Erik Erikson 1902-1994

 Social/Emotional development
Personality theory

 Psychosocial Development

 Draws on Freud’s concepts

 Erick Erikson’s
8 life stages
Erikson developed 8 life stages that we go through, or
psychosocial dilemma.

He theorized that we went through dilemmas or crisis at

each stage of life.

Each stage has a developmental task to be mastered.

Resolving each dilemma creates new balance between a

person and the social world.

An unresolved outcome throws us off balance and

makes it harder to deal with later crisis.
Erickson’s 8 Stages of
development
PERIOD CONFLICT DESCRIPTION
OF TIME
Infancy Basic trust Parents must
vs. mistrust maintain an
adequate
environment-
supportive,
Virtue: Hope nurturing, and
loving-so that
the child
develops basic
trust
PERIOD OF CONFLICT DESCRIPTION
TIME
Years Autonomy vs. As the child develops
bowel and bladder
1-3 shame or doubt control, he or she
should also develop a
healthy attitude
toward being
independent and
somewhat self-
sufficient. (i.e. walking
Virtue: Will and eating alone). If
the child is made to
feel that independent
efforts are wrong,
then shame and self-
doubt develops
instead of autonomy.
PERIOD OF CONFLICT DESCRIPTION
TIME
Years Initiative vs. The child must
discover ways to
3-5-1/2 Guilt initiate actions on
his or her own. If
such initiatives are
successful, guilt
will be avoided.
This period
enables children to
Virtue: Purpose take leadership
and make
decisions and to
cooperate in play.
PERIOD OF CONFLICT DESCRIPTION
TIME

Years Industry vs. The child must

5-1/2 - 12 Inferiority learn to feel
competent,
especially when
competing with
Virtue: peers. Seeing
Competence tasks through
to completion is
essential.
Failure results
in feelings of
inferiority.
PERIOD OF CONFLICT DESCRIPTION
TIME

Adolescence Identity vs. The young person

must develop a
role confusion sense of role
identity, especially
in terms of
selecting a
Virtue: Fidelity vocation and
“being true to future career. It’s
the self” important to have
a strong “ego
identity”, which is
a “sense of self”,
or know who you
are.
PERIOD OF CONFLICT DESCRIPTION
TIME

Early Intimacy vs. The adult’s

Adulthood Isolation formation of
close
friendships and
relationships
Virtue: Love with the
opposite sex is
vital to healthy
development.
PERIOD OF CONFLICT DESCRIPTION
TIME
Middle Generativty Adults need to
Adulthood develop useful
vs. lives by helping
Stagnation and guiding
children. Childless
adults must fill this
Virtue: Care
need through
adoption or other
close relationships
with children.
PERIOD OF CONFLICT DESCRIPTION
TIME
Later Ego integrity Adults
Adulthood vs. despair eventually
review their
lives. A life well
spent will result
Virtue: Wisdom in a sense of
well-being and
integrity.