Emma, Usy\a, Choose a current theory of human development and research it, then discuss its merits or otherwise. The 8 stages of human life Eric Erikson’s psychological development theory is a widely used and highly regarded lifecycle model. Also known as Erikson’s psychological crisis life cycle model — the 8 stages of human life, this theory is extremely helpful for use with both child and adult development. In this life cycle model, Erikson observes & different stages of human development. These stages are arranged as the lifecycle progresses from infant to developing teenager, though to old age or grandparent. The 8 stages are, 1/Trust Vs mistrust, 2 Autonomy Vs Shame & doubt, 3 Initiative Vs Guilt, 4 Industry Vs Inferiority, 5 Identity Vs Role Confusion, 6 Intimacy Vs Isolation,7 Generativity Vs Stagnation, 8 Integrity Vs Despair. Each of these stages, according to Erikson, must be correctly balanced in order for healthy development to occur. This theory has many merits most significantly its focus on balance of positive and negative, There are also however a few detractors as with any theory, and wont be appealing for those who preach nature over nurture, This is the first stage of Erikson’s model, and deals with the formative years of a child’s life. It is referred to as the “oral” stage, as everything that is done to keep the newborn alive is done orally via the newborns mouth, The title trust Vs mistrust is exactly that. A child needs to learn how to trust and who to trust. This basic. judgment is leaned through interaction with those around them. Weather the child is fed and cared for, over indulged and spoiled or at the other end of the scale neglected and abused. The outcomes seem obvious though still are crucial in the development of what is understood to be a healthy mind. “...having been deprived, of having been divided, and of having been abandoned, all of which leave a residue of basic mistrust, that basic trust must be established and maintained.” (Erikson, 1959, p 63) If for example a child is given a correct amount of food, love and affection while at the same time a balanced amount of discipline (not necessatily negative discipline at this age) the result could be expected to be a person who is trusting of those close to him while understanding a healthy amount of autonomy, hopefully open to exploration on all of life’s levels. On the other hand a person who has suffered neglect at this early stage of life and not received the same amount of food, love affection and positive discipline can be expected (while observing Erikson's theory) to be untrusting of most and may find it difficult to develop healthy relationships with others. Erikson’s first stage Trust v Mistrust is mainly common sence. If you are to love and look after and feed your child they are going to grow to trust and love you and will feel safe with you. If you ignore, negiect and forget to feed your child, the child will then of course be mistrusting of you. The right amount of balance is needed for this to be successful. If ©you were to spoil, favor or over indulge a child then a negative outcome of a different kind would arise from the situation, So a balance of both is needed. The second stage Autonomy V Shame and Doubt is also referred to as the “anal” stage. This stage lies in the maturity of the muscle system “The consequent ability to coordinate a number of highly conflicting action pattern such as “holding on” or “letting go,” and the ymous value with which the still highly dependent child begins to endow his autonomous will”. (Erikson, 1959, p 68) Autonomy means self-reliance and is a very large part of a healthy mind. “To develop autonomy, a firmly developed and a convincingly continued stage of early trust is necessary.” (Erikson, 1959, p 70) Shame and doubt is “early expressed in an impulse to bury one’s face, or to sink, right then and there, into the ground”.( Erikson, 1959, p 71) ‘Shame and doubt can have the power to cloud autonomy and inhibit a persons ability to be themselves or think freely. The parental balancing act is a tough one, this is a large part of the development of the mind and this stage can be examined in almost all areas of development in the toddler stages of human life (around 1% and onwards), and concerns things like toilet training, a parents reaction to a tantrum, or their reaction to almost anything a child does. Looking at this stage Erikson has based his mode! on’ Nurture. That a persons personality and consciousness is shaped primarily by their surroundings, experiences and interactions they have, most importantly in the early stages of life. If you are to tell a child that what they are doing something wrong or that what they are doing is dirty or naughty, then ‘eventually it will stick in their mind. They will begin to know what they can and cant do and eventually they will be able to rely on their selves a bit more. Once again its not all ‘one sided if you were to be always telling a child that that bad or wrong then a negative affect will occur you need to give praise when its needed and discipline also when its needed for a good outcome. Initiative V Guilt is the third stage and is based around the development of a persons ability to create things of their own devise be it thought or something physical. The guilt part of this stage could be seen as confidence in ones self. The feeling that something is ‘wrong or inappropriate or will attract disapproval from ones peers. Ifa person is riddled with Erikson idea of guilt, then, as the theory has it, initiative will be suppressed. In children this initiative V guilt idea can be seen in simple activities such as game playing and general confidence. This theory suggests that suppressing adventure and experimentation because of adult ideas of risk, value or merit could lead to a child unable to learn/perform in an autonomous manner due to fear of disapproval. This stage is difficult as the parent or carer needs to know how to give a child the right balance of freedom and adventure while also providing safety and boundaries. With completion of this stage Erikson advises that the child “must emerge with a sense of unbroken, iative as a basis for a high and yet realistic sense of ambition and independence”. (Erikson, 1989, p 78) SA child needs to explore and find some things out on their own, A child needs adventure and experimentation and they need access to do things on their own otherwise they will never lear and will be relying on their parent. Once again boundaries need to be set. Too much freedom will cause a negative affect as would at the other end of the scale with too many rules and regulations. Industry Vs Inferiority is the next stage. Industry is the development of confidence and skills, or a method. This is a major part of school years development, and is considered as an entrance to life. A child who consistently fails to succeed at a given task (i.e. school tasks), or a child who is denied the chance to experience basic concepts of industry (or method) could quite naturally become prone to feelings of inferiority. It’s also of note that at this stage of life development of work and skills is the main concern, which further emphasizes the importance of the first 3 stages ~ stage 1—“I am What I am given”, stage = “Tam what I will”, stage 3 ~ “I am what I can imagine I will be” and stage 4—“I am what I lea”. (Erikson, 1959, p 86) By now there are many skills that society expects and even demands a person has. This stage is about building a child from the inside. By giving the child positive feed back and praise for a job well done and by the child feeling achievement, will put them on the path for a successful outcome with this stage. By negative comments or by them failing a task constantly would make them feel useless and alone and would create low self-esteem for the child. With this stage more positive than negative is needed for a healthy outcome for the child. ‘The next stage is Identity Vs Role Confusion or Identity Diffusion. Identity means essentially how a person sees themselves in relation to the world. This stage corresponds with the adolescent or puberty years. When a person has a positive identity they are generally content with who they are, this is commonly described as “self-esteem” and is directly related to how we value ourselves. Role Confusion on the other hand is when a person is unsure of who they are and their relationship to the world — an absence of identity. Erikson said “they are sometimes morbidly, often curiously, preoccupied with What they appear to be in the eyes of others as compared with what they feel they are..” (Erikson, 1959 p 94) This is often accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and low self worth. During this stage young people struggle to be accepted by their peers. They are trying to belong to or fit in with a certain group, but are also trying to maintain being an individual, Being a teenager is tough and it’s hard to find your self when you are changing so dramatically- physically and mentally. Teenagers can be cruel to each other so it is quite easy to get confused in this stage. In any lesson mistakes will be made before you find the right balance with in your self to be able to move onto the next stage. The sixth stage in Erikson’s theory is Intimacy Vs Isolation. Intimacy means the process of achieving relationships with family and martial or mating partners.(Chapman, businessballs, 2006) It also includes the giving and receiving of physical and emotional connections, support, love, comfort and trust. This stage corresponds with the adult Srelationships relation to mating and child-rearing. Isolation conversely means being and feeling excluded from the usual life experiences that a normal healthy adult would participate in at this time in their life. These include dating and mating and a mutually loving friendship. Isolation is characterized by not participating, not including your self and pretty much just not bothering to care about anything or anyone around you. “the youth who is not sure of his idenitity shies away from interpersonal intimacy; but the surer he becomes of himself, the more he seeks it in the form of friendship, combat, leadership, love, and inspiration.” (Erikson, 1959 P 101) This stage Intimacy V Isolation is a stage of giving and receiving. Too much giving on one person’s behalf tho, is going to have a negative affect. The other person in the relationship would begin to rely and depend on the other person and will be come lazy and wont care as they would know that their partner will be able to look after things for them. This is when isolation would occur. Reciprocal love for and with another person is needed with each other doing their share to keep the relationship working and one not depending solely on the other. Generativity V Stagnation the seventh stage of Erikson’s theory. Generativity comes from the word generation, as in parent and child, giving positive and loving care for their child to grow and also guiding the child. Stagnation is an extension of intimacy that is self-focused; to take more interest in ones self to be self-absorbed than to take interest in another — lack of interest in young people and future generations. Stagnation occurs ‘mostly when the person doesn’t have a opportunity or an outlet to be in contact with younger generation and doesn’t have the opportunity to contribute to the learning and the growth of children. This stage is referring to unconditional, non- reciprocating care of one’s child, It fair to say that this stage from Erikson makes sense, manly because he states that the stagnation is a result from not having contact with younger generation. If you don’t have contact with something how are you to know that you fully like it and want to help it. It preity much comes down to the more time you spend with the child, the more time you bond together, and the more time you bond the more you will begin to care about the child’s outcome. ‘The final stage of Erikson’s theory is Integrity V Despair. This stage is about being peaceful and satisfied with one’s life and efforts, and to be accepting that life will one day come to an end, Integrity means no regrets and to be at peace with the world and oneself. To be happy with the contributions that one has made during their life and to be able to look back with a smile and believe that the world is a better place because they ‘were here, Despair means to have the opposite direction in mind, to always be thinking ‘what if. To have a memory fall of regrets and wishing that if only they could turn back time, how different things would be. ‘This stage in life is a stage where you can look back on your life. Where you are happy with what you have done to bring up your family and to complete your life. You wouldfeel content knowing that you have done all that you can for your child and that they to too are proud of you for what you have done for them. Erikson’s theory is a powerful and a strong theory that could be used for improvement in ones self and also in teaching and helping others. There are many important parts and positive aspects to Erikson’s theory. One of them is that Erikson believes that every one can continue to grow and change as they progress in life. Just because you had a negative outcome with one stage doesn’t mean that all is lost never to be recovered. Everyone dose change as their lives progress. Change is just one fact of life that is inevitable. Luckily stages can be revisited if we allow ourselves to when the time reoceurs. As long as we are recognize and welcome the change. Erikson believes in nurture over nature. He believes that every one is born like a blank canvas and that the way that the person is brought up will depend on what type of person. they grow up to be. Many people all across the world debate this point — Nature v Nurture. Do we all just need a push in the right direction or are we born and our personalities are already fixed? To believe Nature in this theory would mean that there ‘wouldn't be much room for change in your life. Even if you were to change it would only be surface deep as your genetic make-up would already be set. Erikson’s theory is very optimistic as theory states that things can always get better if you allow and make room for them to. One thing with Erikson’s theory that he doesn’t define is how much is too much. There are no fixed line in his theory. He doesn’t indicate how much positive or how much negative will give a equal result. To follow his theory as a parent could be difficult to Judge, when cnough is enough or too much is too much. I guess that It will depend on the individual as to how much positive or negative balance is needed to give a successful completion to each stage. Erikson’s Theory is a excellent theory that I believe should be taught to everyone, especially children, teachers and parents, Erikson’s theory would be useful to all age categories as his theory covers from birth to old age. People would be able to understand ‘What stages that they have passed through and it might even make the stages easier to pass through if they haven't already reached a certain stage within their life.Bibliography In text: (Erikson, 1959 p..) Reference: Erik H. Erikson (1959) Identity and the Life Cycle W.W. Norton & Company, Inc ~ International University Press, Inc In Text: (Chapman, businessballs, 2006) Reference: Alan Chapman review 2006 - Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory ‘Site: www.businessballs.com Reference: Erik H. Erikson (1950) Childhood and Society W.W. Norton & Company Inc ue na wall rapt rd enns,