In this video we will discuss about Erikson’s eight

stages of psychosocial development. As is well

known, Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial
development is 1a modification of Freud’s
psychosexual theory as we may already know,
2
Freud describes human personality as
psychosexual. This means that for Freud 3what
develops in the human person is the way which
libido or sexual energy of the id accumulates and
discharged as human beings mature biologically.
4
Each stage of Freud’s five psychosexual stages that
is oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital represents a
fixation of libido on different areas of the body which,
as a person grows become important sources of
tension and pleasure. Now 5Freud believes that life
is built around tension and pleasure and that the
former is caused by a build-up of libido while the
latter results from its discharge.
Much like Freud, 1Erikson is convinced that
personality develops in a series of stages hence,
2
Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial
development. But instead of focusing on the
psychosexual aspect of development as Freud did,
Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development
3
focus on the resolution a specific crisis that one
encounters in each stages of its development as a
person. Erikson argues that 4this conflict must be
resolved for a child to develop into a healthy and
well-adjusted adult, which in turn makes her a
contributing members of society: Erikson’s calls this
5
“ego strength” or “ego quality”, and according to
Erikson 6if the person fails to overcome this crisis
she will emerge with a sense of inadequacy in that
aspect of development, which in turn 7prevents her
from developing the necessary skills needed for a
strong sense of self.
Now as we can see, 1Erikson expanded Freud’s
psychosexual theory by highlighting the cultural
aspect of personal development. This is the reason
why 2Erikson puts more emphasis on the impact of
social experience on personality. In fact, 3In
Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development,
Erikson attempts to explain how social interactions
and relationships played out in the development of
personality.
Now let’s delve into Erikson’s eight stages of
psychosocial development.
1
Infancy, the first stage in Erikson’s eight stages of
psychosocial development takes place during
infancy which occurs between birth and one year of
age. According to Erikson, this is 2the most
fundamental stage in life. During this stage, 3the
infant is utterly dependent on the parents, especially
the mother for sustenance and comfort. According to
Erikson 4if the parents are consistent in providing the
infant with a secure environment including the
satisfaction of the infant’s basic needs, such as food,
love and safety, the infant develops a sense of trust.
5
If parents on the other hand are inconsistent in
providing the infant with what she needs, Erikson
argues that a sense of mistrust will develop on the
part of the infant. In the long run, according to
Erikson: 6Mistrust will lead to feelings of frustration,
withdrawal, suspicion and a lack of confidence.
It must be noted however that 1for Erikson 2It is
impossible for the infant to develop 100% trust. For
sure, 3the infant cannot avoid developing some kind
of mistrust during this stage. Although negative in
itself, Erikson believes that 4some experience of
mistrust is advantageous on the part of the infant as
it allows her to gain some understanding of what
constitutes DANGER situations later in life. This
explains why 5Erikson believes that a successful
development of the infant’s personality during this
stage involves striking a balance between trust and
mistrust. However, Erikson cautions that 6it is not
advisable for the infant to be exposed to prolonged
situations of mistrust.
1
Early Childhood, the second in Erikson’s eight
stages of psychosocial development occurs during
early childhood between ages 1 and 3 years.
According to Erikson 2the child during this stage
begins to explore the world and learns that she can
control her actions and eventually acts on her
environment to get results. It is also during this stage
that 3the child begins to show strong and clear
preferences over things of interest, such as food
toys and clothing. Thus, 4it is in this stage that the
child develops a sense of personal control and start
to gain a little independence. Now for Erikson 5if
parents allow their children to make choices of their
own, which in turn allows them to personal control
and gain independence, children will develop a
sense of autonomy.
1
Erikson believes that 2children who successfully
complete this stage that is develop a sense of
autonomy will feel secure and confident. On the
other hand, 3those who do not are left with a sense
of inadequacy, which in turn result in a feeling of
shame and self-doubt.
1
Preschool, the third stage in Erikson’s eight stages
of psychosocial development is the preschool stage
which takes places between ages 3 and 6. During
this stage, 2children are now capable of initiating
activities and begin to assert control over their
environment through social interactions and play.
According to Erikson, 3children who are successful in
this stage feel capable and able to lead others. It is
also in this stage where 4children want to begin and
complete their own actions for specific purpose.
5
When such initiatives according to Erikson, do not
yield the desired results, children may feel guilt.
1
Erikson argues that for children to become
successful in this stage, they must resolve the task
of initiative and guilt. Erikson asserts that the task of
2
initiative which is commonly understood as a sense
of ambition and responsibility 3can be fulfilled when
parent allow their children to explore the world on
their own and then support their choices. In the end,
as Erikson would have us believe these 4children will
develop self-confidence and feel a sense of
purpose. As already noted earlier 6if children are not
successful in this stage, that is, when their initiatives
are stifled by their parents, they develop a sense of
guilt.
1
School-age, the fourth stage in Erikson’s eight
stages of psychosocial development is the school
age stage which takes place between ages 6 and
12. During this stage, children are faced with a task
of industry and inferiority. Here, 2through social
interactions, children begin to develop a sense of
pride and accomplishments, particularly in school
works, sports, social activities, and family life.
According to Erikson, 3if children are encouraged
and commended by the parents and teachers, they
develop a sense of competence and belief in their
skills. However, 4if children don’t get the support of
parent and teachers in the form of encouragement
and appreciation, they will doubt their abilities to be
successful. Which might responsible for the
development of 5inferiority complex in their
adolescence and adulthood years.