Erickson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development

. Theories have been used for many years and are still applicable today in different real-world situations. Although society keeps on changing, some theories developed many years back are still applicable today to provide a theoretical understanding of some aspects of life. Among these theories is Erickson’s psychosocial stages of development, with eight development stages of life.  This theory has been used in various research and fields such as nursing, parenting, and romantic relationships.

 Erickson’s theory of psychosocial stages of development encompasses eight in human beings. The theory is significant and highly regarded because of its meaningful concepts that explain various challenges and lessons individuals go through during development. Individuals go through the developmental stages, and if they experience adverse outcomes in one stage, they will have a negative outcome in the next stages (Orenstein and Lewis, 2020). These stages are divided into three categories: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood (Orenstein and Lewis, 2020). The childhood stage comprises trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame, initiative vs. guilt, and industry vs. inferiority (Orenstein and Lewis, 2020). Adolescence is associated with an identity crisis, while adulthood comprises intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and integrity vs. despair (Orenstein and Lewis, 2020). The eight stages are defined by two opposing dynamics which have a greater influence on an individual.

 Stage one is associated with two opposing psychological tendencies of trust and mistrust. The stage runs from birth to twelve months of age (Orenstein and Lewis, 2020). If the care provided by the caregiver to the infant is good, the child develops a sense of trust with the caregiver. If quality care is not provided, trust remains unresolved, and challenges may arise in the succeeding stages of development. The child may form a notion that the world is unpleasant and unpredictable. Thus the child grows up with a sense of mistrust for people and the world. The next stage is autonomy versus shame, which occurs to a child between the ages of one to three years (Orenstein and Lewis, 2020).  At this stage, a child begins to learn that they can control the world around them. They develop preferences for different things such as food and clothing. The child either identifies himself with autonomy or shame. If a child is denied some independence to act upon their, they may develop a sense of doubt, leading to shame. Autonomy is developed when they are offered chances to explore by themselves.

 The third stage in childhood development is associated with initiative and guilt. At this stage, children can initiate some activities by themselves and assert power over the world around them through interactions. According to Erickson, children acquire a sense of initiative when they plan and achieve several goals in their group interactions, creating a sense of interaction (Orenstein and Lewis, 2020). Children denied a chance to explore different chances in the world develops a sense of guilt. This may affect them throughout their developmental stages.  The last stage during childhood is associated with industry and inferiority. It occurs during the elementary age between six years to twelve years. Children’s task is to achieve industrial aspects or inferiority. Children compare themselves with their friends and develop a sense of accomplishment in school and other life tasks. They develop a sense of inferiority if they do not achieve their life goals or their achievements do not measure up with their friends

  The stages mentioned above mark the end of childhood and transition to adulthood.  The next stage is the adolescence stage associated with an identity crisis. According to Erickson, adolescents struggle to identify themselves and what they want to do in life (Orenstein and Lewis, 2020). Adolescents who are successful at this stage have a strong sense of self-belief and remain true to their values and beliefs. Those pressured to conform to their parents develop unsure about life and struggle to identify themselves in adulthood.

 After adolescence, individuals transit into early adulthood associated with intimacy and isolation. Individuals who develop a sense of identity get ready to share their lives with others through strong bonds and relationships, building intimacy (Orenstein and Lewis, 2020). However, if an identity crisis was unresolved, adults find it challenging to associate and maintain strong bonds with others. They experience loneliness and isolate themselves from others. The next stage is the generativity versus stagnation stage. Adults engage in meaningful activities that contribute positively to society (Orenstein and Lewis, 2020). Those who do not engage in different societal tasks experience stagnation which affects their general productivity. The last stage is the old-age period of integrity and despair, where adults reflect on their past lives and either acquire a sense of accomplishment or despair. Those proud of their achievement feel a sense of integrity, while those who regret their life actions face their late adulthood with feelings of despair and depression.

Erickson’s theory remains to be instrumental to various research as it provides answers to different challenging phenomena. For instance, it has been applied in understanding how older adults apply their acquired wisdom to others. Through this, they achieve a sense of accomplishment for themselves and others. According to Erickson’s theory, acquiring a sense of self-management and accomplishment in old age is determined by whether the individuals solved all the crises and challenges in the preceding stages of development (Perry et al., 2014). In older adulthood, obstacles that occur in daily life can be minimized by integrating skills and knowledge learned earlier in life. The results suggest that the wisdom applied by older adults to solve different situations is not a one-day experience, but it during the preceding stages (Perry, Ruggiano, Shtompel and Hassevoort, 2014). Additionally, the preceding stages that occur before adulthood are renewed in late adulthood into their mature forms and integrated to answer various life problems.  Therefore, the wisdom associated with older adults is acquired throughout development.

Additionally, Erickson’s theory has been applied to explain how outside social interaction in human beings influences their identity.  The environment and social interactions in which an individual develops greatly influence their identity (Peng, Strijker, and Wu, 2020).  Research has indicated that the environment greatly influences the life of a newborn baby. A similar assertion was made by Erickson in his theory when he deemed that individuals find their identity when their ego progresses through various demands of society (Hopwood et al., 2011). Individuals tend to realize whom they are after interacting with various people in their environment. The study results on the influences of social interactions on a person’s identity showed that social interactions in the wider society greatly influence an individual’s identity. The behavior of a newborn is significantly influenced by society or the environment around that child. Individuals tend to attach and adapt their needs to the environment around them to realize themselves.  Therefore, the social interactions and the environment around a child have a great influence on their identity.

Similarly, research has shown that although there is a predominant challenge at each development stage, the stages depend on each other to overcome a challenge.  A challenge in a particular stage overlaps with issues of another stage, and how one has dealt with earlier issues in the previous stages influences how one will solve future issues in other stages (Orenstein and Lewis, 2020). Erickson asserts that although there is a fixed sequence of the eight developmental stages, the achievements of a particular stage are determined by the preceding stages, and the stages are questioned when a negative outcome occurs (Orenstein and Lewis, 2020. Therefore, the success of a particular stage depends on the success of the preceding stages.

 Erickson’s theory has been applied in different life situations. It has been applied to nursing, where it serves as a basis for treating various mental illnesses (Orenstein and Lewis, 2020). The theory helps in the analysis of behaviors of individuals with mental illnesses. Nurses tend to associate mental illnesses in the context of traumatic incidences that might have occurred during the individual developmental stages. Individuals who experience confusion during identity definition may become stressed and end up suffering from mental illnesses. This knowledge helps nurses to prescribe a good treatment.

Additionally, Erickson’s theory is applied in parenting. Parents understand why the adolescent’s stage is characterized by role confusion. At this stage,  adolescents are trying to define who they are and what they want to do with their lives. They experience identity crises as they try to find who they are in an environment full of societal expectations and balance school work and other extracurricular activities. Also,  the theory is applicable in the understanding of the romantic relationship. According to Erickson, a positive identity influences one’s intimacy during a romantic relationship (Beyers and Seiffge-Krenke, 2010). During the identity crisis stage, individuals who can define their identity can remain true to their beliefs and values and can solve challenges arising from a romantic relationship. They also possess an aspect of emotional maturity and can develop and maintain intimate relationships.  Therefore, Erickson’s theory is very instrumental in explaining various life situations.

In conclusion, Erickson’s psychosocial development theory is very instrumental in emphasizing how society greatly influences development. The theory encompasses eight stages that run from childhood to adulthood. Each stage is associated with a particular challenge that an individual must solve to receive positive or negative outcomes. The stages complement each other when handling different developmental crises. The theory has been applied in various research, such as how society and the environment influence individuals identity and also in determining wisdom in old age. The theory is useful in various fields such as nursing, parenting and in romantic relationships. Generally, Erickson’s asserts that individuals face a challenge at each stage which may be resolved or not resolved within that stage. The outcome of a particular stage influence the outcomes of the next succeeding stages.