Erikson Personal Development Theory

Introduction Growing up, I came from a relatively small immediate family that consisted of my mother, father, brother and twin sister. I am the older twin, while my brother is three years older than me. But I also include other relatives in my immediate family, such as my grandparents and my aunts and uncles because I come from a close-knit family that frequently visits one another daily. Furthermore, as a twin, I was required to dress exactly like my twin and shared the same space as her growing up, which I believe made an impact on my development. I also believe being enrolled in Pre-School to start my education also influenced my education and development in life. Currently, I attend a college located in a small town called Geneva, which is located in New York. I will be beginning my senior year to obtain my B.A. in Biology with a double Minor in Education and Dance. So in relation to my upbringing and my current stance in life, I shall relate Erikson’s theory around my …show more content…
Mistrust
Definition: is Erikson’s first psychosocial stage, which is experienced in the first year of life. Trust in infancy sets the stage for a lifelong expectation that the world will be a good and pleasant place to live (Santrock, p.18). During the first year of my life, I was rarely separated from my twin, and I spent a majority of my time with her. My twin and I shared the same crib as well. From recollections of my family members, they intentionally kept us together because we would cry constantly if we were separated, if not we would look around as if we knew the other was missing. In regards to Erikson’s theory, I was relatively a trusting child because I knew my mother would return, regardless of where she was going. This may be due to having someone else present all of the time, my twin. Though my mother did inform me that I would cry if she would leave, specifically early on in life, which is