Erik Erikson

64584 Westward Way, Boston, MA 11111

E: erik.h.erikson@gmail.com T: 555-123-4567

Professional Summary:
A psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist, interested in dealing with children and their problems.
Dedicated to teach children and their parents along with psychoanalyzing them. Excel at providing children and
adolescents with psychoanalytic therapy to help them facilitate social, emotional and cultural adjustment and to
allow them to lead more meaningful and fulfilling lives. Interested in researching and teaching upon human life
cycle and development of human, especially development in childhood and adolescence.

Work Experience:
Hietzing school in Vienna, Austria- 1927

Used to teach children and along with psychoanalyzing them and their parents. Taught art and history to
students.

Harvard Medical School- 1933

First psychoanalyst for child and worked as a teacher and research associate at Harvard’s Psychology
department. Also acted as a consultant to various agencies.

Yale University- 1936

Had position of Human Relations and as instructorship in the medical school. Pioneered studies in the use of
toys in the process of psychoanalysis of children. 

California University- 1939

Became associated with the Institute of Child Welfare which was conducting a large scale longitudinal
study of child development. Also opened private practice and worked as psychoanalyst.

Austin Riggs Center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts-

Taught and worked for children who were troubled. Also worked with emotionally troubled adolescents. Used
to take clinical appointment for the treatment of psychoanalytic patients.
Education and training-
 Gaduated from a classical gymnasium where he studied Latin, Greek, German literature, and history in
1920.
 Graduated with a diploma from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute in 1933.
 Graduated from the Montessori teachers association.

Publications-

 Childhood and Society. New York: Norton, 1950. 2nd, enlarged ed., 1963.
 “The Dream Specimen of Psychoanalysis.” Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association2
(1954): 5–56.
 Young Man Luther: A Study in Psychoanalysis and History. New York: Norton, 1958.
 Identity: Youth and Crisis. New York: Norton, 1968.
 Gandhi’s Truth: The Origins of Militant Nonviolence. New York: Norton, 1969.  Psychobiography of a
revolutionary figure who resolves a developmental crisis in his own life while initiating a major
religious and political movement that changes the culture around him.
 The Life Cycle Completed. New York: Norton, 1982

Contributions to the field:

In education and psychology developed eight stage model of human life cycle. his model identifies particular
goals, challenges, and concerns at each stage of life. They are the following: (1) Basic Trust versus Basic
Mistrust (infancy); (2) Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt (early childhood); (3) Initiative versus Guilt (play
age); (4) Industry versus Inferiority (school age); (5) Identity versus Role Confusion (adolescence); (6) Intimacy
versus Isolation (young adulthood); (7) Generativity versus Stagnation (adulthood); (8) Ego Identity versus
Despair (later adulthood). Further, the stages are interdependent in that unresolved conflicts at one stage
influence development at later stages, as in the development of either a loving trusting relationship with a
caregiver in infancy or mistrust of others.

Introduced the term identity and identity crisis to explain the psychological and social complexities faced by
young people in attempting to find their place in a specific town, nation, and time. 

Awards and Achievements:

  In 1973, at the National Endowment for the Humanities, gave lecture at the Jefferson Lecture, the
United States' highest honor for achievement in the humanities. The name of the lecture was
"Dimensions of a New Identity".
 Won Pulitzer Prize for the contribution in the field of psychology through writings and a U.S. National
Book Award in category Philosophy and Religion for his book ‘Gandhi’s Truth (1969)’.

Future Implications:
Various educational implications of psychosocial theory are possible depending upon the age group of the
learner and the tasks they are expected to perform. For example,

 Allowing the child to play with various natural, simple materials, and role-playing for the expression of
fantasy and imagination.
 Games, stories and songs can be used. Real-life activities like serving food, chopping vegetables or
making chapattis, prepare children for participation in the community around them.
 Child-directed activities where the child chooses his or her activity and repeats it as often as they want
must be encouraged.

Research Philosophy:
Research orientation- Developmental psychology and social psychology

My research interest inclines towards empiricism and search for identity. I like to observe the development of
children and various developmental stages of human across different cultures. Exploring social and cultural
aspects of children in their development is something that fascinates me to work more with children.

Teaching Philosophy:
Always fascinated with teaching and dealing with students since my first job, I would like to make teaching-
learning process a very interesting interaction by allowing them to search for their interest in the subject by
various real life activities. I would like to teach my students in Montessori Method, in which stress is upon the
development of student’s own initiative through play and work. I will allow students to look into all aspects of
the subject.

I will provide opportunities for students to bring their own interests into projects and assessments, as they may
feel these interests are vital parts of their identities. Also I will allow my students to choose between a variety of
final projects -- skits, essays, art projects, music compositions, etc. so they can either choose a project that
appeals to their interests or explore new aspects of their identities. Also I would like to educate students in
practical family living skills to increase confidence and self-sufficiency.