Erikson's Theory Of Psychosocial Stages On Personality Development

On of the most recognizable names in all of psychology is Sigmund Freud. Although many of his psychoanalytic theories of personality have been highly criticized and even dismissed, his theories still influenced later psychologists. These theorists, were considered Neo-Freudians because many of their own theories were developed from Freud’s. Neo-Freudians agreed with Freud that childhood experiences play a role in personality development, but differed by putting less emphasis on sex, the unconscious mind, and instinctual drives. Instead, Neo-Freudians put their focus on how culture, interpersonal relationships, and social environment affected personality development. The aim of this paper is to analyze Neo-Freudian theories, more specifically theories proposed by Erik Erikson, and how these theories of personality played a

Erikson built his theory on the epigenetic principle, which states that personality develops in a fixed manor, and is shaped by the prior stage. Erikson proposed eight psychosocial stages, in which a crisis occurs, that determine the direction the personality will head. These crises address the conflict between personal needs and societal needs. Assuming that an individual completes each stage successfully then they will acquire a healthy personality and positive basic virtues. Failing to complete specific stages can result in many negative factors including a negative sense of self and an unhealthy personality. More importantly failure in early stages can cause it to be harder to complete later stages. The eight psychosocial stages that will be analyzed according to Chris Kyle’s development include trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generatively vs. stagnation, and integrity vs.