Eric Erikson's Theory Of Psychosocial Development

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Riley Andersen is an 11-year-old girl who was born and raised in Minnesota. She was a very cheerful and playful child growing up. She loved hockey and had all the support she needed from her parents. Riley comes from a well-organized, loving, and well precise family who gave provided her need and necessities and were also there for her emotional and physically. Everything changed when her father’s recent job relocated to San Francisco; this took a toll in Riley 's life and relationships with her friends and her parents. Although, the idea of moving to San Francisco was very pleasing to Riley but when she arrived at her new home she wasn 't as excited as she thought she 'd be. She missed home and became emotionally unbalanced. She later …show more content…

Erikson defined eight developmental stages during which a crisis must be resolved in order for a person to develop psychosocially without carrying forward issues tied to the previous crisis (Cross, 2001). Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development established a framework for understanding the typical psychosocial developmental patterns of people. Erikson clarified that conflict arises not from the internal forces of the person, but rather the person 's interaction with his or her environment (Cross, 2001). Riley 's interaction with her environment was absent because she hated her new home which allowed her to feel no connection with her environment and they people around her. According to Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, he articulates that each crisis is produced by conflict between the psychological needs of the individual and their societal needs. This can cause an uncertain balance between her personality and her behavior. As Riley approaches her teenage years, it is definitely common and normal for her to have behavioral issues due to the critical and sensitive age she is in at this point in her life. This stage Erikson 's defined as a competence versus inferiority because approval from the child 's peers becomes the source for his/her self-confidence and self-esteem. The best and common idea of dealing with a young girl at this stage would be to give her the space she needs to grow and to help her develop a sense of who she is and her identity. According to Erikson, as the individual negotiates a crisis at each stage of development, basic strengths or virtues emerge (Cross, 2001). According to Erikson, during adolescence stage, the primary aspect of developing one 's identity deals with role confusion. Puberty disrupts the predictability and understandings an individual has

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