In this paper I will communicate four tenets about personhood developed by Erikson and evaluate their compatibility with a biblical view of personhood. The four tenets are: humanity’s push from within, humanity’s inclination toward evil, humanity’s limited freedom, and humanity’s high degree of accountability. I will concisely present Erikson’s view, then develop an interpretation of scripture based on an analysis of specific Bible references and critique Erikson’s theories according to my interpretations. I have also included a fifth tenet addressing additional elements of compatibility between Erikson’s theories and the ideas presented in scripture.
Tenet 1: Humanity’s Considerable Push from Within
According to Erikson, nature has a larger …show more content…
Genes play a role in the timing of our development and the maturation of our psychosocial processes, and the environment provides either a supportive or unsupportive situation for us to develop in, but Erikson thought that as individuals with a sense of self, we have the freedom to make decisions. In his second and third stages of development, we foster an objective self. This is necessary for moral reasoning and involves a recognition of ourselves as a body that takes up space, and a recognition of the effects of our actions. Though Erikson was a nature theorist, he differed from other nature theorists in his belief that we are not completely controlled by nature because we have the power of choice once we obtain our sense of …show more content…
Could it be that by eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve began a developmental process in humans that God did not desire for us? Developing their objective self, Adam and Eve are then able to attain moral reasoning; knowing the difference between good and evil. This unintended human knowledge, pushes them through the following two stages of Erikson’s psychosocial development theory. As we are told in Genesis 3:16-19, humans must now put forth effort to achieve successful sustenance; women experience pain in childbirth, and men toil to cultivate the fields for food. There is hard work and a desire for mastery over the environment, which fits with Erikson’s fourth stage of industry versus inferiority and with his emphasis on our primary drive for control. Finally, Adam and Eve’s development through stage five of Erikson’s identity versus role confusion is evident in their assigned roles and responsibilities on earth, such as bearing children and working for sustenance, as appointed to them by
Tenet 1: Humanity’s Considerable Push from Within
According to Erikson, nature has a larger …show more content…
Genes play a role in the timing of our development and the maturation of our psychosocial processes, and the environment provides either a supportive or unsupportive situation for us to develop in, but Erikson thought that as individuals with a sense of self, we have the freedom to make decisions. In his second and third stages of development, we foster an objective self. This is necessary for moral reasoning and involves a recognition of ourselves as a body that takes up space, and a recognition of the effects of our actions. Though Erikson was a nature theorist, he differed from other nature theorists in his belief that we are not completely controlled by nature because we have the power of choice once we obtain our sense of …show more content…
Could it be that by eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve began a developmental process in humans that God did not desire for us? Developing their objective self, Adam and Eve are then able to attain moral reasoning; knowing the difference between good and evil. This unintended human knowledge, pushes them through the following two stages of Erikson’s psychosocial development theory. As we are told in Genesis 3:16-19, humans must now put forth effort to achieve successful sustenance; women experience pain in childbirth, and men toil to cultivate the fields for food. There is hard work and a desire for mastery over the environment, which fits with Erikson’s fourth stage of industry versus inferiority and with his emphasis on our primary drive for control. Finally, Adam and Eve’s development through stage five of Erikson’s identity versus role confusion is evident in their assigned roles and responsibilities on earth, such as bearing children and working for sustenance, as appointed to them by