Erik Erikson modified the psychosexual theory by Freud into an eight-stage theory known as the psychosocial theory of development. He argues that for a person to become a confident member of the society, two conflicting ideas must be successfully resolved. If these tasks are not properly resolved, then feelings of inadequacy may develop (Cherry, 2019). In the case of the 16 year old and his parents, the boy seems to be in the identity vs. role confusion stage of psychosocial development. This boy is an adolescent who seems to be struggling with a sense of self. He is in an explorative stage where he is trying out different selves to see which best suits him.
This boy seems to feel entitled to owning a car, and does not want to conform to his parents’ idea of him earning his car. There is conflict here because he does not want to align with his parents’ ideas of what type of an adult he should be. He feels that resisting and running away from home will get his parents to listen to him or allow him to leave his life as he pleases. This seems like a case of a boy who is confused about who he is and unsure of how to make his demands. Beyond this case study, this may be a family that did not properly address the earlier stages of development like industry vs. inferiority and initiative vs. guilt (Mcleod, 2018). He may have had all his decisions made by his parents without his involvement, and he feels like now is his time to be heard. This is a perfect example of how failure to adequately resolve a conflict in one stage of development can have dire consequences in the future. This boy if not properly listened to, will still have such struggles as an adult.
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References
Cherry, K. (2019, September 5). Understanding Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/erik-eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-development-2795740
Mcleod, S. (2018). Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html
