Abraham Maslow's Theory Of Adolescent Development

Another famous psychologist who contributed to the study of adolescent development was Abraham Maslow. Abraham Maslow was a humanistic psychologist who designed the renowned theory, “hierarchy of needs” (Nevid, 2006, p. 263). Maslow identified that human beings’ needs are organized “in a hierarchy that ranges from biological needs at the base to the need for self-actualization at the top” (Nevid, 2006, p. 263). Therefore, the pyramid visual of this theory represents the human needs according to how they should be satisfied in order. There had and has been a lot of criticism towards Maslow’s hierarchy of needs due to his ambiguous and vague ideas. However, it has been very helpful in explaining growth and behavior of human beings. According …show more content…
Unlike Piaget, who believed there were set phases and levels human beings experience and overcome, Erikson believed identity is formed through a “lifelong process, in which adolescence is simply one step in a continuing series” (Steffof, 1990, p. 45). Erikson believes that this inner struggle is a normal part of growth for a healthy adult. This idea of identity crisis, according to Erikson, is a period of time in a person’s life where one wrestles and battles with the understanding and growth of a person’s “personal values and direction in life”. Erikson finds that it is imperative for an individual to effectively complete and resolve each developmental stage before he or she can move forward to the following stages. Erik Erikson developed eight stages regarding emotional development. The eight stages are: (1) Trust vs. Mistrust, (2) Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt, (3) Initiative vs. Guilt, (4) Industry vs. Inferiority, (5) Identity vs. Role Confusion, (6) Intimacy vs. Isolation, (7) Generativity vs. Stagnation, and (8) Ego Integrity vs. Despair (Steffof, 1990, p. …show more content…
46). This is where the term “identity crisis” comes into play as Erikson developed the whole idea of identity development. Erikson strongly believed that adolescents who are able to effectively resolve their identity crisis are then able to achieve their own sense or state of ego identity. This sense or state of ego identity, according to Maslow, is self-actualization. However, unlike those adolescents who successfully figure out their identity, adolescents who fail to form their identity during the adolescent age are then subjected to become fused with their own identity. This is because adolescents who do not figure out their identity during their youth do not have a strong foundation of who they think they are in society. If individuals struggle to move pass their identity crisis, they will most likely tend to fail in reaching a deeper understanding of their being; thus may become more vulnerable to pressures beyond their