Erik Erikson: The Life-Span Approach

1. Erik Erikson: The Life-Span Approach

2. Erikson’s theme • 8 successive stages over the lifespan • Addresses biological, social, situational, personal influences • Crisis/Conflict: must adaptively or maladaptively cope with task in each developmental stage • Respond adaptively: acquire strengths needed for next developmental stage • Respond maladaptively: less likely to be able to adapt to later problems

3. Stage 1: Basic Trust vs. Mistrust • Birth to age 1 • Totally dependent on others • Met: child develops trust • Not met/neglected: child develops mistrust • Basic strength: Hope • Belief our desires will be satisfied • Feeling of confidence Think of Harlow’s attachment studies here.

5. Fig. 3.9 The traditional view of infancy holds that emotions are rapidly differentiated from an initial capacity for excitement. (After K.M.B. Bridges, 1932. From “Emotional Development in Early Infancy.” Reprinted by permission of the Society for Research in Child Development.)

6. Stage 2: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt • Ages 1-3 • Positive: Child able to exercise some degree of choice • Negative: independence is thwarted: child develops feelings of self-doubt, shame in dealing with others • Basic Strength: Will • Determination to exercise freedom of choice in face of society’s demands

7. Stage 3: Initiative vs. Guilt • Ages 3-5 • Positive: Child expresses desire to take initiative in activities • Negative: Parents punish child for initiative: child develops feelings of guilt that will affect self-directed activity throughout life (How are mistakes dealt with?) • Basic strength: Purpose • Courage to envision and pursue goals

8. Thomas and Chess Temperament - 3 components • Easy • Slow to warm • Difficult • “Other”

9. The “Easy” Child • Regular, predictable biological rhythms • Positively approaches new stimuli • Easily adapts to change • Mild to moderate mood expressions—predominately positive • Easy to manage • Represent about 40% of children

10. “Slow to Warm” Child • Biological functions may or may not be regular • Initial negative withdrawal to new stimuli • Adapt slowly to change • Many negative mood expressions • Mood expressions are mild • Problems mostly with adapting to new stimuli • Often considered shy • Represent about 15% of children

11. The “Difficult” Child • Irregular, unpredictable biological rhythms • Negative withdrawal to new stimuli • Poor adaptability to change • Negative emotional expressions and loud intensity • Difficult to manage • Represent about 10% of children

12. The “Other” Category • Many children show a mixture of traits • These children don’t clearly fit into the three major temperament categories • Represent 35% of children

13. Stage 4: Industriousness vs. Inferiority • Ages 6-11 • Child develops cognitive abilities to enable in task completion (school work, play) • Parents/teachers do not support child’s efforts: child develops feelings of inferiority and inadequacy • Basic strength: Competence • Exertion of skill and intelligence in pursuing and completing tasks

14. Child/Adult division • Stages 1-4 • Largely determined by others (parents, teachers) • Stages 5-8 • Individual has more control over environment • Individual responsibility for crisis resolution in each stage

15. Stage 5: Identity vs. Role Confusion • Ages 12-18 • Form ego identity: self-image • Strong sense of identity: face adulthood with certainty and confidence • Identity crisis: confusion of ego identity • Basic strength: Fidelity • Emerges from cohesive ego identity • Sincerity, genuineness, sense of duty in relationships with others

16. Adolescence • The Personal Fable • According to David Elkind, teenagers are particularly prone to harbor beliefs such as: • “I am special – what is true for others is not true for me.” • “It won’t happen to me! • “Nobody understands how I feel.” • “Everyone cares about how I look and what I am wearing.” – also known as the “imaginary audience.” • These beliefs may be adaptive in some situations, but can also lead to risk-taking behavior and feelings of alienation from parents and peers.

17. Adolescence • Identity Development • Marcia’s statuses are useful for thinking about the important dimensions of finding a stable identity. • It is possible that identity achievement does not happen “all at once.” • One may settle on a career well before finding a committed relationship. • It is also possible or even common to rethink decisions later in life.

18. Values • Adolescents carry with them a set of values that influences their thoughts, feelings& actions • Over past two decades, they have shown an increased concern for personal well-being & decreased concern for well-being of others & demonstrate an increasing need for self-fulfillment & self-expression • Narcissism is no longer classified as a disorder.

20. Stage 6: Intimacy vs. Isolation • Ages 18-35 (approximately) • Undertake productive work and establish intimate relationships • Inability to establish intimacy leads to social isolation • Basic strength: Love • Mutual devotion in a shared identity • Fusing of oneself with another person

21. Stage 7: Generativity vs. Stagnation • Ages 35-55 (approximately) • Generativity: Active involvement in teaching/guiding the next generation • Stagnation involves not seeking outlets for generativity • Basic strength: Care • Broad concern for others • Need to teach others

22. Stage 8: Ego Integrity vs. Despair • Ages 55+ • Evaluation of entire life • Integrity: Look back with satisfaction • Despair: Review with anger, frustration • Basic strength: Wisdom • Detached concern with the whole of life (detached has positive meaning here)

23. Stage 7-8 explored • Society’s traditional view of retirement: “withdrawal from one’s position of occupation or from active working life” no longer true • Historical trends: retirement has become available at increasingly younger ages; increased non-work time available to general population. • Our country still places emphasis on work as the primary force of an individual’s life and as a primary source of identification & worth

24. Stage 7-8 Explored • American culture’s major characteristic is change. Renewal, youth & flexibility are stressed, with little room for expression of the accrued experience of the older adult • An equation is implied: retirement = obsolescence

25. Stagnation and Despair? • Loss of work & social relationships can lead to a questioning of the meaning of existence, and result in a life review • This journey of personal self-discovery and the new experience of operating in norm-less, unstructured situations can cause a sense of discontinuity and stagnation • Ending of work interactions can weaken ties of friendship

26. Genital Latency Oedipal Anal Oral 5. Identity vs. Role Confusion 4. Industry vs. Inferiority 3. Initiative vs. guilt 2. Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt 1. Trust vs. Mistrust COMPARISON OF STAGES FREUD ERIKSON

27. 8. Integrity vs. Despair 7. Generativity vs. Stagnation 6. Intimacy vs. Isolation 5. Identity vs. Role Diffusion 4. Industry vs. Inferiority 3. Initiative vs. Guilt 2. Autonomy vs. Shame 1. Trust vs. Mistrust Wisdom, Inner peace Care Love Fidelity Competence Purpose Will Power Hope GOALS OF EACH STAGE Ideal Achievement Stage

28. SIGNIFICANT RELATIONS 8. Integrity vs. Despair humankind (my kind) 7. Generativity vs. Stagnation divided labor, sharedhousehold 6. Intimacy vs. Isolation partners: friends, sex,competition, cooperation 5. Identity vs. Role Diffusion peer and other groups 4. Industry vs. Inferiority neighborhood, school 3. Initiative vs. Guilt basic family 2. Autonomy vs. Shame parental persons 1. Trust vs. Mistrust maternal person