Comparing Erikson And The Pilgrim's Progress

In the Introduction to the course textbook, the author suggests that “Erikson’s life-cycle model seemed like a contemporary version of Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress.” The allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress is essentially a story about a spiritual journey through life, ending with eternity spent in the Celestial City, a.k.a. “Heaven.” Erik H. Erikson’s life-cycle model of eight developmental stages is an overview for understanding the human lifespan. At first glance, one might not see much room for comparison. Erikson’s stages cover the entire human lifespan, while The Pilgrim’s Progress begins with Christian as a grown man of indeterminate age. He has children, but we’re told no more and he might be a young man in his twenties, or even thirty to forty years of age. We also have no idea about his age when he reaches the Celestial City and the end of his earthly lifespan. However, we can look at Christian’s journey from the aspect of spiritual growth and enlightenment, rather than his physical age and associated happenings. It then makes sense to me to align his experiences with Erikson’s stages of development, though some more broadly than others. Mossman, Page Two Infancy – Here we see the beginning of Christian’s despair at the burden he carries, and his thoughts and questions as he ponders the message from Evangelist. The conflict in Erikson’s first stage is Basic Trust vs. Basic Mistrust, and we see Christian trust the words of Evangelist. But he then mistrusts Worldly Wiseman even as he listens to him and follows his counsel. (I think the mistrust stemmed from the promptings of the Holy Spirit, with Whose voice/presence Christian was yet unfamiliar.) The more established traveler, Evangelist, comes around again to help the “baby” Christian back on the right track. Christian again trusts him and follows his directions to continue his journey. Early Childhood – In the category of Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt, Christian doesn’t yet have a sense of Autonomy – governing himself with spiritual disciplines – in in his early journey as we see him struggle with doubt and fear. And though he learns much about the concept of faith and the Christian walk at the house of Interpreter, he must develop his faith through the course of his own experiences. He receives further instruction and weapons during his visit to the …show more content…
Identity Confusion, and Intimacy vs. Isolation. After some time of journeying and growth Christian is more sure of his identity in Christ, though during trials in moments of isolation he must try to gird up his faith alone. Conversely, each time he can fellowship with fellow travelers, his hope is renewed, his faith strengthened, and his knowledge broadened. His identity also is further affirmed through the bonds with his brothers and sisters in the Faith. Maturity and Old Age – As Christian nears the end of his journey, he is walking in Wisdom and Integrity. Stagnation, Despair and Disgust don’t appear to be part of his narrative at this stage, but he discusses backsliding, which could be considered the beginning of a stagnant state in some part of a believer’s life. Perhaps he gained this wisdom both from observing others and from a personal episode. Further contemplation could reveal more areas of similitude. Finding such comparisons may aid a modern Christian through their own progress through the life stages of