Human Development Erikson's "Eight Stages of Man" Essay

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Human Development

Erikson's "Eight Stages of Man"

Erik Erikson was a student of Sigmund Freud's who developed a theory of personality development. According to Erikson, there are eight psychosocial stages in which the individual faces a crisis or developmental task (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010). If the individual successfully completes the developmental task, there is a positive outcome; if not, there is a negative outcome. The first stage, which is called trust vs. mistrust, occurs from birth to age 1 year. During this stage as a result of sensitive caregiving, the child develops a sense that the world is a safe and reliable place. The positive outcome of this stage is hope, while the negative outcomes are fear and mistrust of others. The second stage is autonomy vs. shame and doubt, which occurs from age 1 to 3. During this stage, the child uses his new mental and motor skills to develop a sense of independence. If successful in this stage, the child will develop willpower, if not he will develop self-doubt. The task for Erikson's third psychosocial stage is initiative vs. guild. During this stage, which occurs between the ages of 3 and 6, the child tries to experiment with grown up roles. If successful the child will develop a sense of purpose; if not, the child will develop guilt over thought and action. Between the ages of 6 and 12, the child goes through the stage of industry vs. inferiority.

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During this stage, the child learns academic skills and develops relationships with peers. Successful completion of this stage results in competence, but if unsuccessful the child will lack competence. Between adolescence and young adulthood, the individual completes the crisis of identity vs. role confusion. If the adolescent makes appropriate choices about values and vocational goals, he will experience fidelity; otherwise, he will be unable to establish a sense of self. As a young adult, the individual experiences the crisis of intimacy vs. isolation. If the individual is successful at establishing relationships, he will experience love. If not, he will develop a fear of intimacy. In middle adulthood, the individual faces the crisis of generativity vs. despair. In this stage, the adult wishes to make an impact on the next generation. Successful completion of this stage results in care, while failure results in self-absorption. During the final stage, which occurs in late adulthood, the individual faces the task of integrity vs. despair. The individual must come to terms with life's successes, failures, and missed opportunities. The results are either wisdom or regret (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010).

Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget is another theorist who organized human development into stages. Piaget's theory is based on the idea that the developing child builds cognitive structures, or mental maps, schemas, or networked concepts for understanding and responding to physical experiences. Broderick & Blewitt.....

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