Erik Erikson's Psychosocial Theory Essay Sample

Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory of development is more complex to grasp than Freud's psychosexual stages theory; in fact, his development hypothesis contends that people advance through eight stages of development throughout the course of their lives. According to his theory, while a person's unparalleled strengths and characteristics grow with each psychological stage, conflicts may arise when individuals become too obsessed with achieving their needs and desires. These confrontations, known as "crises," must be properly resolved in order for an individual to continue growing or to parry issues in the next phase of his or her life. Today, the theory is being employed as a framework for human development, so I can apply it to my own experience and reflect on the emergence of my own identity.

“Trust vs. mistrust,” the infancy period, is the first stage of Erikson's hypothesis. It is the most fundamental stage of life, which starts at birth and lasts for approximately one-year. During this period, I was unsure about the whole universe in which I lived, and I looked to my main caretakers for security and continuity of care. I think I gained a sense of trust at this time since I was able to meet my basic requirements of feeding and being cared for by my parents, especially my amorous and solicitous mother. This leads me to the virtue of hope, in which I can acknowledge that as new crises arise, people may become my pillar of support. Implying that I normally grow up with a sense of trust with the folks around me and that I feel secure in the world, which leads to independence; the second stage of Erikson's theory, which aims to be self-controlling without a loss of self-esteem.

Furthermore, the early childhood stage is really about self-exploration, “autonomy vs. shame and doubt,” and discovering that I have a diverse range of talents and capacities as an individual. It occurs between the ages of one-year and about three years; it is the stage in which I begin to assert my independence through toilet training, learning how to walk, picking my favorite toys, and making decisions about what I like to eat and do not like to ingest. This is where my parents enabled me to test the boundaries of my skills in a supportive setting that was tolerant of failure, which means that even if I failed to complete a task, they encouraged rather than condemned me. Leading me to the virtue of will, in which I gain confidence and security in my capacity to live in the world, which leads me to reach the level of competency needed to move onto the next stage; Erikson's theory's third stage, which highlights that I have a sense that the world is trustworthy and that I am able to act independently.

Moreover, the preschool years, or play age, have been coined as "initiative vs. guilt," and it occurs between the ages of three and six; this stage focuses on how self-consciousness develops. At this age, I begin to exert control and influence over my surroundings by planning activities, accomplishing responsibilities, and dealing with challenges. I am also continually interacting with other kids, asking a lot of questions, and attempting new things on my own and finding my own skills. It is also a moment where playing is vital since it helps me enhance my interpersonal abilities as an individual. After all, it is the time at which I gained the virtue of purpose, since a rich equilibrium of initiative and shame occurred; this balance indicates the successful completion of this stage, which leads me to the next stage, the period of education and learning.

 Along with, the school age period, “industry vs. inferiority,” is a vital stage in developing self-confidence. This stage occurs between the ages of six and twelve. It is where my teachers begin to play an important role in my life, as they teach me certain skills.  This is my period of learning how to write and read a lot, how to do sums, and everything else. It is also the time in my life when I have struggled with academics to the point where I have begun sobbing and telling myself that nothing is genuinely for me, that I am not as smart as the other kids around me. If I recollect the days when I battled, I will want to thank my teacher, Marites Viola, for assisting and encouraging me.

In addition to the statements above, if my heart could talk, it would burst out of my chest to thank her for being part of my life path. I would not be who I am now without her altruistic efforts and benevolent support. My heart is presently bursting with feelings, all of which are combining to form something I do not comprehend. Nonetheless, without her zeal, I would not be able to successfully master this stage. Thus, I believe that through her selfless endeavors for me, I have effectively conquered this level, which leads me to the virtue of competence and allows me to move forward to the next stage; the fifth stage of theory, which is very important to the process of forming a strong identity and developing a sense of direction in life, or the crucial stage of my development.

Without a doubt, the fifth stage is really all about identity discovery, where it is labeled as "identity vs. identity confusion." It is the last stage that I am in, and I have been doing a myriad of experiments with various activities in order to determine what works best for me as an individual or explore possibilities and begin to form my own identity based on my explorations. I think that having had a pleasant and good upbringing, I have arrived at this moment with a sense of self-confidence and preparedness for everything that life has to offer. However, it is also a period when I am uneasy about my body and how I look, particularly since I am the kind of person who has a lot of hair on my body, and it seems that this is something that is making me feel uneasy about myself. But, as time goes by, I readily adjust to it, and I understand that it distinguishes me as a person, and it is something I should be proud of. Finally, I discovered the proper professional path for me, and I ended up doing a psychology degree since I truly wanted to be a psychiatrist, which means that I successfully developed a healthy identity, leading me to having a sense of fidelity.