Erik Erickson Psychosocial Theory

Terms to remember
 Malignancy- It involves too little of the positive and too much of the negative
aspect of tha task
 Maladaptation-it involves too much of the positive and too little of the negative

Stage 1- Trust vs. Mistrust

Malignancy:
 Withdrawal – charctereized by depression,paranoia, and possibly
pyschosis
Maladaptation
 Sensory Maladjustment- overly trusting, even gullible, this person cannot
believe anyone would mean them harm and will use all the defenses at
their command to find an explanation or excuse for the person who din
him wrong
Virtue
 Hope- the strong belief that even things are not going well, they will wotk
out well in the end.
Stage 2 – Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Malignancy:
 Compulsiveness- The feeling that their entire being rides on everything
they do and so everything must be done perfectly
Maladaptation
 Impulsiveness- a sort of shameless willfulness that leads one to jump
into things without proper consideration of one’s abilities.
Virtue
 Willpower and determination- “Can do” attitude of an individual
Stage 3- Initiative vs. Guilt
Malignancy
 Inhibition- The inhibited person will not try things because “nothing
ventured, nothing lost” and nothing to feel guilty about.
Maladaptation
 Ruthlessness- to be heartless or unfeeling or without mercy
Virtue
 Courage- the capacity for action despite a clear understanding of your
limitationsand past failings

Stage 4- Industry vs. Inferiority

Malignancy
 Inertia- this includes those who suffer ineriority complex
Maladaptation
 Narrow virtuosity- children who are not allowed to be childen by their
parents and being pushed into one area of competence without alllowing
a broader area of interests.
Virtue
 Competency- the right balance of inferioty and industry- that is, mostly
industry with just a touch of inferiority to keep us sensibly humble

Stage 5- Identity vs. Role Confusion

Malignancy
 Repudiation-To repudiate is to reject. They reject their membership in the
world of adults and even more, reject their need for an identity.
Maladaptation
 Fanaticism – A fanatic believes that his way is the only way.
Virtue
 Fidelity- means loyalty, the ability to live by societies standards despite
their imperfections and incompleteness and inconsistencies.
Stage 6- Intimacy vs. Isolation
Malignancy
 Exclusion- tendency to isolate onself from love, frienship, community and
to develop a certain hatefulness in compensation for one’s loneliness.
Maladaptation
 Promiscuity- referring particularly to the tendency to become to intimate
too freely, too easily and without any depth to your intimacy
Virtue
 Love- being able to put aside diffrences and antagonisms through
mutuality of devotion. It includes not only in the love we find in good
marriage, but the love between friends and the love of one’s neighbor, co-
worker and comapatriot.

Stage 7- Generativity vs. Stagnation

Malignancy
 Rejectivity- too litte generativity and too much stagnation and you are not
participating in or contributing to society
Maladaptation
 Overextension- people no longer allow time for themselves, for rest and
relaxation
Virtue
 Care

Stage 8- Ego Integrity vs. Despair

Malignancy
 Disdain- a contempt of life. This person becomes very negative and
appears to hate life.
Maladaptation
 Presumption- this happens when a person presumes ego integrity
without actually facing the difficulties of old age. The person in old age
believes that he alone is right.
Virtue
 Wisdom