Erikson's Psychosocial Theory: A Case Study

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Theoretical Theory
Erikson’s psychosocial theory will be the basis for my interventions strategy. According to Erik Erikson, rather than developing in psychosexual stages like Freud suggested, people develop through psychosocial stages. Development is constantly occurring throughout life and early and later experiences are equally important. People have a desire to interact with others socially. In each stage there is a crisis that needs to be resolved, the more triumph the healthier the development will be for the individual (Santrock, 2016).
In Erikson’s fifth stage of development, identity vs identity confusion, developmental set-backs can occur. In this stage adolescents, 10-20 years, are in search of figuring out who they are. They ask
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Adolescents with anorexia are influenced by the media and society (Mayo Clinic, 2017). Anorexia is more prevalent in industrialized societies that have a surplus of food and have western ideals of what beauty is (Reijonen, Pratt, Patel, & Greydanus, 2003). In western cultures, T.V shows, and fashion magazines often have skinny models and actors (Mayo Clinic, 2017). Overtime, the body fat of Miss American winners has decreased over the years and this is correlated with an increase of anorexia nervosa. According to the World Health Organization Standards, Miss America winners are undernourished. According to a study, the more television a young female watched the more they were dissatisfied with their bodies and had symptoms of eating disorders (Nathanson, 2003). Young women are pressured to be thin. Those that don’t meet the standard are often body shamed. The media portrays this ideal and unrealistic body image. This often leads the adolescent to believe that thinness is often equated with popularity. Low self-esteem is often the result of the adolescent to believe that to be beautiful they must be thin. Self-esteem is largely influenced by the way adolescents see themselves physically (Santrock,

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