Educational Psychology
Name and describe Erikson's theory of
psychosocial development. Note
behaviors associated with each stage and
the implications of the theory for
classroom practice. Evaluate the theory
and compare/contrast it with Bingham &
Stryker’s theory of socioemotional
development for girls.
Developed by W. Huitt, 1999
Erikson’s Theory
Erik Erikson was a follower of Sigmund
Freud who broke with his teacher over the
fundamental point of what motivates or
drives human behavior.
For Freud it was biology or more specifically
the biological instincts of life and aggression.
Erikson’s Theory
For Erikson, who was not trained in biology
and/or the medical sciences (unlike Freud
and many of his contemporaries), the most
important force driving human behavior and
the development of personality was social
interaction.
Erikson’s Theory
Erikson left his native Germany in the 1930's
and immigrated to America where he studied
Native American traditions of human
development and continued his work as a
psychoanalyst.
His developmental theory of the "Eight Stages of
Man" was unique in that it covered the entire
lifespan rather than childhood and adolescent
development.
Erikson’s Theory
Erikson’s view was that the social
environment combined with biological
maturation provides each individual with a
set of “crises” that must be resolved.
The individual is provided with a "sensitive
period" in which to successfully resolve each
crisis before a new crisis is presented.
Erikson’s Theory
The results of the resolution, whether
successful or not, are carried forward to the
next crisis and provide the foundation for its
resolution.
Erikson’s Eight Stages
Trust vs.
Mistrust
Infancy
Child develops a
belief that the
environment can
be counted on to
meet his or her
basic physiological
and social needs.
Erikson’s Eight Stages
Autonomy
vs. Shame
& Doubt
Toddlerhood
Child learns what
he/she can control
and develops a
sense of free will
and corresponding
sense of regret and
sorrow for
inappropriate use
of self-control.
Erikson’s Eight Stages
Initiative
vs. Guilt
Early
Childhood
Child learns to
begin action, to
explore, to
imagine as well as
feeling remorse
for actions.
Erikson’s Eight Stages
Industry
vs.
Inferiority
Middle
Childhood
Child learns to do
things well or
correctly in
comparison to a
standard or to
others
Erikson’s Eight Stages
Identity vs.
Role
Confusion
Adolescence
Develops a sense of
self in relationship to
others and to own
internal thoughts and
desires
• social identity
• personal identity
Erikson’s Eight Stages
Intimacy
vs.
Isolation
Young
Adulthood
Develops ability to
give and receive
love; begins to make
long-term
commitment to
relationships
Erikson’s Eight Stages
Generativity
vs.
Stagnation
Middle
Adulthood
Develops interest
in guiding the
development of
the next
generation
Erikson’s Eight Stages
Egointegrity
vs.
Despair
Later
Adulthood
Develops a sense of
acceptance of life as
it was lived and the
importance of the
people and
relationships that
individual developed
over the lifespan
Bingham & Stryker’s Theory
A major criticism of Erikson’s theory is that
it is based primarily on work done with boys
and men.
Bingham and Stryker (1995) suggest that
development of identity, intimacy and
generativity may receive different emphases
throughout adulthood for men and women.
Bingham, M., & Stryker, S. (1995). Things will be different for my daughter: A practical
guide to building her self-esteem and self-reliance. New York: Penguin Books.
Bingham & Stryker’s Theory
Bingham and Stiker propose five stages of
socioemotional development for girls and
women that parallels those proposed by
Erikson, but places different emphases at
important sensitive time periods.
Bingham & Stryker’s Theory
Developing
the
Hardy
Personality
Through
age 8
Feel in control of
own life, committed
to specific activities,
look forward to
challenge and
opportunity for
growth
Bingham & Stryker’s Theory
Form
Identity
as an
Achiever
Age 9-12
Develop steady,
durable core of self as
person who is capable
of accomplishment in
a variety of areas
(e.g., intellectual,
physical, social,
potential career)
Bingham & Stryker’s Theory
Skill
Building
for SelfEsteem
Age 13-16
Feeling of being
worthy, deserving,
entitled to assert
needs and wants;
confidence in ability
to cope with life
Bingham & Stryker’s Theory
Strategies
for SelfSufficiency
(Emotional
-Financial)
Age 17-22
Sense of responsibility
for taking care of
herself and, perhaps,
a family; based on a
sense of autonomy
Bingham & Stryker’s Theory
Satisfaction
in Work
and Love
Adulthood
Contentedness in
personal
accomplishments and
social/personal
relationships
A Hardy Personality
Suzanne Kobasa Ouellette, a professor at the
City University of New York suggests that a
hardy personality is based on three C's:
• control,
• commitment, and
• challenge.
A Hardy Personality
Ouellette proposes that these can be developed
through the acquisition of eight specific skills:
 Recognize and tolerate anxiety and act
anyway;
 Separate fantasy from reality and tackle
reality;
 Set goals and establish priorities;
A Hardy Personality
Ouellette proposes that these can be developed
through the acquisition of eight specific skills:
 Project into the future and understand
how today's choices affect the future;
 Discriminate and make choices consistent
with goals and values;
 Set boundaries and limits;
A Hardy Personality
Ouellette proposes that these can be developed
through the acquisition of eight specific skills:
 Ask assertively for wants and desires;
 Trust self and own perceptions.
Theories Compared
The competencies for developing a “hardy
personality” seem to be very similar to the to
the “outcomes of a satisfactory resolution” of
the first three crises proposed by Erikson:
• Trust vs. Mistrust
• Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt
• Initiative vs. Guilt
Theories Compared
What may be different is that these are not the
traditional desired outcomes of infancy and
early childhood for girls.
Rather there may be a tendency to socialize girls
to be more acquiescent and dependent, which is
to their detriment in terms of further
development.
Theories Compared
Erikson’s stage of “Industry vs. Inferiority”
seems to be essentially equivalent to Bingham
and Stryker’s “Form Identity as an Achiever.”
For boys, there may be more of an opportunity to
address the issue of any deficiencies in a sense of
accomplishment within the stage of identity
formation.
Theories Compared
However, it is likely that if girls have not
successfully developed a sense of accomplishment
during middle and late childhood, it may be a
decade or more before there is an opportunity to
again tackle this issue.
This is because as girls attend to the issue of
identity, their natural attention to relationships
produces a different pathway for identity
development .
Self-Esteem
Another issue is the drop in self-esteem that
occurs naturally as a part of adolescence in
modern society.
The importance of self-esteem for girls in the
adolescent years cannot be overemphasized.
Self-Esteem
A study by the American Association of
University Women (AAUW, 1991) showed that
girls had a precipitous drop in self-esteem
between elementary and high school.
While boys also showed a decline it was not
nearly as dramatic.
Self-Esteem
Percentage Responding Positively to the statement
"I am happy the way I am"
High
%
Elementary School Decrease
Boys
67
46
19
White Girls
60
29
31
African-American Girls
65
58
7
Hispanic Girls
68
30
38
Theories Compared
A major difference between the Erikson and
Bingham-Stryker models occurs in the
stages of adulthood.
• In Erikson's model the crisis of young
adulthood is intimacy versus isolation.
• In the Bingham-Stryker model the crisis is
emotional and financial self-sufficiency.
Theories Compared
The difference may lie in gender expectations.
Men are expected to become self-sufficient;
the male crisis is one of establishing intimacy.
Women are expected to establish
relationships; the female crisis is autonomy in
terms of taking care of themselves emotionally
and financially.
Theories Compared
Similar differences exist in middle and older
adulthood.
• Erikson considers two separate crises:
Generativity and Ego Integrity.
• Bingham and Stryker hypothesize one crisis
for adult women: Satisfaction in Work and
Love
The End