Erikson's Observation Paper

The observation I conducted is based on two subjects, one of them is 23-year-old women and the other subject is a 3-year-old girl. The reason as to why I choose them is because they had to leave their home and move into a new one. I wanted to see how this change affected them in their life, especially the 3-year-old subject who had to get used to not seeing her dad every day. As I observed them I came to the conclusion that the two theories that fit this observation are; Jean Piaget theory of cognitive development in which, “Children adapt to the environment via assimilation to existing mental structures by accommodating to these structures.” The second theory would be Erik Erikson, his theory is about psychosocial development, “Which emphasizes …show more content…
This fits the oldest subject because she also has to adapt to a new home away from a relationship that was not working out. The part of Erikson’s theory that seems to fit the oldest subject is when he talks about identity crisis. Erikson explains it as, “a period of inner conflict during which one examines one 's values and makes decisions about one’s life roles.” The older subject is at the point in her life where whatever decision she makes can affect her. As I observed this subject it seemed as if she isn’t getting used to her new life. The subject seems to know that she has a chance to make a decision that can help her later on in her life because she sin an environment that is helping her know her self-worth, but mostly that she’s capable of overcoming any other obstacles. I feel like the subject is still not at the point in which Erikson talks about the “importance of human consciousness and choice.” The reason I say this is because the subject seems to be afraid of failure, Erikson’s theory of identity crisis to me means that we make choices that can help shape our future because those choices take us on a path to a positive