Erik Erikson’s
Stages of Development
Presentation and Study by
Elizabeth Eaton
Life of Erik Erikson (1902-1994)
• Born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1902
• Raised by mother and stepfather, Dr. Homburger
• Wandered Europe after high school
• Studied child psychoanalysis with Anna Freud
• Married Joan Serson at age 27
• Forced to leave Europe in 1933, moved to US
• First child analyst in Boston, MA
• Studied normal development of children across cultures
• Held positions at Yale, the University of California, and Harvard
• Died as a professor at Harvard University in 1994
Erikson’s Interest in Identity
• Struggle to find his own identity
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Did not know his father
Adopted stepfather’s last name
Did not resemble his parents
Did not do well in high school
Went through a moratorium
• Creation of his own identity
• Began studying the work of Sigmund Freud
• Built on Freud’s stages of development
• Changed name from Erik Homburger to Erik H. Erikson
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
• Born in Moravia, 1856
• Studied neurology and psychology
• Founder of psychoanalysis
• Free association
• Theorized about
• The Unconscious
• Dreams
• Psychosexual Development
Freud’s Psychosexual Stages
Freud believed that a person’s identity was set by
the time they were an adult, and that it was
governed by the outcome of five developmental
stages:
• Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, and Genital
In each stage, the child’s libido is focused on an
erogenous zone. If the child is over or under
stimulated in a stage, he or she may develop
neurotic behavior relating to that stage’s part of
the body. Examples of neurotic traits would be
having an oral fixation or being anal retentive.
Erikson’s vs Freud’s Theory of Development
Sigmund Freud
• psychosexual
• 5 stages
• specific
Erik Erikson
• psychosocial
• 8 stages
• general
(more adorable than Freud)
Erikson’s Stages of Development
Erikson’s First Stage of Development
• Age: Birth to 1 year
• Conflict: Basic Trust vs Basic Mistrust
• Core ego strength: Hope
• Freud’s stage: Oral
• “Can I trust the world?”
Erikson’s Stages of Development
Erikson’s Second Stage of Development
• Age: 1 to 3 years
• Conflict: Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt
• Core ego strength: Will
• Freud’s stage: Anal
• “Is it okay to be me?”
Erikson’s Stages of Development
Erikson’s Third Stage of Development
• Age: 3 to 6 years
• Conflict: Initiative vs Guilt
• Core ego strength: Purpose
• Freud’s stage: Phallic
• “Is it okay for me to do, move, and act?”
Erikson’s Stages of Development
Erikson’s Fourth Stage of Development
• Age: 6 to 11 years
• Conflict: Industry vs Inferiority
• Core ego strength: Competence
• Freud’s stage: Latency
• “Can I make it in the world of people and things?”
Erikson’s Stages of Development
Erikson’s Fifth Stage of Development
• Age: Adolescence
• Conflict: Identity vs Role Confusion
• Core ego strength: Fidelity
• Freud’s stage: Genital
• “Who am I? Who can I be?”
Erikson’s Stages of Development
Erikson’s Sixth Stage of Development
• Age: Young Adulthood
• Conflict: Intimacy vs Isolation
• Core ego strength: Love
• Freud’s stage: Genital
“Can I love?”
Erikson’s Stages of Development
Erikson’s Seventh Stage of Development
• Age: Adulthood
• Conflict: Generativity vs Stagnation
• Core ego strength: Care
• Freud’s stage: Genital
“Can I make my life work?”
Erikson’s Stages of Development
Erikson’s Eighth Stage of Development
• Age: Old Age
• Conflict: Ego Integrity vs Despair
• Core ego strength: Wisdom
• No equivalent stage for Freud
“Is it okay to have been me?”
My Study
• Questions
• Is Erikson’s theory really observable in a small child?
• What specific behaviors outlined in Erikson’s second stage does a child of
that age exhibit?
• Does a child in Erikson’s second stage exhibit behaviors from the first or
third stage?
• Hypothesis
• I will be able to observe evidence that a child between one and three years
of age is going through Erikson’s second stage of development, as opposed
to the first stage or third stage.
Method (Participants and Activities)
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Case study of one child, 21 months of age
Observation conducted in the presence of Mom, Nana, and Papa
Observation lasted about 1 hour
Activities were chosen by Mom and the grandparents and included
• A brief walk
• Play time
• Meal time
Method (Rubric for Erikson’s Stages 1-3)
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
o Sucking
o Feeding self
o “Why?”
o Biting
o Grabbing / Picking up
o Intrusive curiosity
o Unable to walk or sit up
o Likes to walk on own
o Efficient at walking
o “No!” “Mine!”
o Throwing / Placing
o Able to sit up on own
Results (Rubric for Erikson’s Stages 1-3)
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
 Sucking
 Feeding self
o “Why?”
o Biting
 Grabbing / Picking up
o Intrusive curiosity
o Unable to walk or sit up
 Likes to walk on own
o Efficient at walking
o “No!” “Mine!”
 Throwing / Placing
 Able to sit up on own
Observations
• Stage 1
• Child repeatedly puts
fingers in mouth and
sucks on them
• Stage 2
• Child feeds self with hands, spoon and holds sippy cup to feed
self juice
• Child picks up decorative items, moves them to another
location, places them. Child stacks blocks.
• Child walks and climbs by self. When child falls, picks self up.
Conclusion
• Answers
• Is Erikson’s theory really observable in a small child? Yes!
• What specific behaviors outlined in Erikson’s second stage does a child of
that age exhibit? Feeding self, grabbing, likes to walk on own, throwing,
able to sit up on own.
• Does a child in Erikson’s second stage exhibit behaviors from the first or
third stage? This child exhibited one trait from the first stage, sucking.
• Hypothesis
• I will be able to observe evidence that a child between 1 and 3 years of age
is going through Erikson’s second stage of development as opposed to the
first stage or third stage. Confirmed!
Limitations
• Small sample (just 1 child)
• Did not observe potty training
• Rubric was self made
Sources
Crain, W. (2000). Theories of Development (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Prentice
Hall
Erikson, E. H. (1950). Childhood and Society (2nd ed.). New York: W. W.
Norton.
Erikson, E. H. (1959/1980). Identity and the Life Cycle. New York: W. W.
Norton.
Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and Crisis. New York: W. W. Norton.
Freud, S. (1959). The Question of Lay Analysis. Trans. Strachey, J. (1978).
New York: W. W. Norton.
Hoare, C. H. (2002). Erikson on Development in Adulthood: New Insights
from the Unpublished Papers. Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 7–12.
Macnow, A. S., ed. (2014). MCAT Behavioral Science Review. New York:
Kaplan Publishing. p. 220.