ERIK HAMBURGER ERIKSON

A German-American Psychologist
and Psychoanalyst known for his
theory on Psychological
Development of Human Beings.

He is most famous for coining

the phrase “Identity Crisis”
which is failure to achieve
ego identity during
adolescence.
His theory is largely influenced by Sigmund Freud
but He extended the theory and incorporated
Cultural and social aspects into Freud’s biological
and sexually oriented theory.

His Eight (8) stages theory is a tremendously

powerful model for it is very accessible and
obviously relevant to modern life from several
perspectives for understanding and explaining how
personality and behavior develops in people.
 1. (at Birth – 18 m/o)

The goal is to develop trust without completely

eliminating the capacity for mistrust.
If the primary caregiver can give the baby a sense of
familiarity, consistency, and continuity, then the baby will
develop the feeling that the world is a safe place to be,
that people are all reliable and loving. If they are not
then the infant will develop mistrust and suspicious
around people.
 Malignant / Maladaptive
The malignant tendency of withdrawal,
characterized by depression, paranoia and
possibly psychosis
In this situation the infant will not have
confidence in the world around them or in
their abilities to influence events.
VIRTUE OF HOPE
 2. ( 18 m/o – 3 y/o)

The task is to achieve a degree of autonomy while

minimizing the shame and doubt.
The parents makes their child to explore and
manipulate their environment and not to be
discouraged.
MALIGNANT/MALADAPTIVE

The child will both develop both self-esteem and self-

control instead of shame and doubt sense.
 MALIGNANT/MALADAPTIVE

X If the children are criticized, overly controlled or not

given the opportunity to assert themselves, they begin to
feel inadequate in their ability to survive and may then
overly dependent upon others, lack of self-esteem and
feel a sense of shame or doubt in their abilities

VIRTUE OF WILLPOWER OR DETERMINATION

 3. (3-5 y/o)

The task is to learn initiative without too much guilt.

Too much Initiative and too little guilt means
maladaptive tendency which calls as Ruthlessness.
Ruthlessness is hard for others especially to the
person who has too much guilt which called as
Inhibition.
VIRTUE OF COURAGE ( the capacity for action
despite a clear understanding of your limitations and
past failings.
 4. ( 6-12 y/o)

The task is to develop a capacity for industry while avoiding

an excessive sense of inferiority or incompetence .
Children must learn feeling of success.
Too much industry leads to the maladaptive tendency
called Narrow Virtuosity. Much more common is the
Malignancy called Inertia. This includes all of us to suffer
from the Inferiority complexes.

VIRTUE OF COMPETENCY
 5. ( 12 – 20 y/o)

The task is to achieve ego identity and avoid role

confusion.
● Ego Identity means knowing who you are and how
you fit in to the rest of the society.
Boys and Girls may be required to go through to test of
endurance, symbolic ceremonies, and educational events.
Too much ego identity where a person is involved in a
particular role in a particular society or subculture that there is
no room left for tolerance is called a Fanaticism.
Lack of identity may become involved in destructive activities –
drugs or alcohol – or they may into their own psychotic
fantasies . Believing that being ‘bad’ or being “nobody” is
better than not knowing who you are! Is called as Repudiation.

VIRTUE OF FIDELITY
- means loyalty, the ability to live by societies standards
despite their imperfections and incompleteness and
inconsistencies.
- means that you have found a place I that community, a
place that will allow you to contribute.
 6. ( 18 -30 y/o)

The task is to achieve some degree of intimacy,

as opposed to remaining in isolation.
The young adult relationship should be a matter
of two independent egos wanting to create
something larger than themselves.
 Maladaptive form is called Promiscuity, referring
particularly to the tendency to become intimate too freely, too
easily, and without any depth to your intimacy.
Malignancy is called Exclusion, which refers to the tendency
to isolate oneself from love, friendship and community and to
develop certain hatefulness in compensation for one’s
loneliness.

VIRTUE OF LOVE
- being able to put aside differences and antagonisms
through “mutuality of devotion”.
7. ( Middle 20’s – Late 50’s )

The task is to cultivate the proper balance of

generativity and stagnaton.
●Generativity is an extension of love into the
future like concerning to the next generation and all
future generations.
●Stagnation is self-absorption, caring for no
one. The stagnant people stops to be a productive
member of society.
Maladaptive tendency called Overextension for
the person who is overextended no longer
contributes.
Malignant tendency is called Rejectivity. Too
little generativity and too much stagnation is no
longer participating in or contributing to society.
You will have a capacity for caring that will
serve you through the rest of your life !
 8. ( Around 60’s )

The task is to develop ego integrity with a minimal

amount of despair.
This stage is most difficult of all for the first comes
from detachment from society, and from a sense of
usefulness.
● Ego integrity means coming to terms with your
life, and thereby coming to terms with the end of life.
● Despair is to regret what the decisions they’ve
made and don’t have time or energy to reverse them.
The maladaptive tendency of this stage is called Presumption.
-This what happens when a person “presumes” ego integrity
without actually facing the difficulties of old age.
The malignant tendency is called Disdain by which means a
contempt of life, one’s own or anyone’s. The person becomes
negative and appears to hate love.

VIRTUE OF WISDOM
- Erikson called it as a gift to children, because…
“ HEALTHY CHILDREN WILL NOT FEAR LIFE IF THEIR
ELDERS HAVE INTEGRITY NOT TO FEAR DEATH”.