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Biography

Erik Erikson was born in 1902 in Frankfort, Germany. Erikson studied arts and a variety of languages during his time at school. Instead of going to college, Erikson traveled around Europe and kept a diary of all of his experiences. After a year of traveling, he returned to Germany and enrolled in an art school. For a while, Erikson taught art to American children who traveled to Vienna. After this, he was admitted into the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute. In 1993, Erikson finally came to American and became the first child analyst in Boston.

The Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development

Erik Erikson created eight stages that he believed people pass through in their lifetime. The stages start during infancy and they end during adulthood. It is not necessary to fulfill one stage in order to move on to the next stage.

Age	Stage	Basic Strength or Pathology
Infancy (0-1)	Trust vs. Mistrust	Hope or Withdrawal
Early Childhood (1-3)	Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt	Will or Compulsion
Play Age (3-5)	Initiative vs. Guilt	Purpose or Inhibition
School Age (6-13)	Industry vs. Inferiority	Competence or Inertia
Adolescence (13-18)	Identity vs. Identity Confusion	Fidelity and Self Trust or Lack of Trust
Young Adult (19-30)	Intimacy vs. Isolation	Love or Exclusion
Adulthood (31-60)	Generativity vs. Stagnation	Care or Rejection
Old Age (60+)	Integrity vs. Despair	Wisdom or Disdain

Trust vs. Mistrust

This first stage is where a child either gains a sense of trust or mistrust for the world. This sense of trust or mistrust develops from the type of care that is given to the infant. An infant must have it's needs met, discomforts removed quickly, be cuddled, fondled played with and talked to in order to gain a sense of trust. An infant also should be surrounded by helpful and dependable people. When a child does not receive adequate care, the child becomes mistrustful. If the infant does not gain a sense of trust, it will effect them in other stages. Erik Erikson defined trust as "the assured reliance on another's integrity" The essential part of this stage is a child receiving good attention and care from a caregiver in order to gain trust.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

During this stage, the child has new found mental and physical abilities. During this stage, it is important for parents to allow the child to explore their new found abilities. By allowing the child to explore their ability to control their muscles, impulses, themselves, their environment, their sense of autonomy. If the parent does not let the child do what they are able to do themselves, the child has a sense of shame and doubt. If the child does not have support during the development of autonomy, the child may become manipulative and develop a “precocious conscience,” which Erikson said means, they think they are more in control than they really are. The child may become obsessive with power and control, and constantly test the limits of their own power and control.

Initiative vs. Guilt

The child is now a master of their own body. The child can initiate motor tasks on their own. The child can now initiate motor activities on their own. Children no longer need to imitate the actions of other children. In order for a child to gain a sense of initiative, the caretaker needs to give the child freedom so that they can initiate their own activities. Initiative is also reinforced when adults answer children's questions intellectually and when they do not inhibit the child's fantasies. If a child does not have freedom with his motor skills, does not have their questions answered, and is told that play is silly, the child will develop a sense of guilt. Erikson calls too much initiative or too little guilt, ruthlessness. Ruthlessness is someone not caring who they step on in order to achieve their goals. A ruthless person's goals mean everything to them, and they believe that guilty feelings are for the weak. Inhibition is when someone has too much guilt. An inhibited person will not try new things because they do not want to risk losing anything or gaining guilty feelings. If there is a good balance between initiative and guilt, a person will have purpose.

Industry vs. Inferiority

During this stage, a child learns deductive reasoning, and learns how to follow rules. Letting children build and make things, letting them finish their product, and praising them when it is finished, enhances a child's sense of industry. Parents who discourage children from doing this, encourages a child's sense of inferiority. During this time, a child is now going to school, so their experience at school, as well as at home, can create a sense of industry or inferiority. If a child constantly fails at tasks at school, it enhances their sense of inferiority. A sense of inferiority can lead to long lasting intellectual, emotional and interpersonal consequences. Children who do not see themselves as competent during their elementary years, report more symptoms of depression, anger and aggression.

Identity vs. Identity Confusion

During this stage, Erikson says a person will discover a sense of identity. To achieve this sense of identity, a person must bring together all aspects of their life, everything that they know about themselves, and integrate these aspects into a whole that makes sense. When a person succeeds at this task, they gain a sense of identity, where they have been, and where they are going to go in the future. As opposed to the previous stages, parents or caretakers do no play a direct role in this stage. If parents helped their child through the past stages, there is more of a chance of the child reaching a sense of identity. Culture and society can also play a role in a person's sense of identity. When a person has trouble reaching an identity, they have a sense of identity confusion. Even though a person may have a sense of identity during this stage, this identity may be challenged later on in life. Erik Erikson said that an identity is part conscious and part unconscious. The conscious part is a personal sense of continuity and sameness. The unconscious part is the quality of unselfconscious living. Erikson also said a part of identity is conflict, and conflicts can lead to contradicting mental states. An identity reaches into the past and into the future.

Intimacy vs. Isolation

In this stage, young adults either form intimate relationships, or remain in isolation. What Erikson means by intimacy is having the ability to share your life with someone and care for someone without losing yourself in the process. Intimacy is not necessarily between two lovers, and intimate relationship can also include a relationship between friends. If intimate relationships are not formed, a person is left with a sense of isolation, not having anyone to share with or care for When someone has too much intimacy, Erikson called it promiscuity. Promiscuity is becoming intimate too freely and too easily. When someone experiences too much isolation it's called exclusion. Exclusion is isolating oneself from love, friendship and the community. If someone is successful in this stage, they will gain a sense of love.

Generatvity vs. Stagnation

Erikson's definition of generativity is being concerned with others beyond a person's immediate family. Generativity is about future generations, and wanting the new generations of young people to succeed. Erikson considers teaching, writing, invention, the arts and sciences, and social activism to be generativity. Stagnation is being self-absorbed and not caring about anyone else. Stagnant people are not productive members of society. One problem that can arise during this stage is overextension. Erickson says that overextension is when a person displays too much generativity, and no longer has time for themselves. When someone overextends themselves too much, they can no longer be helpful because they do not have enough time.

Integrity vs. Despair

A person has a sense of integrity when they can look back on their life with satisfaction. Despair occurs when a person looks back on their life and see missed opportunities, and can longer change their path. One of the problems that arises during this stage is presumption. Presumption is when a person presumes that they have integrity when they don't face the difficulties of old age. The other problem is disdain, which occurs when a person has contempt for their life or anyone else's life. When a person does fear death and has the strength to face it, is called wisdom.