Erik Erikson’s 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development Autobiography

Erik Erikson’s 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development Autobiography

Introduction

Erik Erikson is a psychoanalyst of German origin who came up with an eight stage theory of psychosocial development through exploring three aspects of identity which are; socio-cultural identity, personal identity and ego identity. All these involve idiosyncrasies which bring out a clear cut distinction between one person and the other. (Erikson 1994). It is in Erikson’s belief that all human beings regardless of culture or anything else have to go through eight stages of development in their entire life cycle, each having a period of healthy development, unhealthy development and a period of just being somewhere in between. Erikson’s theory, (Erikson 1994), puts into consideration several aspects such as the genetics, environment, situations and circumstances as well as upbringing among other external factors on which human personality development is dependent upon.

The eight stages of human development as brought out by Erikson (Erikson 1993), are as follows; Trust vs. Mistrust, Autonomy vs. Shame, Initiative vs. Guilt, Industry vs. Inferiority, Identity vs. Role Diffusion, Intimacy vs. Isolation, Generativity vs. Stagnation and lastly Ego-integrity vs. Despair. Erikson believed that all of these stages were crucial in the development of a human in that it could have a subsequent and profound effect on a person’s adult life. In his books, (Erikson 1989), he also referred to this theory as epigenesis or the epigenetic principle.

My personal development from childhood to the current stage of my life has involved a series of challenges as well as lessons which have played a significant role in my growth, having been born a native American in a complete family that was held together by virtues such as honesty and stability which also significantly played a major role in my growth and personality development. I was provided with all the needs that were necessary to take me through all the eight stages of growth, especially because I was the first child to my parents and they were really excited to receive me and therefore made adequate preparations.

I was given numerous opportunities to learn and to be industrious and autonomous by being allowed to interact with many people from whom I could quench my insatiable thirst for learning new things and gaining new experiences. Whenever I did anything that was considered to be wrong, I was corrected and punished in a way that did not make me doubt or feel shameful about myself but instead learn from it and emerge even more mature, autonomous and independent. More than enough chances for me to identify and stay true to myself presented themselves and I took onto them.

• Trust vs. Mistrust (Birth to 1 year) Getting my needs met

This is the stage of a child’s life that’s starts right from birth to when the child is one year old. At this stage, a child is wholly dependent on its significant caregivers for food, warmth, affection and comfort in general. It is at this stage that the child develops a sense of trust that the world is an ideal place for them to live. When a child is not provided with all these needs at this stage, it starts to develop mistrust towards the world and its caregivers. ( Jefferis 2016).

At this age, I had both parents who loved each other and provided a loving and safe environment for my comfort, affection and safety. They kept me warm and fed me on time and protected me against any kind of situation that would be a threat to my health or well being in general. For instance, they never allowed anyone to touch me unless they themselves trusted that particular person completely, and my mother in particular did not let me cry or be in discomfort for a long time.  I therefore developed a complete sense of trust in them and in the world. I trusted and hoped that my mother would calm me down as soon as I showed any signs of discomfort.

• Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (Early Childhood; 2 to 3) Becoming my own person

This is the age where a child becomes their own person. Their sense of independence and gain personal control over their skills, especially those that are physical, start to develop. This stage usually comes when the child is two to three years. Success in gaining their independence subsequently leads to the child developing a feeling of autonomy. However, this does not happen all the time because, as the child learns to do things on their own, they are bound to be given restrictions on what is good or bad and what is right or wrong. Being told that something they have done is wrong brings feelings of shame and doubt to children. When a child is punished for his or her shortcomings, he or she experiences feelings of shame and doubt in themselves. (Jefferis 2016) A child can therefore not be sure of when something is wrong or right.

When I was little, I was once playing with my friend who was also my neighbor and their parents invited me for breakfast, which I did not decline. Once my mother found out, she forced me to drink a half a litre cupful of tea and half a loaf of bread by myself just to teach me that it was wrong to eat at peoples’ houses. Up to date, I am usually never very comfortable having any meal or even snacking at peoples’ houses. It gave me permanent doubts on whether it is a right or wrong thing to do.

• Initiative vs. Guilt (Pre-School; 3 to5) Taking Charge

At three to five years old, children begin to be able to do so much more on their own. They can now take charge of themselves, and have an idea of what is expected of them. (Jefferis 2016). According to Erikson, it is at this stage that children begin to interact with other children some of who are older than them, and to mimic those which older people do. They start to have  a growing sense of initiative combined with purpose to pursue a certain coveted goal or better a skill. This sometimes leads to aggressiveness, coercion and jealousy in an attempt to compete and outmatch other children or their sibling. When punished for such behavior, feelings of guilt begin to ensue. The child starts to feel guilty of their actions.

A good example is when my dad bought dolls for my cousins and I and I exchanged my doll with my cousin’s which I thought looked better than mine. When he found out, I got a really good spanking and was forced to return the doll to my cousin and take back the one that was originally mine. I was engulfed by feelings of guilt.

• Industry vs. Inferiority (School age; 6 to 11) Role as a learner

This is the stage where children are now in school and fully understand their respective roles as learners. They learn how to cope with the new school environment and to meet the demands that the school requires. They receive extensive training from teachers and other older children on how to be caretakers for themselves and for other children as well. It is however unfortunate that some children do not cope as fast as others. Lillard and Jensen (2003), assert that children should be allowed to learn at their own pace, the Montessori style. If a child is successful at this stage, they are given an opportunity to learn thus gaining a sense of competence and industry whereas those who do not exactly succeed end up having feelings of inferiority. (Jefferis 2016).

At this age I feel like I was very industrious as I had many opportunities to learn new things everywhere I went. I was a fast learner which subsequently led to being given responsibilities such as being the class president which gave me even more opportunities to become industrious.

• Identity vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence; 12 to 20) Who am I?

This often comes in at the ages of twelve to twenty years. Children have developed skills and tools that are necessary for them to proceed into adulthood. They need to develop a sense of personal identity and are now experimenting on roles and ideas. Those who succeed in this stay grounded and true to themselves while those who fail end up in confusion, weak sense of self and feel lost eventually. (Jefferis 2016). Erikson speaks of fidelity that also requires a teen at this stage to remain true to their significant other. He also advises that one takes a moratorium before proceeding in their journey of identifying themselves especially for those who feel lost.

I personally took a moratorium and travelled to a different country to take part in a charity organization before I could figure out what career path I wanted to take. I had enough time for myself, to identify myself, to see the world in a different perspective to be a natural and most important of all to realize what I really wanted to to and to pursue and stay true to myself and my career.

• Intimacy vs. Isolation (Early Adulthood; 20’s and 30’s) Role of Relationships

According to (Jefferis 2016), it is necessary that young adults involve themselves  in intimate and loving relationships with other people, especially young adults like themselves. Once a person has successfully consolidated their own identity, they become more capable of sustaining intimate and passionate unions with other people whereas those who haven’t identified themselves fully end up in loneliness and isolation. This mostly happens at the age of twenty to thirty years where the role of relationships in early adulthood is seen.

Personally, am on the right career path which means I have successfully consolidated my identity and I am capable and ready to get involved in an intimate and passionate relationship with someone who has equally identified themselves and is in the same intimacy position as myself.

• Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood; 40’s and 50’s) Giving Back

This is the stage of adulthood. Erikson defines this stage as the stage of maturity and asserts that maturity means that a person is needed. This, according to (Jefferis 2016), calls for the need for an adult to have something that will outlast them or rather keep their legacy alive, for instance children or creation of a positive change that will benefit others. It generally means giving back to the society.

Having something that will outlast an adult or will benefit others gives a feeling of usefulness and accomplishment while having nothing makes a person feels stagnant and unproductive. I am not at this stage yet, but when I do get here, I would like to have children as well as do something that will give back to the society and benefit other people and guide the generation that will come after me.

• Ego- Integrity vs. Despair (Maturity; 60’s onward) Looking Back

Erikson also refers to this stage as the wisdom stage. This makes sense according to (Jeferris 2016), because people often look back at the decisions they made through their entire life and feel content and wise. Success at this stage comes when one looks back at their life and gets filled with feelings of fulfillment. At this stage, wise people are able to pass on their wisdom to the next generation. Those who failed to make wise decisions end up having feeling of regret, bitterness and despair as the fear in them arises due to a limited opportunity to achieve integrity.

Conclusion

After a critical study of Erikson’s theory on the eight stages of psychosocial development, I have learnt that identity is the most important aspect in a human being’s development. All of the eight stages focus on identity at one point or the other. A big percentage of a child’s behavior for instance when a child shows distress, or any other pathological symptoms can easily be interpreted as a child’s way of trying to express and reach out for their  their need to get in touch with their identity.

Erikson further emphasized that it is only upto the fourth stage and enters the stage of identity vs. confusion, that a human being’s ego is fully mature, and at that point the person is ready to proceed into adulthood. The entire period is however critical for the transition from one stage to the other. Adolescents at this stage are open to conversations in terms of their spiritual, social and physical experiences and this makes it easier for them to have various experiences before they finally find their identity.

Works Cited

Erikson’s Stages of Development – Learning Theories , https://www.learning-theories.com/eriksons-stages-of-development.html

1. Jefferis, 2016

P, P. Lillard., & L, L. Jessen   “Montessori From the Start” , 2003