Erik Erikson’s

Psychosocial Theory
of Development
 Objectives

Introduction

CONTENTS Concept of Psychosocial

development

Stages of Psychosocial
Development

Implications to Nursing
 DESCRIBE THE 8 STAGES OF DIFFERENTIATE THE
ERIKSON’S THEORY OF PSYCHOSOCIAL CRISES
DEVELOPMENT IN DIFFERENT STAGES
OF LIFE
OBJECTIVES

VALUE THE IMPORTANCE OF VIRTUE AND

MALIGNANCY/MALADAPTATION IN EVERY
STAGES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
 INTRODUCTION
• Erik Homburger Erikson
• June 15, 1902- May 12,
1994

• German-born American
Psychologist and
Psychoanalyst

• Known for his theory on

Psychosocial
development of human
beings
• He first published his eight

stage theory of human

development in his 1950 book,

‘Childhood and Society’.

• The stages were included in

the chapter entitled The Eight

Ages of Man.
 CONCEPT OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

• The term ‘PSYCHOSOCIAL’ is a combination of ‘psychology’ and

‘social’, and refers to the various stages of human life that are affected
by environmental factors.

• Erik Erikson, who was a psychologist, worked in the area of

developmental psychology and psychoanalysis. He had a theory
that human beings will pass through eight different stages from
birth to death. 
• Similar to the theory of Freud, Erikson believed that

personality develops in a series of stages.

• But unlike the Freud’s theory of psychosexual stages, Erikson’s

theory describes the impact of social experience across the

whole life-span.

• Furthermore, Erikson also established a belief that a sense of

competence also motivates behaviours and actions.

• Erikson’s theory implies that each stage concerns with

becoming competent in an area of life.

• If the stage is handled well, the person will feel a sense of

mastery.

• If the stage is managed poorly , the person will feel a sense of

inadequacy.

• The Epigenetic Principle-“this principle says that we develop

through a predetermined unfolding of our personalities in

eight stages. Our progress through each stage is in part

determined by our success, or lack of success, in all the previous

stages.
 ht
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• Human development occurs in eight stages of life.

Each crises stages relates to a corresponding life

stage and its inherent challenges.

Erikson used the words syntonic for the first listed positive

disposition in each crises (e.g., Trust) and dystonic for the

second- listed negative disposition (e.g., Mistrust).

He used the word versus to signify the opposing relationship

between each pair of dispositions.

• If a stage is managed well , we carry away a certain virtue or

psychosocial strength which will help us through the rest of

the stages of our life.

• Successfully passing through each crises involves achieving a

healthy ratio or balance between the two opposing dispositions

that represent each crisis.

• On the other hand, if we don’t do so well, we may develop

maladaptation and malignancy, as well as endanger all our future

development.
• A malignancy is the worse of the two. It involves too

little of the positive and too much of the negative aspect of the

task, such as a person who can’t trust others.

• A maladaptation is not quite as bad and involves too much

of the positive and too little of the negative, such as a person who

trusts too much.

 The Eight
Psychosocial Stages of
Development
Stage 1- Trust vs
Mistrust
Infancy

-birth to 18 months
Important Event
(Feeding)
 OUTCOME VIRTUE MALADAPTATION MALIGNANCY
Children Hope Over trusting, Depression,
develop a Gullible Paranoia and
sense of trust possibly
when caregivers Psychosis
provide
reliability, care,
and
affection. A
lack of this will
lead to
mistrust
Stage 2- Autonomy
vs Shame & Doubt

Toddler

-1.5 to 3 years old

Important Event
(Toilet Training)
 OUTCOME VIRTUE MALADAPTATION MALIGNANCY
Children need Will power Impulsiveness Compulsivenes
to develop a “Can do it” s
sense of
personal
control over
physical skills
and a sense of
independence.
Success leads to
feeling of
autonomy,
failure results in
feeling of
shame and
doubt.
Stage 3- Initiative vs
Guilt

Preschool

- 3 to 6 years old
Important Event
(Exploration)
 OUTCOME VIRTUE MALADAPTATION MALIGNANCY

Children need Courage “without mercy” Inhibition

to begin (ruthless)
asserting
control and
power over the
environment.
Success in this
stage leads to a
sense of
purpose.
Stage 4-Industry vs
Inferiority

Childhood
-6-12 years
Important Event
(School)
 OUTCOME VIRTUE MALADAPTATION MALIGNANCY
Children who Competence Narrow Virtuosity Inertia
complete this
stage successfully
are satisfied with
themselves and
feel competent,
without
developing an
inferiority
complex.
“Parents-
encourage,
Teachers-care,
Peers-accept”
Stage 5-Identity vs Role
Confusion

Adolescence
12-18 years
Important Event
(Peer Relationship)
 OUTCOME VIRTUE MALADAPTATION MALIGNANCY
According to Fidelity/ Fanaticism Repudiation
Erikson, it is Loyalty
characterized by
an identity
formation crisis.
Questions like
“Who am I?” and
“What can I do
when I become
an adult?”
confronts the
adolescent. The
peer group
becomes an
essential source
of general rules
of behaviour.
 Stage 6-Intimacy vs
Isolation

Young Adults
-19-40 years
Important Event
(Love Relationship)
 OUTCOME VIRTUE MALADAPTATION MALIGNANCY
Individual Love Promiscuity Exclusion
develops warm
and intimate
relationship with
another person.
If such sense of
intimacy is not
acquired in this
stage, a sense of
isolation
develops instead.
 Stage 7- Generativity vs
Stagnation

Middle-aged Adults
-30-60 years
Important Event
(Parenting)
 OUTCOME VIRTUE MALADAPTATION MALIGNANCY
The middle years Care Overextension Rejectivity
of life comprises
the productive
years of
adulthood. In
this stage, the
individual’s
productivity is
gauged by his
contributions to
his family and
society.
Stage 8-Ego Identity vs
Despair

Older Adults
-60 years+
Important Event
(Reflection on life)
 OUTCOME VIRTUE MALADAPTATION MALIGNANCY
Older adults Wisdom Presumption Disdain
needs to look
back on life and
feel a sense of
fulfilment.
Success at this
stage leads to
feelings of
wisdom, while
failure results in
bitterness, regret
and despair.
 IMPLICATIONS IN NURSING
• Application of Erikson's stages of psychosocial development
helps in analysing patient's symptomatic behavior in the context
of truamatic past experineces and struggles with current
developmental tasks.
• When patients' resolutions of previous psychosocial stages have
been so faulty as to seriously compromise their adult
development, they have the opportunity to rework early
development through the relationship with the therapist.
(Newton DS, Newton PM, 1998).
• "The object of psychotherapy is not to head off future conflict but
to assist the patient in emerging from each crisis "with an
increased sense of inner unity, with an increase of good
judgment, and an increase in the capacity `to do well' according
to his own standards and to the standards of those who are
significant to him." (Erikson in Identity: Youth and Crisis)
 SUMMARY
• Erik H.Erikson developed a theory that states that human
development occurs in eight stages throughout his life.
• Each crises stages relates to a corresponding life
stage and its inherent challenges.
• If managed successfully, each stage leads to acquisition of
certain traits.
• If not successfully managed, it leads to either Maladaptation
or Malignancy.
• The understanding of Psychosocial development helps the
nurse in analysing the patient’s symptomatic behaviour and
gives the opportunity to rework the early development with
help from a therapist.
 CONCLUSION

• Erikson's psychosocial theory of development is effective

in mental health nursing and states that Human
development progresses according to specific stages.
• He also states that each of those stages has crisis and
those crises must be dissolved before an individual can
function successfully at the next stage.
• Application of Erikson's stages of psychosocial
development helps in analysing patient's symptomatic
behaviour in the context of traumatic past experiences
and struggles with current developmental tasks.
 • Townsend Mary.C, Psychiatric Mental Health
Nursing- Concepts of Care in evidence-based
practices, Sixth Edition, Page number 35-38
• https://www.mentalup.co/blog/what-is-the-the
ory-of-psychosocial-development-and-what-are
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lysis
.
• http://jackiewhiting.net/Psychology/Personality
/EriksonStages.htm
• http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/the
ory_of_psychosocial_development.html#:~:text
=NURSING%20IMPLICATIONS,struggles
%20with%20current%20developmental