Nikki Sewell ECD 1404 November 22, 2011

Erik Erikson was born on June 15th, 1902 in Frankfurt, Germany. He died on May 12th, 1994 in Harwich, Massachusetts. He was talented artistically and was encouraged to pursue art. At the age of twenty-five he came to the realization that he wasnt talented enough to make it as a full time artist so he ended up becoming an art teacher. After that a friend of his told him about an interesting possibility. He had the opportunity to become a tutor for a woman, who was close with Sigmund Freuds daughter, Anna Freud. He started to tutor her four children. The children, and their mother, were impressed with Erikson. When Erikson and his friend became aware that there were other people in the Freuds circle that had children who needed to be tutored, they were invited to set up a small psychoanalytical school. Erikson and his friend were the faculty. Erikson moved to Vienna in 1927 but knew very little about psychoanalysis. Anna Freud, who had no advanced degrees in medicine and was trained by her father, Sigmund Freud, saw promise in Erikson and offered him a nearly free training analysis. Erikson hesitantly accepted. He had four years of almost daily analysis with Anna. He often encouraged Sigmund Freud in waiting rooms but he hardly ever spoke to him. Erikson learned his psychoanalytical theory and practiced directly from Anna Freud, from reading Sigmund Freuds works, and also from seminars with prominent analysts at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute.

In 1929 Erikson met his wife and in 1933 they moved to America with their two sons. During his career he worked in clinical settings around Boston, he joined the staff of the Harvard Psychological Clinic, was a part of the faculty at the University of California at Berkley, and later became a professor at Harvard. In 1950 Erikson published his first book, Childhood and Society. Throughout his career he was the best known for identifying the eight stages of psychosocial development. Eriksons eight stages of psychosocial development are, trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identify vs. identify confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation and integrity vs. despair. He believed that youre cognitive and social development occurred hand in hand and could not be separated. Schools and child care programs play a major role in a childs development. To help children throughout their development the first four stages of psychosocial development are very important. They play a big role in the way they will live the rest of their life. The first stage, trust vs. mistrust, occurs between birth and eighteen months of age. This is when the child learns to trust their caregivers and the environment they are in. At this age a child is dependent on their caregiver and their needs must be meet with consistency and continuity. The quality of care they receive is a large part of whether or not they learn basic trust. As a caregiver or teacher you should approach them with a warm attitude and enthusiasm. You should also be attentive and socialize with them. This includes comforting them, smiling, talking and singing to them as well. These are all things that my parents and other caregivers did with me as an infant and young toddler and I plan on caring for children in the same way.

The second stage is autonomy vs. shame and doubt. This takes place between the ages of eighteen months to three years. During this stage children want to do more things for themselves. They begin to learn independence and competence. They start to learn how to control their own body functions. A big accomplishment in this stage is toilet training. Caregivers need to encourage children to do what they are capable of doing on their own. You should use harsh punishment or make them feel shameful of their behavior. They should be allowed to explore their environment more than before. If a child is successful during this stage they will gain more confidence in themselves and become more independent. If a child doesnt develop a sense of independence or freedom they will likely become unsure of themselves and insecure. The third stage of Eriksons psychosocial development is initiative vs. guilt, which occurs between the ages of three and five. Children need to gain a sense of purposefulness. For this to occur children need the opportunity to engage in many different activities and they should be encouraged to do so. Children should be allowed to make plans and follow through with them. Adults should encourage exploration and imagination. If a child feels discouraged about a selfinitiated activity they may feel embarrassed or ashamed and that can lead them to gain a sense of guilt. We, as caregivers and teachers, want children to initiate things on their own and feel good about it. The fourth stage is industry vs. inferiority. This takes place around ages five to eight years. Children want to be productive and when they receive recognition for their productivity they begin to develop a sense of self-worth. To help them develop a sense of self-worth you can help them in literacy skills and reading. Provide support for any child who seems confused or discouraged in the classroom. Scaffolding classroom tasks and also helps children.

I agree with Erikson and believe caregivers play a big role in a childs development and anyone who cares for children and works with children should look at his theory of psychosocial development. It helps caregivers gain a better understanding at how a child develops and what they can do to support their development in a positive way.

Works cited

"Erikson, Erik Homburger." Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 19 Nov. 2011 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Morrison, George S. Early Childhood Education Today. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2012. Print. "Erikson's Psychosocial Stages Summary Chart." Psychology - Complete Guide to Psychology for Students, Educators & Enthusiasts. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. <http://psychology.about.com/library/bl_psychosocial_summary.htm>.