Erikson Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Erikson?
Erik Erikson was a prominent developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst best known for his theory of psychosocial development. Born in Germany in 1902, Erikson was heavily influenced by Sigmund Freud’s theories of psychosexual development. He expanded on these ideas, proposing that each stage of life is associated with different challenges, which must be faced and resolved before the individual can move forward to the next stage.Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development cover the entire lifespan from infancy to old age. Each stage is marked by a conflict between opposing forces such as trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt which must be confronted and balanced. In addition to describing each conflict in detail, Erikson also outlined what kind of successful resolution would result in the acquisition of certain social skills or personal qualities that would form a foundation for future growth (e.g., trustworthiness). If a person fails to resolve their conflicts successfully during one stage, this can cause issues later on in life when they reach subsequent stages hence why it’s important to master each developmental challenge as it arises throughout life’s journey. Erik Erikson’s research into human development has been extremely influential and remains an integral part of modern psychology today his theory provides us with an invaluable framework for understanding how we grow and change throughout our lifetime.