Psychosocial theory of development-1.pptx

My eric erison psychological theory of development slide

1. Psychosocial theory of development By Eric Erickson

2. Introduction Over a course of 20 years while at Yale , Erick Erickson came up with his Psychosocial theory of development. The theory underlines 8 stages in which a healthy individual should pass through in life In each stage , an individual experiences a psychological crisis that can positively or negatively affect personality development. Success at a stage results in formation of virtue which is a characteristic strength that the ego use to resolve preceeding crisis. Failure to navigate a stage results in an unheathly individual with a poorly developed ego. 2

3. Stage one : Trust v Mistrust This stage spans from birth to about eighteen months. Infants wonder if the world can be trusted and safe. If an infant learns to trust then , then they can trust in the future. The caregiver who is usually the mother is the one who fosters this development. Therefore infants who receive adequate care tend to grow up to be trusting and depending. Otherwise , if there is inadequate care, there is development of insecurity , doubt and general mistrust. Infant feeding is a critical activity in this stage. When the caregiver pays heed to the infant’s hunger cues, they believe their needs can be met and therefore trusts. Ultimately success in this stage creates hopeful individuals while failure develops fear 3

4. Stage 2: Autonomy vs shame/doubt This stage occurs between the age of 18 months and around age 2 or 3 years A u tonomy allows children to ; *Exercise their critical thinking skills * Feel comfortable in their bodies * Gain a greater sense of their identity *Learn from their own mistakes * Make decisions independently *Process their emotions A s toddlers they begin to explore their world, they learn that they can control their actions and act on their environment to get results M ain task here for the toddler is to resolve the issue of autonomy vs shame and doubt by working to establish independence. This is the “me do it” stage If denied the opportunity to act on the environment, they may begin to doubt they abilities, which could lead to low self-esteem and feelings of shame 4 Potty training , an activity in this stage

5. Stage 3: Initiative vs Doubt Pre school stage (ages 3-5 years) Initiative is "a truly free sense of enterprise, manifested at the societal level in a society’s economic structure and endeavor, in other words it’s a desire to attempt new tasks, join or come up with activities with friends . Children are now capable of initiating activities and asserting control over their world through social interactions and play Children with initiative will develop self-confidence and feel sense of purpose. Those who are unsuccessful at this stage with their initiative misfiring or stifled by over-controlling parents-may develop feelings of guilt. • Guilt is shame over failing to complete a task successfully, provoking irritation in adults, and/or otherwise feeling embarrassed over attempting something. Children who experience guilt interpret mistakes as a sign of personal failure and feel that they are somehow "bad”. • A child who feels more guilt than initiative at this stage learns to resist trying new things for fear of failing. 5

6. Stage 4: Industry vs Inferiority Age: 5-11 years (early school years) Children begin to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments and abilities and they need to cope with new social and academic demands This stage helps us establish a sense of competence and fulfilment when one is successful and a sense of inferiority when one fails Competence is best established through support and encouragement of the children by their parents and teachers. Doubt and incompetence is brought about when a child receives little or no support. 6

7. Stage 5: Identity vs confusion 7 Identity in this stage is said to influence a person’s behaviour and development for the rest of their life. Success leads to an ability to stay true to yourself, while failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self. This sense of self is developed during adolescence when children explore their independence. Once again establishing a sense of true self is best done through encouragement and support. Importance: Identifying one’s true self helps us improve our experiences and interactions with others and helps us guide our actions, beliefs and behaviours. “Ego identity - the conscious sense of self that we develop through social interaction” This is a central focus during this stage as it challenges us on different aspects and this in turn can help one develop their identity or confuse them.

8. Stage 6 : intimacy vs isolation Age: Early adulthood This is said to be the “stage of love”. Young adults need to form intimate relationships with people, without this loneliness, depression and isolation could result. Success in this stage often leads to long and secure relationships. This stage also shows that all the stages are of great importance. This is because it is said to be hard to form relationships with people if one does not know their true self and lacks confidence. 8 v

9. Stage 7: Generativity vs. Stagnation Age: Middle adulthood (40 - 65 years) During this stage, individuals focus more on building their lives through careers, families and contributions to society. Generativity involves concern for others and the desire to contribute to future generations through parenting, mentoring and creative output that adds value to the society. Stagnation - feeling unproductive and uninvolved leading to lack of growth and feelings of emptiness. Because this stage often leads to influence on future generations is it is said to be the “making your mark” stage. This could be done through: having children, making an impact on other people, having a sense of stability - be it through work or businesses. Success in this stage is often achieved when one feels that they have contributed to the world and community in some form 9

10. This stage begins at 65 till one perishes. In this stage , individuals reflect on their lives as they review regrets and mistakes , beautiful memories made. Thus , one can develop ego integrity emanating from living a fulfilling and purposeful life , otherwise mistakes made earlier in life gives birth to despair in this stage. Ego integrity is characterized by a sense of coherence and fullness , wisdom and fulfilment while those in despair are regretful, bitter and disappointed couple with a fear of death , as they hope for more time to do better alive on earth Success in this stage will lead to wisdom which is doing now what one will not regret in the future. Perhaps that is why old age and wisdom are corelated , that’s why grandmothers are custodians of African culture. They are wise. Stage 8 : Ego Vs Despair 10

11. Conclusion 11 Erik Erickson theory created new concepts of how life is perceived. It is deemed to have good face validity as many people can relate to it through their own life experiences. It cohesively articulates virtue development across a lifespan. However it is not clear on the causative agents of development and does not clearly explain what qualifies an individual for the next stage. It is also biased in an African culture.