Eric Erikson was chiefly a neoanalytic theoretician. and in his contention. one’s self-importance interacts invariably with other persons within the society. and can be affected by them. as besides by the prevailing civilization of his society. and ‘Ego’ . in this instance. refers to an individual’s sense of his ain ego and his nucleus personality.

One must retrieve that it was Sigmund Freud who ab initio conceived of the theory of the five developmental phases that an person goes through during the class of his life. widening from his early childhood to his adolescence. while it was Eric Erikson who expanded and refined Freud’s theory. and extended it to last from early childhood to old age. and stated that an single base on ballss through eight phases and non a mere five.

Erikson conceived of the ‘epigenetic principle’ harmonizing to which an person develops through the eight phases of his life by a preset flowering of his personality. and by carry throughing each one of the undertakings that he is expected to finish at each phase. Besides referred to as ‘developmental tasks’ . unless one is able to carry through these undertakings. one would hold to confront the negative result of non holding completed the undertakings in a given phase.

One illustration is that of a kid in grammar school. who has to be an hardworking scholar at this phase in his life. If he fails to go so. he may develop an lower status composite. provinces Erikson. Furthermore. an person has to postulate with the interaction of antonyms that occurs at each phase of his life. and besides with the psychosocial struggle that may originate as a consequence. If the kid is able to decide the crisis at grammar school. he would in all chance remain an highly confident person. ready to confront challenges. through his life.

On the other manus. if he were unable to decide the struggle. he may experience guilty all his life. Therefore. this can intend that developmental undertakings can be psychosocial in nature. and although one’s self-importance may be inborn. it would be shaped in ulterior phases through the society that one lives in and interacts with. Ego. therefore. must be nurtured within the cultural and societal environment of the person. like for illustration. his household. and his school.

These are the eight phases of life. harmonizing to Erikson: infant phase from 0 to 1 twelvemonth. yearling phase at 2 to 3 old ages. kindergartner at 3 to 6 old ages. school age at 7 to 12 old ages. adolescence at 12 to 20 old ages. immature grownup at 20’s. in-between grownup phase at late 20’s to 50’s. older grownup phase at 50 to old age. ( Hergenhahn. B. R. . & A ; Olson. M. H. ( 2007 ) Harmonizing to Eric Erikson. the phase in life that one enters into instantly after the ‘intimacy vs. isolation stage’ is that of ‘generativity vs. tagnation’ when the immature grownup starts to presume duties at the age of late 20’s. until he is about 50 old ages or older.

I am a 40 twelvemonth old divorced female. individual parent of two. and I work two occupations and travel to school full clip. I am besides working toward a BA in psychological science and have future programs to travel on to jurisprudence school. It is at this phase that I have a strong sense of creativeness. and a demand to ‘make a mark’ on the universe. I need to do certain that the following coevals. in this instance my kids. have a safe and unafraid life. and I must work difficult towards this. in what Erikson refers to as ‘care’ .

I feel a love for my kids that is unbounded and limitless. and I expect nil at all in return. In my appraisal. this is the phase that represents my current life state of affairs. as I have to fight mundane with my occupation and my surveies. and I besides have to take attention of my kids. and yet I do experience a sense of achievement and assurance at holding managed to get the better of the hurdlings in may manner to do certain that the universe is non a baleful topographic point for the following coevals.

Possibly. if I had non been able to go through through the early phases of life with success. like for illustration in the trust vs. istrust and in the liberty vs. shame phases. I would non hold been the confident person that I am today. I am grateful that I am non ‘stagnating’ at this phase of my life. because this would intend that I have non done anything at all to assist the following coevals along. If I had been stagnating. so I would experience great ‘despair’ during the following phase of my life. after I turn 50 or so. Today. I am certain that I will be able to look back at this phase of my life when I am an older individual. and experience a sense of ‘integrity’ .

I will besides possess a positive mentality towards my life. and I can look back upon my life and experience gladfulness that I have spent it good. and better than my neighbour Mike who is an unhappy and glooming individual at bosom. possibly because of the fact that he was non able to decide the crises that arose at each phase of his life. due to fortunes. or because of his ain self-importance. He is a ungratified individual. who has no sense of security. and who is afraid of taking any drunkard of hazards. because he is afraid to confront the result.

If I excessively had non been able to get by with the phases of my life. so possibly I excessively would hold remained a sad and blue personality. but since I have managed to traverse each phase into the following phase with the positive results that I needed to do me into the positive person that I am today. I have no declinations. and I will go on to make what I am making today. taking attention of my kids. working two occupations. and analyzing full clip. Possibly Mike my neighbour would profit a great trade by taking a close expression at the common developmental issues that an person of his age faces at this phase of life. ( Niolon. Richard ( n. d. )