Erik Erikson’s theory of social
development
By Ryan, Mathieu, Sam and Becky
Biography
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He was born in Frankfurt, Germany.
On June 15, 1902
He was born from an affair his mother had.
Moved to America in 1933
Was bullied when he was a child
He became the first child psychoanalyst in
Boston
Theory
• His theory of the different stages that people
go through and that each stage has two sides
to them.
• hope - Basic Trust vs. Mistrust - Infant stage.
Does the child believe its caregivers to be
reliable?
Theory cont..
• will - Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt - Toddler
stage. Child needs to learn to explore the world.
Bad if the parent is too smothering or completely
neglectful.
• purpose - Initiative vs. Guilt - Kindergarten - Can
the child plan or do things on his own, such as
dress him or herself. If "guilty" about making his
or her own choices, the child will not function
well.
Theory cont..
• competence - Industry vs. Inferiority - Around
age 6 to puberty. Child comparing self worth
to others (such as in a classroom
environment). Child can recognise major
disparities in personal abilities relative to
other children.
Theory cont..
• fidelity - Identity vs. Role Confusion Teenager. Questioning of self. Who am I, how
do I fit in? Where am I going in life?
• love (in intimate relationships, work and
family) - Intimacy vs. Isolation - Young adult.
Who do I want to be with or date, what am I
going to do with my life? Will I settle down?
Theory cont..
• caring - Generativity vs. Stagnation - the Midlife crisis. Measure accomplishments/failures.
Am I satisfied or not? The need to assist the
younger generation. Stagnation is the feeling
of not having done anything to help the next
generation.
Theory cont..
• wisdom - Ego Integrity vs. Despair - old age.
Some handle death well. Some can be bitter,
unhappy, dissatisfied with what they
accomplished or failed to accomplish within
their life time. They reflect on the past, and
either conclude at satisfaction or despair.
Video
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdPPXGad
RAU
Critique
• Gary Direnfield writes on Erik Erikson’s
“Integrity vs. Despair”.
• Integrity vs. Despair is the final stage of
human development.
• Integrity – That which, at the end of your life,
makes you feel good about your life.
• Despair – That which, at the end of your life,
makes you feel bad about your life.
Critique cont..
• In essence, at the end of one’s life, when one
looks back upon one’s actions, which
outweighs the other? The end goal of life is to
die with integrity, rather than to die with
despair.
• This forces us to evaluate our every action to
decide whether or not it contains integrity, or
despair, and how it will affect us in our dying
days.
Critique cont..
• Gary Direnfield suggests that, while this is the
final stage in our development, it is also one
that we must plan and prepare for our entire
lives.
• “Integrity in death may require correcting for
previous choices and behaviours to date. The
point is, start now.”
Bibliography
• http://www.yoursocialworker.com/particles/Guiding_Principle.pdf
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Erikson