A.

READING 5

ERIKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY AND FREUD’S

PSYCHOSEXUAL THEORY

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

● Compare and contrast Erikson’s Psychosocial and Freud’s Psychosexual Theories;
● Connect Erikson’s Psychosocial and Freud’s Psychosexual Theories to teaching;
and
● Relate Erikson’s Psychosocial and Freud’s Psychosexual Theories to current issues
of learners.

THINK

Erik Erikson's Psychosocial Theory

Erikson's work described the development of human beings, including all the
human lifespan from infancy to adulthood. He stressed the importance of interpersonal,
social, and cultural influences in the development of the people. Erikson saw that each
stage presents its own specific challenges, which he called crisis. He believed that
these crises presented challenges in an individual's identity. Successful development of
the personality depends on meeting and overcoming these tasks or crises (Fleming,
2004). On the other hand, Erikson coined the term epigenetic principle to refer to the
different stages because he believed that human beings develop through a
predetermined unfolding of personalities in eight successive psychosocial stages,
wherein the progress through each stage is in part determined by the success or lack of
it in the previous stages. In his presentation, each stage involves a psychosocial crisis
of two opposing emotional forces (contrary dispositions). These are the syntonic or the
first-listed positive disposition in each crisis, and dystonic, the second-listed negative
disposition. He mentioned that there is malignancy it there is too little of the positive
and too much of the negative aspect. Maladaptation is also present if there is too much
of the positive and too little of the negative (Sokol, 2009).

1
 The Psychosocial Stages

Figure 4. Stages of psychosocial development.

Stage One: Trust vs. Mistrust

Starting from infancy to about 18 months, this first stage develops the infants to
trust others. Letting them feel that they are cared for is a paramount concern. They
should view the world as non-threatening. When caregivers provide reliability, care, and
protection, children will develop a sense of trust. A lack this will lead to mistrust. Hence,
it is implied that parents should provide the best possible means to meet all the basic
needs of the infant like shelter, food, and water, and ensure that the place within which
the infant moves is safe and secured

Stage Two: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

The prime ways to take good care of themselves should be taught to children
from 2 to 3 years old. Feeding themselves, toilet training, and changing their clothes are
a few examples. In this stage, they ask themselves if they can stand alone or always

2
need to rely on others. This stage implies that parents ensure that their children develop
a sense of personal control over personal skills. Eventually, success leads to feeling of
autonomy; failure results in feelings of shame and doubt.

Stage Three: Initiative vs. Guilt

Children, at this stage, are fond of doing things on their own. Exploration and
play are crucial activities for them to learn new ideas to apply in their lives. Children
need to assert control and power over their environment. Success in this state results to
a sense purpose. If they exert too much effort and become too authoritative, they will
feel a sense of guilt.
Preschool teachers, therefore, should ensure that children are given sufficient
opportunities to select choices and act independently. For instance, in an art class, a
teacher may give a chance for the pupils to choose the colors or kind of paper they want
to use. They may chunk activities so they could take risks. Completing nothing without
any sense of independence and authority may cause them to feel guilty.

Stage Four: Industry vs. Inferiority

At this stage, levels of maturity and self-awareness are increased. Children
always ask themselves how they can be good. They are ensured to cope with the new
social and academic demands. Success at this stage results to a sense of competence,
whereas failure leads to feeling of inferiority.
Teachers need to ensure that, at this stage, children feel successful in their own
learning. Classroom opportunities to apply their learning should be rich. As much as
possible, the difficulty of each task is gradually controlled so that the feeling of
accomplishment is felt, and their industry is maximized.

Stage Five: Identity vs. Role Confusion

Social relationships play a vital role at this stage, when their sexual identity is
developed. Discovery of oneself comes with the thought of where one should fit in a
social circle. At this stage, too, adolescents develop their framework of morality. Identity
crisis, as a result of the transition from childhood to adulthood, may also be
experienced. It is a result of high expectations from others. Some of them may be
doubtful whether what they do is appropriate for their age. Failure to balance at this
stage may result to experiencing upheaval and role confusion. Hence, teachers should
ensure that teens have the opportunities to develop a sense of self and personal identity
through collaborative tasks and activities.

Stage Six: Intimacy vs. Isolation

3
 Finding the right partner confronts the young adults at this stage. Failure to do so
results to fear of spending the rest of their lives alone or isolated. Because young
people interact most frequently with others, they are most susceptible to feeling intimacy
and loneliness. Although finding someone whom they can share a lifelong commitment
is not always the norm, some may opt to be single and forge a significant friendly
relationship with their peers and colleagues.

Stage Seven: Generativity vs. Stagnation

Adults, at this stage, are mostly attached to their careers and professional
journeys. They find life's meaning by contributing something to the community, taking
responsibilities and control and leaving an indelible legacy. Success leads to feelings of
usefulness or generativity, whereas failure to attain so causes inactivity or
meaninglessness.

Stage Eight: Ego Integrity vs. Despair

When thinking that they have contributed something valuable during their
younger their younger years, retired and about-to-retire people should feel a sense of
fulfillment. Harking back the days with sense of fulfillment, adults can feel a sense of
wisdom and integrity. Failure results in regret, bitterness, and despair

Sigmund Freud's Psychosexual Theory

Sigmund Freud's Psychosexual Theory states the need to satisfy basic biological
needs. His theory, also known as the theory of libidinal development, is one of the
earliest theories explaining how personality develops in human beings. He posited a
series of universal developmental stages in which psychic energy becomes focused in
different erogenous zones. The psychic energy refers to the biologically based
instinctual drives that energize behavior, thoughts, and feelings. The erogenous zones
are the areas of the body that become erotically sensitive in successive stages of
development. It is through this premise that the personality structure of a human being
is also influenced.
PERSONALITY STRUCTURE
This is known as the biological drives with which the infant is born. It is
said to be the earliest and most primitive personality structure and
ID refers to the unconscious and usually operates with the goal of
seeking pleasure.

4
 This structure is the rational, logical, problem-solving component of the
EGO
personality.
This is the structure based on the child's internalization of the adults'
SUPEREGO
attributes, beliefs, and standards.

According to Freud, personality development takes place through constant

activation of the life instinct. For him, the first five years of life are determined for the
formation of personality. The following is the tabular presentation of the theories:
psychosocial and psychosexual:

Table 3. Summary of the psychosexual stages according to Freud

PSYCHOSEXUAL
AGE DESCRIPTION
STAGE
Infants find pleasure on doing oral activities like
sucking, chewing, and biting; hence, feeding activities
Birth to 1
ORAL are vital. In effect, infants weaned too early or
year
abruptly may later crave close contact and become
over-dependent on a spouse.
Gratification is primarily caused by voluntary urination
and defecation. Thus, toilet-training produces major
conflicts between children and parents. The
ANAL 1-3 years emotional climate that parents create can have
lasting effects. For example, children who are
punished for toileting accidents may be messy,
topsy-turvy, or wasteful.
Genital stimulation causes gratification at this stage.
Children develop incestuous desire for the
opposite-sex parent (Oedipus complex for boys and
PHALLIC 3-6 years Electra complex for girls). Anxiety stemming from
this conflict causes children to internalize the sex-role
characteristics and moral standards of their same-sex
parental rival.
Traumas of the phallic stage cause sexual conflicts to
be repressed and sexual urges to be rechanneled
6-11 into school work and vigorous play, The ego and
LATENCY
years superego continue to develop as the child gains more
problem-solving abilities at school and internalizes
societal values.

5
 Puberty triggers a reawakening of sexual urges.
Adolescents must now learn how to express these
12 years
GENITAL urges in socially acceptable ways. If development has
onward
been healthy, the mature sex instinct is satisfied by
marriage and raising children.

EXPERIENCE
Classrooms in the 21st Century are filled with a variety of students in terms of
needs, abilities, talents, and potentials. Hence, understanding the unconscious feelings
of the varied learners may be used to motivate them. Another way to apply
psychoanalysis is by using role-playing. During a controlled role play, the students can
realize how roles are played in a particular setting and stage. In a 21st Century
classroom, learner-directed activities can enhance initiative and leadership. Meanwhile,
teachers should avoid ridiculing students' ideas because it can impede the flourishing of
their initiative.
Moreover, giving students varied sets of realistic goals and assigning specific
jobs to them like collecting papers and distributing handouts will also give them a sense
of accomplishment. Reducing inferiority among students can be aided by constant
feedback to their performance. Teachers who leave the students without any report of
improvement might cause learners' inferiority.
Providing role models to the adolescent learners and teaching them about
gender equality may increase the awareness of their self-identity and self-worth.
Opportunities to incorporate academic · success into their identities can also boost the
appreciation of their worth as future professionals.

THE LESSON IN A CAPSULE

Erik Erikson took Freud's controversial psychosexual theory and modified it into
an eight-stage psychosocial theory of development. In each of Erickson's stages,
conflicting ideas must be successfully resolved. Erikson also expanded upon Freud's
stages by discussing the cultural implications of development; certain cultures may
need to resolve the stages in different ways based on their cultural and survival needs.

Meanwhile, Sigmund Freud's theory of psychosexual development is based on

the idea that parents play a crucial role in managing their children's sexual and
aggressive drives during the first few years of life to foster their proper development.
According to his theory, each stage of psychosexual development must be met
successfully for proper development; if we lack proper nurturing and parenting during a
stage, we may become stuck in, or fixated on, that stage.

6
7