Erikson Self-Study

Introduction
Erik Homburger Erikson was born on June 15, 1902 in Frankfurt, Germany. He was
conceived with his mothers lover, and because of this he never met his real father. Therefore
Erikson was raised by his mother alone. Growing-up never knowing his father eventually helped
shape his ideas for his theory on psychosocial development. His ideas were further fueled by the
fact that he was never accepted in school. This was due to the fact that Erikson was tall, blond,
and blued eyed; but he was also Jewish.
Although Erikson was influenced by neurologist Sigmund Freud, the two had different
theories on human development. While Freud strongly believed in a psychosexual development,
with individuals being set in their personalities by age five, Erikson leaned more toward
psychosocial development, with a lifetime to grow and change. (McLeod, 2008)
Erikson's psychosocial theory is widely and highly regarded. As with any concept there
are critics, but generally Erikson's theory is considered fundamentally significant. Eriksons
theory suggests eight stages of life that each person must pass through. The purpose of this paper
is to explain and discuss Eriksons stages, and reflect on my life through them.

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Stage 1-Trust vs Mistrust

The first stage starts from the moment a child is born until 18 months old. From the time
an infant are placed on the mothers chest, the child begins to develop a sense of trust. This is
displayed to a child when caregivers provide reliability, care, and affection on a daily basis
(Erikson's psychosocial stages, 2014). Success from this stage basically means hope. When this
stage is not completed a child will learn only to mistrust and not accept others into their life
(McLeod, 2008).
When I was born my mom was determined to nurse me, but she did not have much
success and by two months of age I was officially formula fed. From what I understand though,
this was not the only plan that did not work with me. From the stories I have been told, I know
that I was a difficult child in many aspects, such as getting me to sleep and eat on a regular basis.
Fortunately, no matter how difficult I was for my mom as an infant, she never stopped loving me
or taking care of me.
During this time my dad was working two jobs, one during the day and one during the
night, with only a few hours between. This did not stop him from spending as much time with
me as possible. Every day when he was home between jobs he would play games with me and
my sister, unless he was sleeping. Some of his favorite games to play with us were Patty-Cake,
This Little Piggy, and Peek-a-boo. Through my parents hard work, care, and love despite the
difficulties I presented, I left this stage with a sense of trust.

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Stage 2- Autonomy vs Shame/Doubt

Stage two begins at 18 months and ends around 3 years of age. The main issue in this
stage is potty training. Parents need to be encouraging and patient during this task, and toddlers
will begin to gain confidence and a sense of autonomy. Toddlers learn shame and self-doubt
when parents are too strict, demanding, and harsh during potty training. In this stage children
also begin to become more independent in other ways, such as: feeding and dressing themselves;
picking up their own toys; and putting a little physical distance between themselves and their
parents (Keough).
To allow their children to gain autonomy in this stage, parents must encourage children to
explore the world around them while still offering protection. The goal at this stage is that the
child gains self-control without a loss of self-esteem (McLeod, 2008). If the child is overly
controlled or not given the opportunity to find themselves they will begin to feel inadequate.
Success leads to feelings of autonomy and self-reliance, whereas failure results in feelings of
shame and doubt (McLeod, 2008).
At this stage in my development, I was a very independent child. I never wanted help
with anything, even when it made things harder or nearly impossible. This was the same for
potty training. I was potty trained at a younger age than most children were, starting at just 18
months. By the time I was two years old I was out of diapers completely. The reason for this was
that I hated wet diapers; if it was damp, I wanted out of it. This became exceedingly expensive
for my parents.
In this stage that was not the only thing in my life that I began to control. I grew up with
five older siblings and I was determined to be a big kid just like them. This meant that I
wanted to do everything for myself, including getting dressed, making my own breakfast,

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pouring my own drinks, etc. After leaving this stage in life there is no doubt that I developed a
sense of autonomy.

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Stage 3- Initiative vs Guilt

Stage three begins around age three and ends around age six. In this stage children are
becoming even more independent, and building relationships with peers in the neighborhood,
church, daycare, preschool, and/or extended family. Young children should be encouraged to
develop their imaginations during this stage, especially during play. Children make up a lot of
games and activities, imitate adult roles, and begin idolizing heroes. When children are
encouraged during these activities, they thrive and develop a good sense of initiative. Parents
who do not encourage play of all types, especially imaginative activities, may lead their children
to feel guilt. This stage is also a time of building motor skills and becoming more engaged with
children their own age. They learn to balance adventure with responsibility, which is the
beginning of a good foundation of initiative. With constant encouragement discipline,
boundaries, and guidelines, children will accept that certain things are not allowed, fostering selfcontrol and conscience (Keough).
Growing up I had a sister who was only two years older than me, and two nieces close in
age to play with almost every day. This meant that most of the time we were interested in the
same things, such as television shows or dolls. This also meant that when one of us got in trouble
for something, at least two of us were usually involved. For example, when we were growing up
we lived out in the country and had several cats. At the age of four, one niece, J, and I had a
fascination with the cats. One day we were extremely mean to them and of course we got caught.
And boy did we hear about it. First we got in trouble with Js mom (my oldest sister who is like a
second mom to me), then we got in trouble with my mom, and then we got in trouble with my
dad. From then on the adults made sure that we knew how to treat the cat, or any animal, by

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constantly telling us nice kitty when we were petting them. Leaving this stage of life, I would
say that I had a sense of initiative.

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Stage 4- Industry vs Inferiority

Stage four starts around age six and ends around age twelve, which is when children
begin to spend most of their time at school (Erikson's stages of development). At this stage,
children learn how to cope with new social and academic demands from friends and teachers.
Teachers build a strong sense of industry in their students by being supportive, encouraging, and
fair, and by setting high, but attainable, goals and expectations. Teachers can also build
inferiority when they choose favorite students over others, are too harsh, and fail to help all
students succeed. Peers are also beginning to be influential in the lives of children at these ages,
and a good group of friends is vital to a childs self-worth (Erikson's psychosocial stages, 2014).
I had a few problems in this stage of life. I loved going to school, even from the very
beginning. The only problem was that school did not love me. I was extremely shy around other
children, despite having made friends in preschool. I also had problems talking to my teachers.
Besides being shy I developed problems with my school work. It took me a lot longer than the
other children to learn how to read as well as understand basic math.
Third grade was the hardest for me. Entering third grade at the age of eight, I was still not
able to read more than simple words and therefore could not spell even the simplest of words.
This was in addition to not being able to do any kind of math more difficult than subtraction. My
teacher soon noticed this and contacted my parents. They quickly got together and made a plan to
get me back on track. My teacher began to send home extra math worksheets for me to do for
practice and my parents purchased a special phonics program to help me learn to read. With help
from parents and teachers my school grades became better than they had been. Through parentteacher conferences and special study times at home I soon overcame these problems with my
studies. My parents worked every night with me after school to help me stay up to speed with the

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rest of my class. Therefore, I left this stage with a sense of industry in many ways. However, due
to my lack of confidence when it came to interacting with my peers, in some ways I was left with
a sense of inferiority.

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Stage 5- Identity vs. Role Confusion

Stage five begins at the age of twelve and ends around age eighteen. In this stage, teens
further develop their independence and begin to create a sense of self. They may begin to feel
confused or insecure about themselves and how they fit into society. As they seek to establish a
sense of self, teens may experiment with different roles, activities and behaviors. According to
Erikson, this is important to the process of forming a strong identity and developing a sense of
direction in life. Those who receive proper encouragement and reinforcement through personal
exploration will emerge from this stage with a strong sense of self and a feeling of independence
and control. Those who remain unsure of their beliefs and desires will feel insecure and confused
about themselves and the future (Erikson's psychosocial stages, 2014).
In this stage I had a major life change that really hindered my development for several
years: the unexpected loss of my mother. This was at the age of thirteen so it was not long after
entering this stage. Because of this I did not really spend much time trying to find myself so
much as just trying to keep my head above water, as one would say. During this stage, instead of
becoming more social, I gave into my shyness and stopped talking to a lot of my friends. My dad
decided that after my mom died we were going to go to church like he always wanted to, and I
was fine with this at first. After attending for almost two years and not making any friends there I
decided I was done going. To make another attempt at fitting in I decided to join one of my
closer friends as a wrestling manager at my school. Though this did help time go by faster, it did
not help me. So, when not with the team, I turned to books. During free time in class, at lunch,
and at home I would immerse myself in different worlds where I didnt have to be myself.
Because I did not even try to find myself in this stage I left it with a sense of confusion.

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Stage 6- Intimacy Vs Isolation

This stage starts at the age of eighteen and ends around age forty. In this stage newly
young adults have one major questionwill I be loved?and they begin to look for serious
relationships. During this period of time, the major conflict centers on forming intimate, loving
relationships with other people. Studies have demonstrated that those with a poor sense of self
tend to have less committed relationships and are more likely to suffer emotional isolation,
loneliness, and depression (Erikson's psychosocial stages, 2014).
I am still currently in this stage of my life. Having only entered it 3 years ago, I still
have a while to go. Because I left the last stage with a sense of confusion this stage has been
difficult so far. I just recently left a relationship that I was completely committed to, though my
partner did not feel the same way. Though, as bad as that relationship was at times and as bad as
it ended I have a beautiful little girl from it.
Because of all that has happened in this stage so far and everything from the last, this has
caused me to go back, in a way, to the previous stage. I have begun to understand and find
myself with help from some new people. As I continue to move toward a true sense of identity, I
become more likely to leave this stage of my life with a since of intimacy.

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Stage 7-Generativity Vs Stagnation

This stage begins at the age of forty and ends around sixty-five. The main events in this
stage of life are having successful children and a successful career. Erikson believed that the
reason most people do this in this stage is to create some kind of legacy or something that will
outlive them. If one does not manage to make a legacy of any kind then that will leave them with
a sense of stagnation (Erikson's psychosocial stage, 2014).
Since I am still in stage six of my life, I can only predict how I will be in this stage. So far
in my life I have already started my legacy by having a child at the age of nineteen. I
also have a plan in place that, if followed, I believe will lead to a good life. This plan involves
graduating in Spring 2015, continuing my job at a preschool, working there for several years, and
then either eventually open my own daycare or go on to be a lead teacher at a school. The one
factor that may lead to a feeling of stagnation is my extreme shyness. This may keep me from
getting out there and making connections in the community, but after how much I have overcome
it these last few years, I am determined not to let it get in my way. All in all I believe that I will
end this stage with a sense of Generativity.

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Stage 8-Integrity Vs Despair

This stage begins at the age of sixty-five and ends at death. This is the final stage of a
persons life and involves one major question: Did I have a meaningful life? This causes
people to reflect on their life. If a person feels as though their life was wasted away, they will
leaves this stage with a feeling of despair and will usually regret a lot in their life (Erikson's
psychosocial stages,2014).
I know that I already have some regrets in my life, which does not look very promising
seeing as I am still young, but I hope that those will work themselves out as I get older. I already
have a small family started with my daughter. Maybe one day I will find expand my family by
finding the right guy and getting married, though if not that is just how it was meant to be. This
means that I will have a legacy, and trust, which are two of the most important aspects of life to
me. I hope to one day end this stage with a feeling of integrity.

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Conclusion

Writing this paper has made me really sit down and think. I have seen a lot in my young
life, but at the same time I know there is still so much more to come. This has helped me to
remember some of the things that have happened in my life, as well as helped me to think about
what I hope is to come one day. There is still so much to come in my life and so much to see.
There are an infinite amount of possibilities and changes. Even though there was one stage that I
did not originally come out of in the positive, I believe that I have begun to fix this. All of this,
accompanied by my life plan, leads me to believe that I will have a successful life.

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References

Keough, S. D. (n.d.). Erikson's stages of development. Retrieved from http://www.pccua.edu

McLeod, S. (2008). Erik Erikson. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org
n.a. (2014). Erikson's psychosocial stages summary chart. Retrieved from
http://psychology.about.com
n.a. (n.d.). Erikson's stages of development. Retrieved from http://www.learning-theories.com