Erickson’s psychosocial theory and Freud’s psychosexual theory are the most recognized development approaches. Erickson influenced the idea that Freud used in stipulating his theory, though various distinctions can be noted. The two individuals indicated that the growth of personality takes place in a series of defined stages. Erickson’s theory describes the social experiences throughout the lifespan of a person, while Freud’s theory goes up to the adolescent age, which he believes determines the left of life. The theories are necessary for understanding the behavior of children from birth and establishing how to assist and support them to have a positive development. The following work will provide a comparison and contraction of the two development theories.
Comparison of the Theories
Birth to 1 Year
The development theories concentrate on the experiences of life lives of children. However, the way Erickson and Freud present their ideas is different. The center of the ideas of Freud is on feeding while Erickson concentrates more on the responsiveness to the needs of the child by the caretaker.
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The first stage of psychosexual development by Freud is recognized as the oral stage. The primary pleasure for the child is through the mouth, and it can be seen through sucking, eating and tasting. The child is seen tasting anything they come across, even dirt since they cannot be different between what is clean and dirty. The child is first introduced to sucking their mother’s breast, and after a period of six months, for most infants, they are introduced to dry foods (Freud, 2018). Freud indicated that oral fixation could be a problem resulting from this stage. Oral fixation is the need for a child to have issues with biting their nails, eating or drinking and it leave the child unable to continue to the other stages.
The first stage in the psychosocial development of Erikson’s stage is known as trust versus mistrust stage. At this stage, the young ones can either express trust or mistrust to the people they live with on a daily basis. The quality of love and care that is provided to the children by the adults determines the level of trust that will be developed in the world (Dunkel & Harbke, 2017). The children who receive inadequate and dependable care develop mistrust issues, such as fear when they are left with caregivers who mistreat them.
1 to 3 Years
The two theories focus on the way children grow a sense of mastery and independence. On psychosexual development, the stage is known as the anal growth stage. As the child grows, they are able to master and develop competence in controlling the bladder and bowel movements. Not all children are successful at this stage. However, those who are successful, they can develop a sense of capability and productivity. The ones who have issues develop anal fixation, for example, urinating on bet and compromise has to be sought till the child learns to control their bladder movements.
In the psychosocial theory, the stage is referred to as autonomy versus shame and doubt stage. A child is able to develop self-sufficient through various activities such as controlling the eating, talking and toilet training also takes place. Toilet training is done by using some toilets made for children, where the child is expected to use anytime they feel a need (Waite-Stupiansky & Jones, 2017). When a child is successful at this stage, they feel a sense of independence while the one who is successful to develop a sense of doubt.
3 to 6 Years
Freud’s theory at this stage is more concerned with the role of libido while Erickson’s theory concentrates on the way the children interact with the peers and parents. The stage in Freud’s theory is referred to as the phallic stage. According to the theory, the energy of the libido is focused on the genitals, and the children start to identify more with the parent of the same sex. The boys experience what is referred to as Oedipus complex (Freud, 2018). It is a condition where the boy child starts to desire her mother and develops anger and jealousy towards the father. The girls, one the hand, develop Electra complex, where she feels like she is competing with her mother and develops affection for her father.
The stage in Erickson’s theory is called initiative versus guilt stage. The child begins to feel more control over the environment. They feel like they are entitled to everything they desire. The successful children feel as if they have a purpose and the ones who fail to begin to struggle with guilt emotions.
7 to 11 Years
According to psychosexual development by Freud, the stage is more of transition from childhood to adolescent. On the other hand, Erickson believed that the children continue to develop a sense of competence and independence.
In Psychosexual Development, the stage is called the latent period. The energy of the libido is reduced, and the young ones are able to focus on more practices like in school, hobbies, and friends. At this age, children began to make relationships with other children with similar interests, and there is a likelihood of the friendships extending to adulthood (Freud, 2018). The children concentrate on their studies and determine their string areas, such as where they can excel and the hobbies they can engage in. According to Freud, the stage is essential in the development of social skills and self-confidence. The children who discover their strong points become confident and are able to form social relationships with peers.
In the Psychosocial Development theory, the stage is termed the industry versus inferiority stage. The children began to master new skills which can assist them in their school and social life and it helps in developing a sense of competence (Waite-Stupiansky & Jones, 2017). The children who can succeed in this stage develop pride and those who fail feel incompetent, and it lowers their self-esteem and confidence.
Adolescence
In the two theories, Freud and Erickson indicate that at this age, the teenagers began to develop their own sense of identity. They want to explore everything without the help of their parents. When the parents try to get involved, in most cases a sour relationship is developed. The teenagers feel like adults and even want to make decisions such as the school they should attend, the friends they should have, clothing and some even want to settle on their own.
In the psychosexual development theory, Freud referred to this point as the genital stage. The children start to explore their romantic relationships. Most of them have lovers and even engage in physical body contact, mostly for exploration purposes. The genital stage is objected to developing a sense of balance among all the different area of life. The children who have succeeded in this stage are well-adjusted since they are mostly aware of what they expect. They are caring and mostly not warm which may result from being hurt by the first person they formed an intimate relationship.
In the psychosocial development theory, Erickson established this stage as the identity versus role confusion stage. The child develops a personal identity and self-sense. The girls, for example, they start to dress as they feel like young women who want to be recognized. Most of them are free to use makeup so that they can attract the opposite-sex friends (Dunkel & Harbke, 2017). At this age, the teens begin to explore various roles, identities, and attitudes. Some establish where they can perform best and concentrate on those areas for improvements, for example, in academic work and others in leadership roles. When the teenagers are supported and encouraged at the adolescent stage, they have a strong sense of their identity and are aware of what they want to accomplish. The teenagers who are not supported have a weak identity, low self-esteem and do not struggle to achieve anything as they feel like failures.
Adulthood Age
The psychosexual theory by Freud focused on development ages from birth to ten years. Freud believed that the personality of an individual is established within that period of life. On the other hand, Erickson’s theory concentrated on a lifespan approach and indicated that development is a continuous process from birth to old age. Freud believed that the genital stage being the last developmental stage in his theory helps in the establishment of a balance in the various area of life (Freud, 2018). As long as the child understood their sexual orientation, then it would be easy to lead all their life since it would be guided by their sex.
The Psychosocial Development theory, however, presents three more stages since it is a lifespan approach. The intimacy and isolation describe how young adults establish romantic relationships and companionship. The stage takes place from 19 to 50 years. The intimate relationships are characterized by honesty, love, and closeness. There are individuals who are able to develop strong relationships this intimacy. Others are isolated since they are unable to for lasting friends, either with friends or family. The successful relationships may lead to falling in love, marriage and forming families.
The next stage is Generativity vs. Stagnation, where the middle-aged adults can nurture other people as well as contribute to the society. The stage takes place from the age of 40 to 65 years. The adults are trying to create things which will last them for long. It can be parenting children and having a positive impact in the community, which benefits other people as well. The contributions are also meant to benefit the future generations (Waite-Stupiansky & Jones, 2017). Generativity is associated with making a mark by showing care to the others and participating in improving the world than one found it. Stagnation, on the other hand, is a failure to come up with an approach one can use to contribute. Such people who are stagnant feel disconnected to the society, feel useless and unproductive.
The last stage in Erickson’s theory is known as integrity vs. despair. It is the reflection period on the type of life an older adult lived to determine whether they feel bitterness or a sense of fulfillment. The stage begins at the age of 65 years to death. At this age, an individual looks back at their entire life and the stages they passed through. When an individual feels that they were successful in their life, such as creating a positive impact in the world, they develop a sense of ego and integrity. An older person can look at the success of their children and feel fulfilled. Such as individual is happy and ready to die peacefully, as they were useful in their lifespan. However, when a person had a chance, and they did not put any effort to succeed, they feel despair, especially if they caused misery to another person instead of helping (Dunkel & Harbke, 2017). The feeling of regret is experienced with being unsuccessful, and it even pushes older individuals to their death at a fast rate. The concept in psychosocial theory is used by nurses, psychologists, and counselors in the provision of care of aging patients.
Conclusion
The two development theories help understand children at different ages of their growth. It helps to understand the care and support the children require for positive development. The adults learn how to support their children so that they can develop confidence and high self-esteem. The theories are necessary in healthcare, when dealing with patients, for example, at old age, when some are reflecting back on their lives, which determine whether they were successful or they were unproductive.
References
Dunkel, C. S., & Harbke, C. (2017). A review of measures of Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development: Evidence for a general factor. Journal of Adult Development, 24(1), 58-76.
Freud, A. (2018). Normality and pathology in childhood: Assessments of development. Routledge.
Waite-Stupiansky, S., & Jones, E. (2017). The Erikson's’ Psychosocial Developmental Theory. In Theories of Early Childhood Education (pp. 31-44). Routledge.
