Lit Review
The Erickson’s stage theory is a psychosocial theory that gives the eight stages through which human beings undergo in the process of personal development. The theory gives the developmental crisis that needs to be resolved at each of the eight stages. In this context, the word crisis refers to a psychological task or challenge that must be resolved for the human being to make a significant step of moving through the transitions of personal development. In the case that the crisis is not resolved at one developmental stage, the contender may experience delayed or impeded development in these transitional stages (Dweck & Leggett, 2008). Erikson gives the eight stages through which human beings go through for a successful transition to adulthood. In addition, these stages are attached to descriptions of the crises that must be resolved as a way of defining a successful transition from one stage to the other. This paper examines the stage theory as elucidated by Erikson in his psychoanalysis theory.
The first stage in the life cycle of a human being is the infancy stage, which is attributed to the clash between trust and mistrust (Sheldon & Kasser, 2011). This stage is experienced at the age of birth to the time when the child is one year old. The major implication of the theory is the resolution of the task at this stage, which is development of the sense of security based on the consistent experience of acquiring the basic needs like security and food. Happiness at this stage is dependent upon fulfillment of these needs, which makes the children to display high standards of trust for the care givers.
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The second stage in the life cycle of a human being is the toddler stage, which is defined by the interplay between autonomy versus shame and doubt (Sheldon & Kasser, 2011). This stage is remarkable since it defines the development of self sufficiency in the life of a person. The implication of the theory at this stage is resolving the problem where babies veering through this stage have the crisis of transcending from the helpless infancy to the practice of displaying self control and autonomy. To help resolve this crisis, children should be encouraged to explore new tasks and they should never be made to harbor the sense of failure in the event that they are unable to complete a task.
The next stage in the life cycle of a human being is the early childhood, which occurs at the ages of three years to six years. This stage is characterized by the interplay between initiatives versus guilt (Dweck & Leggett, 2008). The major implication of the theory at this stage is the development of initiatives for active exploration and manipulation of the environment. To help accomplish these tasks, children need to be granted opportunities for decision making. They may also need support in the efforts of carrying out the various activities in their life like play.
The fourth stage is the middle childhood, which starts at the age of six years to the age of ten years. This is the stage that is marked by the interplay between being industrious and feeling inferior (Roeser et al., 2010). This is the characteristic stage where children want to develop the sense of achievement. In this regard, the child develops the sense of self worth by performing innate skills or by refining the existing skills. The children will also be tasked with revealing their prowess in various activities, where failure to do so may lead to associated professionalism problems in future. The teacher should be able to cultivate the talent in the child at this stage.
The next stage is the adolescence state, which starts at the age of thirteen and lasts up to the early twenties. This stage is critical in the life of a person as it is at this point where one is able to articulate the sense of self identity (Roeser et al., 2010). The major implication of the theory at this stage is articulation of self identity as it interplays with the sense of role confusion, making this stage the most vulnerable. The adolescence stage is marked by the identity crisis, where a person has to respond to questions regarding their personal identity, the personal philosophy, what they want to be and the cultural and group affiliation. Adolescents are known to rebel against authority as they seek autonomy within their jurisdictions and as they foster towards discovering and strengthening the innate sense of identity (Sheldon & Kasser, 2011). To help resolve the identity crisis, students should be granted opportunities to make their own choices lest they rebel against the set norms.
The next stage is the young adulthood, which sets in at the age of twenty years. Here, the contender is faced with the interplay between intimacy and isolation. The primary task at the young adulthood stage is the development of the ability to form and live within intimate relationships. It is at this state that a person is able to learn how to trust, develops communication skills and is able to live within the bounds of a relationship. Isolation is the major implication of the theory is the crisis that needs to be resolved (Phinney, 2009). The crisis to be resolved is retarded development of communication skills and lack of the ability for form relationships.
The other stage is the adulthood, which is a stage that forces a person to develop the personal life on one hand and the professional life on the other (Rosenthal et al., 2011). At this stage, a person seeks to contribute to the society as a way of making a difference to the existing nature of the society. It is at this stage that one is able to experience the interplay between being generative and stagnation. In the event that one does not resolve the crisis of stagnation, this may lead to the formidable mid life crisis.
Finally, the old age is the age where one experiences the interplay between integrity and despair. This stage is dependent upon the other initial stages. Integrity sums up at this stage as a product of resolution of the crises mentioned in the prior stages of development, while despair is a constraint of lack of resolution to the problems in the initial stages of development (Phinney, 2009). The major task at this, which is also the implication of the theory of development, is the need to discover and adjust to the problems of aging and the most expected prospect of loss of life.
References
Dweck, C. S., & Leggett, E. L. (2008). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological review , 95 (2), 256.
Phinney, J. S. (2009). Stages of ethnic identity development in minority group adolescents. The Journal of Early Adolescence , 9 (1-2), 34-49.
Roeser, R. W., Eccles, J. S., & Sameroff, A. J. (2010). School as a context of early adolescents' academic and social-emotional development: A summary of research findings. The elementary school journal , 443-471.
Rosenthal, D. A., Gurney, R. M., & Moore, S. M. (2011). From trust on intimacy: A new inventory for examining Erikson's stages of psychosocial development. Journal of Youth and Adolescence , 10 (6), 525-537.
Sheldon, K. M., & Kasser, T. (2011). Getting older, getting better? Personal strivings and psychological maturity across the life span. Developmental psychology , 37 (4), 491.
