Freud Vs Erikson Research Paper

As people our sense of development is a crucial part of our entire life. What happens as children thoroughly reflects upon who we are as adults. Two of the most famous theories of Development are similar in many ways, although contrast on a different level. The psychosexual views on development in comparison to the psychosocial views on development differ based on the foundation of each theory. The Psychosexual Theory is entirely dedicated to the development that surrounds the person themselves, whereas the Psychosocial views are entirely dependant on how we interact with the world and people around us. An important difference between each theory is the number of stages as well as how each theory ends at different stages. Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson have ultimately created a …show more content…
Although noticeable resemblances were not apparent between the lives of the Freud and Erikson, striking similarities are clear in their theories. Many of Erikson’s ideas were inspired by Sigmund Freud’s theory, as you can see when you look at the stages they each used to explain their theories. While Freud believed that personality was developed based on predetermined stages, Erikson believed that personality was developed based on social experiences. This caused the entire theory to change due to the fact the foundation of each theory was completely different. Each theorist was able to explain their theories to the world by using the same methods and techniques due to the fact that what they were explaining was under the same umbrella of psychology, the main difference was that each idea explaining a question asked by humanity was entirely different. A psychologist that speaks of personality is referring to the experiences, ideals and values that shape our identity. A large portion of these three points happen during childhood, a delicate and