Erik Erikson was born on June

18+12-(5x3)=_________, 1902 in Frankfurt, Hesse,

____________________. He was a

student of

__________________
and was greatly influenced by the latter's theories of
personality development.
 However, unlike his predecessor, Erikson gave a
great deal of importance to the social environment in a
person’s

_______________________________________________________.
 This principle suggests that
people grow in a sequence that
occurs over time and in the
context of a larger community.

EPIGENETIC PRINCIPLE

Life is a continuous process

involving learning and trials
which helps us grow.
✓ Unlike Freud's theory of psychosexual stages,
however, Erikson's theory described the impact of
social experience across the whole lifespan.

✓ Erikson was interested in how social interaction and

relationships played a role in the development and
growth of human beings.

✓ Personality developed in a series of stages

✓ Each stage in Erikson's theory builds on the
preceding stages and paves the way for
following periods of development.
✓ In each stage, people experience a conflict
that serves as a turning point in development
✓ Conflicts are centered on either developing a
psychological quality or failing to develop that
quality.
✓ During these times, the potential for personal
growth is high but so is the potential for failure.
✓ If people
successfully
deal with the
conflict, they
emerge from
the stage with
psychological
strengths that
will serve them
well for the rest
of their lives.
✓ If they fail to deal effectively with
these conflicts, they may not
develop the essential skills
needed for a strong sense of self.
✓ A sense of competence motivates
behaviors and actions.
✓ Each stage is concerned with becoming
competent in an area of life.
✓ If the stage is handled well, the person will
feel a sense of mastery, which is
sometimes referred to as ego strength or
ego quality.
✓ If the stage is managed poorly, the person
will emerge with a sense of inadequacy in
that aspect of development.
STAGES OF
PSYCHO-SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT
Stage 1: TRUST VS. MISTRUST

Infancy (birth - 2 years)

Maladaption: Sensory maladjustment
Malignancy: WITHDRAWAL
Virtue: HOPE
✓ The goal is to develop trust without completely
eliminating the capacity of mistrust.
✓Trust comes from the consistent meeting of
needs.
✓An infant who can trust the mother or father to
meet her needs, will take from this stage a basic
sense of trust in the world (to meet her needs).
✓A sense of trust helps the acceptance of limits
and boundaries.
✓If the proper balance is achieved, the child will
develop the virtue of HOPE.
Stage 2: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Early Childhood (2 - 4 years old)

Maladaption: Impulsiveness
Malignancy: Compulsiveness
Virtue: Will power/ Determination
✓A balance is required. People often
advise new parents to be “ firm but
tolerant”.
✓A child of this age is beginning to
explore the world at will.
✓This is the age commonly known as the
'terrible twos’.
✓The very young child learns by feeling
with all the senses, and an expression of
autonomy in this process seems very
relevant to the child's growth.
✓If this autonomy is thwarted, three
consequences may ensue:

oA sense of shame develops.

oIt prevents a healthy acceptance of
limits.
oThe child feels devastated by small
crises.
✓This is also the age when feelings are
beginning to be expressed.

✓It is important not to condemn feelings

the child may hold, such as anger or
jealousy, but to help the child be
sensitive to his behavioral expressions in
a particular situation.
Stage 3: Initiative vs. Guilt
Preschool (4 - 6 years)
Maladaption: Ruthlessness
Malignancy: Inhibition
Virtue: Courage
✓The child in this stage is beginning to
make decisions, and carry them out,
primarily through play activities.
✓ Imagination is the key mover.
✓A sense of purpose develops when she
is able to envision something in her
imagination and pursue it.
✓Initiative must be encouraged.
✓A good balance leads to psychosocial
strenght of purpose.

✓A sense of purpose is something many

people crave for in their lives.
Stage 4: Industry vs. Inferiority
School Aged (6 - 12 years)
Maladaption: Narrow Virtousity
Malignancy: Inertia
Virtue: Competency
✓It takes place during the early school
years, can begin to work hard
academically and gain competence
in various areas of activity
✓Through social interactions, children
begin to develop a sense of pride in
their accomplishments and abilities.
✓Children need to cope with new social
and academic demands.
✓Success leads to a sense of
competence, while failure results in
feelings of inferiority.
Stage 5: Ego Identity vs. Role Confusion
Adolescence (13 - 19 years)
Maladaption: Fanaticism
Malignancy: Repudiation
Virtue: Fidelity
✓This stage plays an essential role in
developing a sense of personal
identity which will continue to
influence behavior and development
for the rest of a person's life.
✓Teens need to develop a sense of
self and personal identity.
✓Success leads to an ability to stay
true to yourself, while failure leads to
role confusion and a weak sense of
self.
✓ Society should provide clear
rite of passage, certain
accomplishments and rituals
that help to distinguish the
adult from the child.
✓ Without seeing the things that
they cannot see in a society we are
likely to see role confusion, meaning
an uncertainly about once place in
society and the world.
Stage 6: Intimacy VS. Isolation

Young adulthood (20-40 years old)

Maladaption: Promiscuity
Malignancy: Exclusion
Virtue: Love
✓Young adults need to form intimate,
loving relationships with other
people.
✓Success leads to strong relationships,
while failure results in loneliness and
isolation.
✓This stage covers the period of early
adulthood when people are
exploring personal relationships.
✓Erikson believed it was vital that
people develop close, committed
relationships with other people.
✓Those who are successful at this step
will form relationships that are
enduring and secure.
Stage 7: Generativity vs. Stagnation

Middle Adulthood (40-65 years old

Maladaption: Over Extension
Malignancy: Rejectivity
Virtue: Capacity for caring
✓Adults need to create or nurture things
that will outlast them, often by having
children or creating a positive change that
benefits other people.
✓Success leads to feelings of usefulness and
accomplishment, while failure results in
shallow involvement in the world.
✓During adulthood, we continue to build
our lives, focusing on our career and family.
✓Those who are successful during this phase
will feel that they are contributing to the
world by being active in their home and
community.
✓Those who fail to attain this skill will feel
unproductive and uninvolved in the world.

✓This is the stage of the “middle crisis”.

Stage 8: Ego integrity vs. Despair

Maturity(65-death)
Maladaption: Presumption
Malignancy: Disdain
Virtue: Wisdom
✓The final psychosocial stage occurs
during old age and is focused on
reflecting back on life.

✓ At this point in development, people

look back on the events of their lives and
determine if they are happy with the life
that they lived or if they regret the things
they did or didn't do.
✓Erikson's theory differed from many
others because it addressed
development throughout the entire
lifespan, including old age.
✓Older adults need to look back on life
and feel a sense of fulfillment.
✓Success at this stage leads to feelings of
wisdom, while failure results in regret,
bitterness, and despair.
✓Those who look back on a life they
feel was well-lived will feel satisfied
and ready to face the end of their
lives with a sense of peace.
✓Those who look back and only feel
regret will instead feel fearful that
their lives will end without
accomplishing the things they feel
they should have.
 Psychosocial Stages: A Summary Chart

AGE CONFLICT IMPORTANT EVENTS OUTCOME

Infancy (birth to 18 Trust vs. Mistrust Feeding Hope
months)
Early Childhood (2 to Autonomy vs. Toilet Training Will
3 years) Shame and
Doubt
Preschool (3 to 5 Initiative vs. Guilt Exploration Purpose
years)
School Age (6 to 11 Industry vs. School Confidence
years) Inferiority
Adolescence (12 to Identity vs. Role Social Relationships Fidelity
18 years) Confusion
Young Adulthood (19 Intimacy vs. Relationships Love
to 40 years) Isolation

Middle Adulthood (40 Generativity vs. Work and Care

to 65 years) Stagnation Parenthood

Maturity (65 to death) Ego Integrity vs. Reflection on Life Wisdom

Despair
Ms. JEHRI A. PAGCALIWAGAN