ASSIGNMENT ON

- ERIKSON’S THEORY OF PERSONALITY

In spite of the fact that Erik Erikson has had a major hypothetical affect on the discipline of psychology
in clinical, formative and identity spaces, his work has received generally small experimental
consideration. Erikson has given a demonstration for considering about the cycle as an arrangement
of eight progressive assignments, the dominance of which he considered fundamental to the living of
a fulfilling life. Erikson conceived of each assignment as comprising a “crisis” whose successful
determination advanced the mental improvement of the person and expanded the probability of the
positive resolutions of ensuing developmental emergencies. It is curious to note that in Chinese, the
character utilized for the word “crisis” is additionally the word for “opportunity”. In fact, Erikson
caught on the eight formative crises he sketched out in much the same way that’s as openings for
development and positive alter.

Stage 1- Infancy: The basic and fundamental psychological task is for infants to develop a sense that
their caregivers and environments are responsive, reliable, and consistent. In other words, that they can
trust that their basic needs will be met. Basic trust is facilitated by a responsive caregiver. When infants
are in distress—whether it is due to hunger, exhaustion, injury, or a dirty diaper they expect that a
caregiver will attend to their needs.

Stage 2- Toddlerhood: The second stage is the anal-muscular stage of early childhood, from about
eighteen months to three or four years old. The task is to achieve a degree of autonomy while
minimizing shame and doubt. If they get the proper, positive balance of autonomy and shame and
doubt, they will develop the virtue of willpower or determination. One of the most admirable – and
frustrating – thing about two- and three-year olds is their determination. "Can do" is their motto. If this
"can do" attitude is preserved (with appropriate modesty to balance it) then they are much better off as
adults.

Stage 3- Early Childhood: In early childhood, children learn to take greater risks in separating from
their caregiver, actively engaging with their environments on their own terms—taking initiative. This
most often takes the form of independent play, with children demonstrating the ability to engage with
concrete materials or their own imaginations. The negative pole, guilt, corresponds to the guilt
associated with engaging in work that is not intricately tied to the caregiver—that initiating independent
play serves as a betrayal of the established bond.

Stage 4- Middle Childhood: Stage four is the latency stage, or the school-age child from about six
to twelve. The task is to develop a capacity for industry while avoiding an excessive sense of inferiority.
Children must "tame the imagination" and dedicate themselves to education and to learning the social
skills their society requires of them. Too much industry leads to the maladaptive tendency called
narrow virtuosity. We see this in children who aren't allowed to "be children," the ones that parents or
teachers push into one area of competence, without allowing the development of broader interests.
These are the kids without a life: child actors, child athletes, child musicians, child prodigies of all sorts.
We all admire their industry, but if we look a little closer, it's all that stands in the way of an empty life.

Much more common is the malignancy called inertia. This includes all of us who suffer from the
"inferiority complexes". A happier thing is to develop the right balance of industry and inferiority – that
is, mostly industry with just a touch of inferiority to keep us sensibly humble. Then we have the virtue
called competency.

Stage 5- Adolescence and Emerging Childhood : In adolescence (ages 12–18), children face the
task of identity vs. role confusion. Adolescents struggle with questions such as “Who am I?” and “What
do I want to do with my life?” Along the way, most adolescents try on many different selves to see
which ones fit; they explore various roles and ideas, set goals, and attempt to discover their “adult”
selves. Adolescents who are successful at this stage have a strong sense of identity and are able to
remain true to their beliefs and values in the face of problems and other people’s perspectives. When
adolescents are apathetic, do not make a conscious search for identity, or are pressured to conform to
their parents’ ideas for the future, they may develop a weak sense of self and experience role confusion.
They will be unsure of their identity and confused about the future. Teenagers who struggle to adopt a
positive role will likely struggle to “find” themselves as adults.

Stage 6- Emerging Adulthood and Adulthood: The ages in the adult stages are much fuzzier
than in the childhood stages, and people may differ dramatically. The task is to achieve some degree of
intimacy, as opposed to remaining in isolation. Intimacy is the ability to be close to others, as a lover, a
friend, and as a participant in society. Because you have a clear sense of who you are, you no longer
need to fear "losing" yourself, as many adolescents do. The "fear of commitment" some people seem to
exhibit is an example of immaturity in this stage. Our society hasn't done much for young adults, either.
The emphasis on careers, the isolation of urban living, the splitting apart of relationships because of our
need for mobility, and the general impersonal nature of modern life prevent people from naturally
developing their intimate relationships. Erikson calls the maladaptive form promiscuity, refering
particularly to the tendency to become intimate too freely, too easily, and without any depth to your
intimacy. This can be true of your relationships with friends and neighbors and your whole community
as well as with lovers. The malignancy he calls exclusion, which refers to the tendency to isolate oneself
from love, friendship, and community, and to develop a certain hatefulness in compensation for one's
loneliness. If you successfully negotiate this stage, you will instead carry with you for the rest of your life
the virtue or psychosocial strength Erikson calls love. Love, in the context of his theory, means being
able to put aside differences and antagonisms through "mutuality of devotion". It includes not only the
love we find in a good marriage, but the love between friends and the love of one's neighbor, co-worker,
and compatriot as well.

Stage 7- Adulthood: When people reach their 40s, they enter the time known as middle adulthood,
which extends to the mid-60s. The social task of middle adulthood is generativity vs.
stagnation.  Generativity involves finding your life’s work and contributing to the development of others
through activities such as volunteering, mentoring, and raising children. During this stage, middle-aged
adults begin contributing to the next generation, often through childbirth and caring for others; they
also engage in meaningful and productive work which contributes positively to society. Those who do
not master this task may experience stagnation and feel as though they are not leaving a mark on the
world in a meaningful way; they may have little connection with others and little interest in productivity
and self-improvement.

Stage 8- Old Age: In old age, the primary developmental task becomes a reflective one. Do people feel
like, when they look back on their life, that they did things the right way? That they lived the best life
that they good? Or are they filled with regrets, asking themselves whether they could have made
different choices that led to better opportunities. This is the essence of the final tension. It is has a
markedly different feel than the other seven tensions, as its primary function is evaluative vs.
productive. That is, it is more about being than it is about doing.