. It doesn't appear that Braxton feels inadequate or has low self-esteem. He thinks highly of himself and loves himself as he is. Identity vs. Role Confusion, Evan, age 13 Identity vs. Role Confusion is the fifth stage of Erikson's eight stages. This phase takes place during adolescence, from approximately twelve to eighteen years old. During identity and role confusion, the adolescent is going through the changes of puberty and learning their sense of personal identity (Cherry & Gans, 2018). This is another phase where independence plays an important role, just in a very different aspect. Adolescents who successfully complete the identity versus role confusion phase will develop a vibrant sense of self and develop feelings of independence and control (Cherry & Gans, 2018). During this stage, a teenager is figuring out who they are and where they are going in their life. Evan's biggest goal for the future is to go to college and he is looking forward to playing baseball professionally in the future. Evan is verypassionate about baseball right now and practices or plays every single day of the entire year. He is very focused on his life right now and has realized how much this could affect his future, so he is working hard now so he can achieve these goals when he gets older. Evan likes the way he pitches in baseball and wishes he were older so he could be even better at baseball than he already is. He is very involved in baseball and has the mentality that he will absolutely achieve the goals he has set for himself. Evan is not afraid of not being able to achieve these dreams and goals. However, he fears snakes. This shows that Evan is not surrounded by fear and it does not consume him, but he knows what fear is and he knows the things to be afraid of. Evan feels accomplished when he and his teammates win a tournament and also when he puts in a good day's work. He's starting to mature a lot more as he's realizing that working hard to win and working hard in general is when he feels the most fulfilled. Evan had some interview questions that he was hesitant to answer and even felt uncomfortable at times. They are at a stage where they are learning to develop a sense of self and even at this age most teenagers are concerned about what their peers think of them and how they see them. Evan insisted that he doesn't care what others think of him, but it definitely seemed like there was something he wanted to say. He was asked how he believes others think of him, so it wasn't even a negative question. Based on the way he answered your question, I think he's starting to see negative things in himself, but he doesn't want his coworkers and friends to think or see the flaws that Evan sees in him. He would like to be bigger (taller) than him so he can be even better at baseball and also because I think he feels inferior compared to the other kids at school or on his baseball team. She wants to feel comfortable, but she doesn't always feel that way when she thinks about her size compared to everyone else's. Evan is able to see futuristically at this stage. When asked what matters most to him, I thought he would answer baseball since it's such a big part of his life right now and it's what he dreams of doing when he's older too, but Evan said he It matters more than money. She loves buying things, having the best of the best and wearing everything designer. Things like this make teens feel more included and more "cool" because they have a famous brand. Evan will work right now because he likes it but also because he loves having money and being able to spend it on things he really likes. Evan has no regrets at this point in his life. He wishes the world had more fish in the waters. He wants to be able to catch more fish and believes that if there were more fish, it would be inevitable that he would be able to catch more. If Evan were to give advice to someone younger than him, he would tell them if they make a bad decision, they need to admit it and accept the consequences. This made me think that Evan may have had a bad experience with this and maybe someone he cared about lied or didn't admit to something they did and that rubbed Evan the wrong way. This response shows that Evan understands the important aspects of life. It shows that something bad may have happened to him, but he has learned from it and wants to make sure he admits his choices because he didn't like the way it made him feel when he didn't or when a friend didn't admit it. to their bad decisions. Evan is definitely finding his role in life right now and focusing on things in his life right now, like baseball, andhe knows how it can influence his future. Generativity versus Stagnation, Joshua, 35 years old Generativity versus Stagnation is Erikson's seventh stage of psychological development. According to Kendra Cherry (2018), generativity refers to making your mark on the world, while stagnation refers to the inability to find a way to contribute. During this stage, a person will focus on creating and developing things that will outlive those (Cherry, 2018). In most cases, the main focus in this phase will be on the children of anyone who is currently in this phase. When a person passes this stage successfully, they will feel productive in the world around them, as if they are contributing (Cherry, 2018). The first answer Joshua gave when asked what he expects in the future was to see his children grow up. This was a very clear indicator that Joshua is in the generativity phase versus the stagnation phase. Her biggest goal is to make sure her family is taken care of and she fears not being there for her family and not being able to make sure they are always taken care of. Joshua is a very caring person who is always willing to help anyone, even if they are complete strangers (unless it would endanger his family). He wants to contribute to the world around him by creating more positivity for people currently in the military and veterans. Joshua believes they need more support during active duty and once they return home. He dreams of one day running hunting services for veterans, mostly disabled but not only. Joshua would like to do guided hunts and create easier ways for veterans to be able to hunt, which is a passion of Joshua's. This makes it very clear that Joshua wants to be involved in the community and the world. It is mastering the basic virtue, caring, which is the main virtue received from this stage if it is successfully completed (Cherry, 2018). Joshua feels most fulfilled when he teaches someone something new. He is passionate about hunting and fishing and has brought people many times just to teach them how to do it and he absolutely loves it with every part of his being. Not only does he love teaching his children things, but he also loves teaching others new things and introducing them to things he is passionate about. This shows that Joshua is not self-centered at all and is mastering this phase. Kendra Cherry (2018) states that many people go through a midlife crisis during this phase. This might mean looking back and regretting something a person didn't do and didn't have the opportunity to do. Joshua's biggest regret is not playing college football. He had many opportunities but never had the proper guidance, so he ended up going to work instead of doing what he loved. This led him to want to give advice to younger people to take advantage of all the opportunities that arise before them. He said that life is too short not to continue doing what you love and that life goes by so fast. Joshua is completely happy with where life has taken him, but wishes he had taken advantage of his college opportunity by playing football and getting a college degree. Parenting and work are both important events during the generativity versus stagnation phase (Cherry, 2018). Joshua definitely focuses on the importance of his parenting, but he also focuses on the importance of his job. He is currently trying to advance his career at the company he works for, FedEx. Although both his parenting and his work are extremely important to Joshua, he will always put his family before his work because his family is number one in life. Always try to teach, 18(3), 341-358.