Developmental Stages Essay

Free Articles

Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development describes the impact of societal experience across the whole lifetime. He believed that personality develops in a series of phases. In his theory he explains eight phases through which a healthy developing human should go through from babyhood to late maturity. Harmonizing to Erikson ( 1950 ) . “Each phase physiques on the successful completion of earlier phases. The challenges of phases non successfully completed may be expected to re-emerge as jobs in the future” .

In Erikson’s first phase. babyhood ( birth to 18 months ) . he centers on the construct of trust vs. misgiving where the babies basic demands are being met. During this phase. the child’s comparative apprehension of the universe and society comes from parents/primary health professional. Babies are particularly dependent for nutrient. nutriment. and comfort. Harmonizing to Erikson ( 1950 ) . the major developmental undertaking in babyhood is to larn whether or non other people. particularly primary health professionals. on a regular basis satisfy basic demands. If health professionals are consistent beginnings of nutrient. comfort. and fondness. an infant learns to swear that others are trusty.

We Will Write a Custom Essay Specifically
For You For Only $13.90/page!


order now

If they are inattentive. or possibly even opprobrious. the infant alternatively learns misgiving in that the universe is in an unreliable. unpredictable. and perchance unsafe topographic point. As an baby. I was fortunate to see the love and nurturing that was needed to derive trust from my health professionals. My female parent would sway me to kip while singing or reading to me. As a consequence. I developed a passion for music and reading. My parents made me experience like everything was traveling to be alright. I still believe no affair what happens that finally everything is traveling to be alright.

In Erikson’s 2nd developmental phase. Early Childhood ( 18 Calendar months to 3 old ages ) . he asserts that a kid begins to research his milieus after they gain control of eliminative maps and motor abilities ( Harder. 2002 ) . A kid has the chance to construct self-esteem and liberty as he gain more control over our organic structures and get new accomplishments ( larning right from incorrect ) . In this phase the parents or primary health professionals help the kid by being patient and encouraging. which fosters liberty in the kid.

Parents or health professionals who are extremely restrictive are more likely to transfuse in the kid with a sense of uncertainty and reluctance to try new challenges. My parents allowed me to research but non to the point where my safety was in hazard. They popped my manus if I reached for the socket. floor warmer. ashtray. or anything else that was in harm’s manner. It was during this phase of my life that I received congratulations for things that I accomplished ; for case. utilizing the toilet and seting my toys off. I learned how to get the hang certain accomplishments for myself.

Erikson believes that the 3rd phase. Play Age ( 3 to 5 old ages ) . is indispensable to a healthy kid. It is during this clip that kids truly learn what they live. They want to copy grownups and others around them. This is the phase where most healthy kids begin to broaden their accomplishments through active drama of all kinds. including phantasy. They besides learn to collaborate with others and to take every bit good as follow. Young kids in this class face the challenge of inaugural versus guilt.

However. Erikson ( 1968 ) said that at this phase kids normally become involved in the authoritative “Oedipal struggle” and decide these battles through “social function identification” . As a consequence. the kid can be immobilized by guilt. Harmonizing to Erikson ( 1950 ) the kid is fearful. bents on the periphery of groups. continues to depend unduly on grownups. and is restricted both in the development of drama accomplishments and in imaginativeness. As a kid. I remember walking in my mother’s places when she was non have oning them. We played frock up and pretended we were Queenss. My basic household was the most important relationship.

In Erik Erikson’s 4th phase. School Age ( 6 to 12 old ages ) . kids are capable of making. acquisition and carry throughing new undertaking ( Harder. 2002 ) . They are going more cognizant of themselves as persons and. as a consequence. they become more sensible to portion and cooperate. “They work hard at being responsible. being good and making it right” ( Allen & A ; Marotz. 2003 ) . Allen & A ; Marotz ( 2003 ) besides list some perceptual cognitive developmental traits specific for this age group. Children understand the constructs of infinite and clip in more logical. practical ways and get down to derive a better apprehension of cause and consequence and calendar clip. At this phase. kids are eager to larn and carry through more complex accomplishments such as reading. authorship. and revealing clip.

They besides get to organize moral values. acknowledge cultural and single differences and are able to pull off most of their personal demands and preparing with minimum aid ( Allen & A ; Marotz. 2003 ) . At this phase. kids might show their independency by being disobedient. utilizing back talk. and being rebellious. For myself. I became disobedient but it didn’t take much for them to acquire me back on path. My parents merely had to paddle me several times in my life and ne’er for the same thing. If kids are encouraged to do and make things and are so praised for their achievements. they begin to show industry by being diligent. continuing at undertakings until completed and seting work before pleasance. On the other manus. if kids are punished or ridiculed for their attempts or if they feel they are non run intoing others ( teachers/parents ) outlooks. they develop feelings of lower status about their capablenesss.

In Erikson’s 5th phase. Adolescence ( 12 to 18 old ages ) . he believes up to this phase development largely depends upon what is done to us. From here on out what we do find our development ( Harder. 2002 ) . The construct of individuality vs. function confusion is used in that it is where a kid is neither a kid nor an grownup. The stripling is concerned with how they appear to others. This is when what was learned early on drama an of import portion of how an adolescent see themselves. For illustration. if a kid learned misgiving in babyhood. shame in early childhood. guilt at drama age. and lower status at school age. what are the opportunities of this kid holding a positive image of themselves as an stripling? Our undertaking is to detect who we are as persons separate from household. As they make the passage from childhood to adulthood. striplings ponder the functions they will play in the grownup universe. Initially. they are disposed to see some function confusion- assorted thoughts and feelings about the specific ways in which they will suit into society- and may experiment with a assortment of behaviours and activities.

At this phase in my life my Grandma taught me some really valuable things. My grandmother farmed a beautiful garden which she kept me involved with. From tiling the land. seting the seeds. and irrigating the garden I learned a great trade. Not merely did I learn about flora. I learned about life. My grandmother taught me the valuable lesson of harvesting what you have sown and how one bad fruit can botch the whole clump. I besides learned that you have to believe in yourself. every bit good as believe in a Higher Power. My grandmother taught me how to populate off the land. but most significantly. she showed me by being a good illustration for me to follow. Erikson ( 1968 ) is credited with coining the term “identity crisis” because each phase that came before and that follows has its ain ‘crisis’ . but even more so now. for this marks the passage from childhood to maturity. It is necessary for this transition to take topographic point because throughout babyhood and childhood a individual signifiers much designation.

As a pronounced turning point in human development. it seems to be the rapprochement between the individual one has come to be and the individual society expects him to go. An emerging sense of ego will be established by hammering past experiences with expectancies of the hereafter. In relation to the eight life phases as a whole. the 5th phase corresponds to the hamlets. a clip of great alteration of the organic structure every bit good as the head. Youth is a span between childhood and maturity. Currently. I find myself in Erik Erikson’s 6th phase of development. Young Adulthood ( 18 to 35 old ages ) . Erikson ( 1950 ) expressed that immature grownups are in a phase of familiarity versus isolation. The Intimacy V. Isolation struggle is emphasized around the ages of 20 to 34. At the start of this phase. individuality vs. function confusion is coming to an terminal. and it still lingers at the foundation of the following phase ( Erikson. 1950 ) . In this phase persons develop confidant and close relationships with others ( Crandell. Crandell. & A ; Vander Zanden. 2009 ) . I find myself fighting with this peculiar construct extensively.

With the type of personality that I have. I invariably look for everyone to “like” me ; hence I ne’er truly established a stopping point and confidant relationship with a important individual that means anything. Zucker. Ostrove. & A ; Stewart. ( 2002 ) reported that individuality certainty may go on to increase over the class of maturity. I am happening that holding tried to do people “like” me that I lost a portion of myself. I lost who I was. In eventually holding the opportunity to truly see life with person who loves me for me. I can concentrate on making things for myself every bit good as making things for my important other as good. therefore doing us both happy in our relationship. Erikson ( 1950 ) besides argues that “Intimacy has a opposite number he calls distantiation which is the preparedness to insulate and. if necessary. to destruct those forces and people whose kernel seems unsafe to our ain. and whose district seems to infringe on the extent of one’s confidant relations” .

Once people have established their individualities. they are ready to do long-run committednesss to others. If people can non organize these intimate relationships ( possibly because of their ain demands ) a sense of isolation may ensue. In comparing Kohlberg’s and Erikson’s developmental theories. I discovered that I can associate my life to both theories. There have been both internal ( Erikson ) and external ( Kohlberg ) forces that have affected my life. Internally. it was the nurturing and love I received from my Grandmother as a kid. She besides taught me life lessons. Externally. I watched my grandma attention for her grandma. It gave me a love and passion for caring for the aged. non recognizing that it was besides learning me how to care for her when she could no longer care for herself.

In the reference of Erikson’s “identity crisis” . I realize that most of my life phases were identified by such crises. At the age of 5. I experienced forsaking and rejection from my male parent. This molded my childhood and adolescent old ages around seeking to ache before being hurt and besides looking for love and attending in others. I learned that a kid who grows up non having a batch of love and fondness may later in life expression for love in all the incorrect topographic points. therefore taking to promiscuous behaviour. pack engagement. and /or drug usage to make full the nothingness. Subsequently. as an grownup I found it difficult to get and keep intimate relationships. Kohlberg’s moral development theory focuses more on logical thinking. Though turning up I ne’er tried to calculate out why I was the manner I was or why I did the things I did for attending or to acquire my manner. I have begun to look at the grounds behind those actions and have started to rectify the negative features of my being.

Other factors come into drama when speech production of the developmental phases of one’s life. These factors include gender differences. environmental. cultural. and cultural influences. My male parent. non holding fostering abilities. failed to recognize or grok the desolation and effects of his go forthing the place had on me. Environmentally. most of us lived off of the land and were friendly to each other. However. most of the environment was that of state life and besides racial separation. Culturally. our aged were non placed in nursing places but remained in the place to be cared for by household. My grandma cared for her grandma who cared for her girl. one non absent from the other. My grandmother instilled in me many ethical motives and values that influenced my behaviour today.

In decision. Erikson’s phases of psychosocial development theorize that there are certain achievements that one must meet to successfully travel to the following phase in life. His findings have shown that. in life. sometimes it requires an “identity crisis” to coerce an person into another phase so that individual may maintain traveling frontward. There are many different facets of his psychosocial phases that can determine a individual into a healthy human being. Personally. I feel that as turning through each phase of my life harmonizing to Erikson. I am on my manner to being the perfect function theoretical account for his theory.

Mentions

Allen. K. E. . & A ; Marotz. L. R. ( 2003 ) . Developmental profiles ( 4th ed. ) . Albany. New york: Delmar.

Crain. W. C. ( 1985 ) . Theories of development. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. pp. 118-136

Crandell. T. L. . Crandell. C. H. . & A ; Vander Zanden. J. W. ( 2009 ) . Human development ( 9th ed. ) . Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Erikson. E. H. ( 1950 ) . Childhood and society. New York: Norton ; Triad/Paladin
( 1977 ) . p. 242. Erikson. E. H. ( 1968 ) . Identity. young person and crisis. New York: Norton. p. 54

Harder. A. F. ( 2002 ) . The developmental phases of Erik Erikson. Retrieved from World Wide Web. learningplaceonline. com/stages/organize/Erikson. hypertext markup language

Stevens. R. ( 1983 ) . Erik Erikson. an debut. New York. New york: St. Martin’s Press. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //openlibrary. org/books/OL3161476M/Erik_Erikson_an_introduction

Zucker. A. N. . Ostrove. J. M. . & A ; Stewart. A. J. ( 2002 ) College-educated women’s personality development in maturity: Percepts and age difference. Psychology and Aging. 17 ( 2 ) . 236-244.

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

x

Hi!
I'm Katy

Would you like to get such a paper? How about receiving a customized one?

Check it out