Erik Erickson's Theory Of Psychosocial Development

Erik Erickson was a renowned psychologist for his famous theory of stages of psychosocial development. Erickson never received a formal degree in medicine or psychology. Instead, he focused his education on subjects such as history and art. He was later offered a position at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute where he received two certifications. He moved to the U.S. in 1933 and received teaching positions at a variety of universities including: Harvard, Yale, and University of California Berkeley despite having no formal degree (Cherry). Erickson was known a Neo – Freudian psychologists which mean he accepted the central ideas of Freud, but added his own ideas and beliefs. His eight stage psychosocial theory on personality development includes …show more content…
Stagnation stage. This stage takes place between 40-65 years old. During this stage, adults are trying to begin their own families, establishing their own careers, and develop a sense of being apart of the bigger picture. Success in this stage leads to a feeling of having a purpose in life and feeling like they are making a difference or contribution to the world. Failure in this stage can lead to a feeling of meaningless and can make people become inactive. Many major life shifts can occur during this stage. Adults can find themselves wanting a career change, or struggling to find a purpose in life. If they had a family, their children could leave their households as well (McLeod. This stage of Erickson’s theory is mostly accurate as well. Smaller percentages of people come to this stage much earlier than 40 years old. My brother who is 20 is getting married and starting a family already. He also will begin is career in May. He fits into this stage more than he fits into the young adult stage even though he is much younger than 40 years …show more content…
Despair stage. This stage describes people anywhere from 55-65 years old until the end of their lives. At this stage, people slow down their productivity, and enjoy life as a retired person. People also spend large amounts of time reflecting on their lives and their accomplishments in the previous stages. If they feel they had a successful life, it leaves people with a sense of contentment and fulfillment. Others might feel a sense of despair if they feel they were a disappointment or did not contribute as much as they thought they could to society. This stage leads to a virtue of wisdom or a sense of closure allowing them to accept death knowing they have lived their lives. I believe this stage is the most accurate. Both results of this stage tend to be very accurate. My grandparents at this stage fit into this stage. They all live their lives right now happily retired and always giving life advice when needed. This means they found the virtue of wisdom and faced success in this stage and previous