Erikson and Freud are two of the few theorists who have developed a lifespan approach to development. Freud's approach to development was psychosexual while Erikson's was psychosocial. Even though Freud's theory is better known, Erikson's theory remains a leading and very much applied model in personality and developmental psychology today.
When considering these two stage-oriented theories, you can directly compare the majority of their stages. Matched in the following table:
|
Approximate Age
|
Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development
|
Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial development
|
|
Infancy (Birth to 1 year)
|
Oral stage
|
Trust versus mistrust
|
|
Early childhood (1-3 years)
|
Anal stage
|
Autonomy versus doubt
|
|
Preschool (3-6 years)
|
Phallic stage
|
Initiative versus guilt
|
|
School age (7-11 years)
|
Latent period
|
Industry versus inferiority
|
|
Adolescence (12-18 years)
|
Genital stage
|
Identity versus role confusion
|
|
Young adulthood (19-40 years)
|
|
Intimacy versus isolation
|
|
Middle adulthood (40-65 years)
|
|
Generativity versus stagnation
|
|
Older adulthood (65-death)
|
|
Integrity versus despair
|
When considering Erikson's eight stages of development, the way a person moves through each stage directly affects their success in the next stage. Their personality is being built and shaped with each stage. At each stage, there is a turning point, called a crisis by Erikson, which a person must confront.
Observe or interview two different people, each at a different stage of development. For a third observation, take a look at yourself and the stage that you are in (this stage must be different from your other two observations).
• Record your three observations in a template. Include the following information:
o Name
o Age
o Gender
o Current developmental stage
o Status within the stage (i.e., identity achievement or role confusion)
o Events that have lead to this status
Record your observations on the Development Template
• Summarize what you have learned about psychosocial development through these observations/interviews.
• Summarize the trends you see in your observations/interviews regarding psychosocial development.
• How does movement through Erikson's stages influence personality development? Again, be specific.
• How do Erikson's stages of development compare to Freud's stages? How are they similar? How are they different?
• Between these two theories, which one do you feel best explains your own personality development? Justify your answers with specific examples.
Write a 3 page paper in Word format. Insert your chart at the end of your paper. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.