2/9/10

Personality CHAPTER
Psychology FIVE
Psychology 370
ERIKSON:
Sheila K. Grant, Ph.D.
Professor
California State University,
Northridge
Psychosocial
Development

Chapter Overview Preview of Erikson’s Theory

 Illustrative Biography: MAHATMA GANDHI

 The Epigenetic Principle
 The Eight Psychosocial Stages
 The Role of Culture in Relation to the
Eight Stages
 Racial and Ethnic Identity
 Gender
 Children’s Play
 Male and Female Identity Resolution
 Research on Development Through the
Psychosocial Stages
 Identity Status
 Other Psychosocial Stages
 Correlates of Stage Measures
 Toward a Psychoanalytic Social
Psychology

Illustrative Biography:
Erik Erikson MAHATMA GANDHI

  Born (1902) in Germany to a

Jewish mother
  early struggle with identity  Description
  Developmental psychologist Clip on Gandhi
and Psychoanalyst
  Trained at Freud's institute  Development
in Vienna
  Appointments at the
University of California at
Berkeley and at Harvard  Adjustment
  Died in1994

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Illustrative Biography:
MAHATMA GANDHI The Epigenetic Principle

"anything that grows has a ground

 Cognition plan, and that out of this ground plan
 Society the parts arise, each part having its
time of special ascendancy, until all
 Biology parts have arisen to form a functioning
whole."

Erikson’s Theory Psychosocial Stages

life span approach

  Erikson’s view was that the social
environment combined with biological  Psychosocial:
maturation provides each individual with a offered as an
set of “crises” that must be resolved. alternative to
Freud’s psychosexual
  The individual is provided with a “sensitive
approach
period” in which to successfully resolve each
crisis before a new crisis is presented.  emphasizes social
interactions, culture,
  The results of the resolution, whether
and trust
successful or not, are carried forward to the
next crisis and provide the foundation for its
resolution.

Psychosocial Stages Compared

Stage Basic Important Outcome
with Freud’s Psychosexual Stages Conflict Events

Infancy (birth Trust vs. Feeding  Children develop a sense

to 18 months) Mistrust of trust when caregivers
provide reliabilty, care, and
affection.
 Child develops a belief
that the environment can
be counted on to meet his/
her basic physiological &
social needs.
 Success=> feelings of
trust
Basic Strength: HOPE
 A lack of this will lead to
mistrust.
 Core Pathology:
WITHDRAWAL

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Stage Basic Important Outcome
Conflict Events
Early Autonomy Toilet Training
 Children need to develop a
Childhood vs. Shame
 Children need to begin
(2 to 3 and Doubt
years)
 Child learns what he/she can
 Child learns to begin action, to
 Success in this stage leads to
 Success +> feelings of
 Children who try to exert too
 Basic Strength: WILL
 Failure results in feelings of
 Core Pathology: INHIBITION
 Core Pathology:
Stage Basic Important Outcome
Conflict Events
 Teens need to develop a
School Age Industry
 Children need to cope with
(6 to 11 vs.
years) Inferiority
 Teens develop a sense of
 Child learns to do things
 Success leads to a sense
 Success leads to an
 While failure results in
 Basic Strength: FIDELITY
 While failure leads to role
 Core Pathology: INERTIA
 Core Pathology:
Stage Basic Important Outcome
Conflict Events
 Adults need to create or
Young Intimacy Relationships
  Young adults need to form
Adulthood vs.
(19 to 40 Isolation
years)
 Develops ability to give &
 Develops interest in guiding
 Success leads to strong
 Success => feelings of
 Basic Strength: CAPACITY
 Basic Strength: CARE
 While failure results in
 While failure results in
 Core Pathology:
 Core Pathology:
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Stage Basic Important Outcome
Conflict Events
sense of personal control over Preschool Initiative Exploration
physical skills and a sense of (3 to 5 vs. Guilt asserting control and power
independence. years) over the environment.
control & develop a sense of explore, to imagine as well as
free will & corresponding feeling remorse for actions.
sense of regret & sorrow for
inappropriate use of self- a sense of PURPOSE (Basic
control. Strength)
autonomy much power experience
disapproval, resulting in a
sense of guilt
shame and doubt
COMPULSION
Stage Basic Important Outcome
Conflict Events
Identity vs. Social
School
Adolescence Role Relationships sense of self and personal
new social and academic (12 to 18 Confusion identity.
demands. years)
self in relationship to
well or correctly in others & to own internal
comparison to a standard or thoughts & desires (social
to others. id & personal id)
of COMPETENCE (Basic ability to stay true to
Strength), yourself
feelings of inferiority
confusion and a weak
sense of self
REPUDIATION
Stage Basic Important Outcome
Conflict Events
Middle Generativity Work and
Adulthood vs. Parenthood nurture things that will outlast
intimate, loving relationships
(40 to 65 Stagnation them (by having children or
with other people.
years) creating a positive change that
benefits other people).
receive love; begins to make
long-term commitment to
the development of the next
relationships.
generation.
relationships
usefulness / accomplishment.
TO LOVE
shallow involvement in the
loneliness and isolation
world
EXCLUSIVITY
REJECTIVITY
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Stage Basic Important Outcome The Role of Culture in

Conflict Events Relation to the Eight Stages

Maturity Ego Reflection   Older adults need to look back

(65 to Integrity on Life on life and feel a sense of
death) vs. fulfillment.
Despair  Develops a sense of acceptance
of life as it was lived & the
importance of the people &
relationships that individual
developed over the lifespan.
 Success at this stage leads to
feelings of WISDOM (Basic
Strength)
 While failure results in regret,
bitterness, and despair
 Core Pathology: DISDAIN

The Epigenetic Chart

A Ninth Stage
 Dystonic Resurgence or Gerotranscedence
 This period does not pose a new crisis
comparable to those of traditional 8 stages.
 Rather, very elderly return to issues of earlier
stages, confronting more directly negative poles
of stages as their frail selves & losses of loved
ones no longer sustain the level of strength
attained in earlier years.
 Now struggle to accept death & kinship with
those who have passed on.
 Time of spiritual (not always religious) reflection
& growth.

Role of Culture in Relation to

Psychosocial Stages Racial and Ethnic Identity

  1st Stage: Religion

Pseudospeciation:  the exaggerated sense that
  2nd Stage: Law
many groups have,
  3rd Stage: Ideal Prototypes especially national and
ethnic groups, that they are
  4th Stage: Technological Elements different from others,
  5th Stage: Ideological Perspectives leading to conflict among
groups
  6th Stage: Patterns Cooperation & Competition
  7th Stage: Currents of Education & Tradition Examples:   racial prejudice
  8th Stage: Wisdom   religious prejudice

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Gender
Gender

  Children’s Play
 Play configurations
  Biology or culture?

  Male and Female

Identity Resolution
A
  natomical basis for
sex differences

Research on Development
Through the Psychosocial Stages Identity Status

Identity achiever  clear, consistent personality

 productive

Moratorium  philosophically concerned

 Identity Status  rebellious
 Other psychosocial  nonconforming

stages Identity diffusion  unpredictable

 Correlates of stage  reluctant to act

measures Foreclosure  conventional

 moralistic

Other Psychosocial Stages Correlates of Stage Measures

  Inventory of Psychosocial   Identity

Balance (Domino & Affonso, 1990)   career choice
  I can usually depend on others. (trust)   mature defense mechanisms
  I genuinely enjoy work. (industry)   self-concept
  Sometimes I wonder who I really am.   Generativity
(identity)
  Life has been good to me. (ego integrity)
  parenting

  Scores increase with age   Ego integrity

  lower fear of death
  Do it yourself:
http://www.selfcounseling.com/help/   Relationships Among the
personalsuccess/taskdevelopment.html Stages: Positive

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Toward a Psychoanalytic Social

Psychology
Chapter Review

 The Epigenetic Principle

How is personality  The Eight Psychosocial Stages
 The Role of Culture in Relation to
influenced by: the Eight Stages
 Racial and Ethnic Identity
•  Society?  Gender
 Research on Development Through
•  Culture? the Psychosocial Stages
 Toward a Psychoanalytic Social
Psychology