Erikson Self Study

Erik Erikson was born June 15th, 1902 in Germany. He died May 12th, 1994. He was a
famous psychologist. His son, Kai T. Erikson is a sociologist. His mothers name was Karla
Abrahamsen, she came from a prominent Jewish family. His father is unknown, aside from being
a Dane and his given name is Erik. Eriksons mother was training to become a nurse when she
married a Jewish pediatrician. In 1911 he was officially adopted by his stepfather.
Identity is one of Eriksons greatest concerns. He was a blonde haired, blue eyed boy
being raised in a Jewish family. His mom and stepdad kept his birth a secret. Erikson married a
woman named Joan Serson Erikson in 1930. He also converted to Christianity.
Erikson's stages of psychosocial development explains eight stages through which a
healthily developing human should pass from infancy to late adulthood. In each stage, the person
confronts, and hopefully masters, new challenges. Each stage builds upon the successful
completion of earlier stages. The challenges of stages not successfully completed may be
expected to reappear as problems in the future. The eight stages are: hope, will, purpose,
competence, fidelity, love, care, and wisdom. For each stage there are two outcomes and one
important event.
Erik Erikson died in 1994 at the age of 91. He died peacefully in his sleep. The NY
Times quotes Eriksons daughter saying he had a brief illness. Erikson lived a full life and left a
legacy. His eight stages has helped many childhood development majors to understand better the
things children should be learning in each stage of their life and to help their achieve their goals.

Erikson Stage 1- Trust vs. Mistrust

An infant is helpless. He is totally dependent on others for his needs. During this stage, the
infant learns whether the world in which he lives can be trusted. When he is hungry and he cries,
will he be fed? When his bottoms are wet, will his diapers be changed? When he is unwell or
afraid, will he be comforted? If an infant's physical and emotional needs are met in a consistent
and caring way, he learns that his mother or caregiver can be counted on and he develops an
attitude of trust in people. If his needs are not met, an infant may become fearful and learns not
to trust the people around him. (Vtaide.com, 2014)
I was born November 20th, 1990. My mothers 20th birthday. After she went through 20
hours of labor my mother had to have a C section. I was a very happy baby. I was very shy, I
didnt go to anyone but my mom. My biological father saw me a few times when I was a baby
but my mom raised me and my older sister by herself for a few years. My sister is a year and 6
months older than me. We lived in a small trailer. My mother didnt work, we lived off of food
stamps and section 8. I never went to a daycare, my mom was a stay at home mother. I was
really clingy towards my mother. Every once in a while I let my grandma hold me. Mostly,
though, I only trusted my mother. Seeing that my mom was a single mom she never really got
out much except for one day when her girls convinced her to go out. My mom left me and my
sister with a babysitter for the night and while I was at the babysitter I was in the kitchen with the
sitter while she was cooking. I was a year old and standing on a chair when I fell off and the
oven door came open. I put my hand on the oven to pick myself up. I burnt my hand so the
babysitter called my mom. After that I never trusted anyone to watch me and neither did my
mom. After the incident, my mom disagreed with babysitters and daycares all together. She
never took me to a daycare again after that.

Erikson Stage 2 Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

This push for autonomy is enhanced by muscular maturation as toddlers try to use their
developing muscles to walk, climb, hop and jump and to explore their environment. Potentially,
toddlers can get into dangerous situations. Therefore, parents have to balance the opposing
virtues of encouragement and restraint. If a toddler's efforts to do things on his own were
frustrated by over-protective parents then he may not have many opportunities to develop
autonomy. On the other hand, if a toddler was harshly criticized for "accidents" (e.g., wetting,
soiling, spilling or breaking things) then he may develop doubt about his own abilities to tackle
new challenges. (Vtaide.com, 2014)
Between the ages two and three, I opened up a little and started to trust a few more
people in my family. My great grandma became a big part of my life. My mom trusted her
enough to let her babysit us all the time. I was very close to my mom and great grandma. At this
stage of my childhood, I started to become a little independent toddler. Between my mom and
grandma, I began to be potty trained. I started to learn manners. When I was told no by mom and
grandma, I got very sensitive. I tried to do everything by myself. When I was good my mom
gave me sweet treats. I loved getting these treats. My sister and I were sometimes very close and
sometimes got in the way. She would take my toys and I was not willing to share them with her.
My great grandma and my mom would play school with us and they would make it fun for us to
learn our ABCs and 123s. If we got it right, we got a treat. My mom never got mad at me while
potty training. She just encouraged me to go in the big girl potty next and to come get her so she
can give me a very special sweet treat. My mom was very soft spoken. I was very active as a
child I loved to go outside and explore new things. I often got in trouble for going outside on my
own.

Erikson Stage 3 Initiative vs. Guilt

The most important event at this stage is independence. The child continues to be
assertive and to take the initiative. Playing and hero worshipping are unimportant form of
initiative for children. Children in this stage are eager for responsibility. It is essential for adults
to confirm that the childs initiative is accepted no matter how small it may be. If the child is not
given a chance to be responsible and do things on their own, a sense of guilt may develop. The
child will come to believe that what they want to do is always wrong.

(Vtaide.com, 2014)

Between the ages three and five, I was a smart little girl. I thought I knew it all couldnt
anyone tell me what to do. I was a very independent little girl. When I was three my mom meet a
new guy. He was really good guy to my mom and me and my sister. After a while of my mom
dating Bill, he moved in. Then things go really serious with him and my mom. They got married
and he became my daddy. He took good care of my mom and me and my sister. My sister and I
were the flower girls in the wedding. At the age of four, I learned how to ride a bike. Im daddy
helped me learn how to ride my bike. My sister and I and my mom would ride are bike down the
road to the neighbors house to pet the ponies. We loved playing with the ponies like every day.
After a few months after the wedding my mom had a baby girl. My sister and I was so
happy to have a little sister. We help my mom take care of her all the time we loved her so much.
At the age of five, I got to go to preschool. I was so happy to get to go to school. I having so
much fun in school and I was learning a lot. In this stage of my life was so exciting. I got a daddy
and a new little sister and I got to start school.

Eriksons stage 4- Industry vs. Inferiority

At the school-going stage, the childs world extends beyond the home to the school. The
emphasis is on academic performance. There is a movement from play to work. Earlier the child
could play at activities with little or no attention given to the quality of results. Now, he needs to
perform and produce good results!

(Vtaide.com, 2014)

In this stage, at the age of 6, I went to kindergarten and did well. When it came to first
grade, I found out I have a lot of issues in learning. I was a slower learner. The reason why is
because my mom didnt know she was pregnant until 4 months into her pregnancy. She did
drugs and drank while she was pregnant with me because she didnt know she was pregnant. I
had such a hard time with my learning disability in first grade, I was held back because of poor
grades. So I had to repeat first grade. After being held back, my mom got involved and tried to
help me. She put me into reading special education classes. My reading disability got more
difficult the older I got. I let my disability get to me and I was bullied. My teachers felt bad for
me so they made it very easy for me to pass my classes. This hurt me in my school career
because I didnt really learn the material.
My teachers had a very difficult time teaching me cursive so they had me do different
activities because they got frustrated with me. To this day I still do not know how to write in
cursive, other than my signature. No one understood my disability, my sister was one of the
bullies. I would come home and cry to my mom because I didnt understand why I couldnt do
the things other kids in my class could do. I loved to learn but it was very difficult for me. I
starting working even harder and started getting better grades in 5th and 6th grade. Toward the
end of this stage I came out by working harder and overcoming my problems to better prepare
myself for middle school.

Erikson Stage 5 Identity vs. Role Confusion

At this stage, adolescents are in search of an identity that will lead them to adulthood.
Adolescents make a strong effort to answer the question "Who am I?" Erikson notes the healthy
resolution of earlier conflicts can now serve as a foundation for the search for an identity. If the
child overcomes earlier conflicts they are prepared to search for identity. Did they develop the
basic sense of trust? (Vtaide.com, 2014)
In this stage I was twelve, I started 6th grade. I was still in elementary school in Alabama. I
started off doing really good, I was on AB honor roll. I was also on a safety patrol team. When it
came to 7th grade we moved to Marion, IN. I started a new school and I started off doing well in
school. I was in reading disability classes and study hall. I got a lot of help from the teachers.
Being a new student and not understanding my previous school issues, the teachers didnt help
me like they thought they were. They basically helped me too much and gave me answers to
everything. They were too lazy to give me that one on one time that I desperately needed. As I
moved on to high school, I had way more problems than I had in middle school. The high school
teachers did not help me at all in high school. It was such a drastic change that I cried every day
because I didnt want to go to school anymore.
My mother got very upset with the school and pulled me out of high school. I dropped out in
9th grade. At the time my mom owned a daycare business at the church and I started working
there at the age of sixteen. I tried to get my GED at seventeen but it was too hard and I quit.
After three and a half years the daycare closed and me, now eighteen I moved out and got my
own apartment and started working at a nursing home. I got out of this stage by moving out and
getting a job on my own, with no ones help.

Erikson Stage 6 Intimacy vs. Isolation

In this stage, the most important events are love relationships. Intimacy refers to one's ability
to relate to another human being on a deep, personal level. An individual who has not
developed a sense of identity usually will fear a committed relationship and may retreat into
isolation. It is important to mention that having a sexual relationship does not indicate
intimacy. People can be sexually intimate without being committed and open with another.
True intimacy requires personal commitment. However, mutual satisfaction will increase the
closeness of people in a true intimate relationship. (Vtaide.com, 2014)
In this stage Im a young adult. I start out 19 years old. At this time of my life is when I meet
a really good man and we stared dating. I also stepped up and did something that I said I would
never do. I went back to school and got my GED. I had a really hard to with school growing up.
Going back to school was something I did want to do, but I overcame my fear and finally did it.
I was so happy for myself, so didnt stop there. I decided to go to college and get a degree. I am
in school now, Im going for early childhood development. From the age of 19 to 23 it has been
hard but good. I have been going through so many ups and downs. Im relationship has been so
hard me and my man have been through a lot, but over all we both love each other so much. So
we have been trying to working things out with each other. In the next few year in this stage I
would like to see myself still with the same man I am with now. I would like to be married to
him. I also would like to have a nice house and have two children one boy and one girl. I also
would like to be very successful and own my own daycare business. I would like to come out of
this stage really happy and loved.

Erikson stage 7 Generativity vs. Stagnation

In this stage generativity refers to the adult's ability to care for another person. The most
important event in this stage is parenting. Does the adult have the ability to care and guide the
next generation? Generativity has a broader meaning then just having children. Each adult must
have some way to satisfy and support the next generation. According to Erikson, "A person does
best at this time to put aside thoughts of death and balance its certainty with the only happiness
that is lasting: to increase, by whatever is yours to give, the goodwill and higher order in your
sector of the world".

(Vtaide.com, 2014)

I am not anyway close to being in this stage yet, but I can tell you how I would like to be in
this stage. I hope at this time in my life I have about 4 or more daycares up and running. I hope I
am a very strong successful business woman. I also would like to be a great mom to my two
beautiful wonderful children. I will be very involved with my children. I wont to be like a
soccer mom. Im children will be the most important thing to me. I also want to have a very
happy and loving marriage. I hope that during this stage I will get to go on some family trips and
some romantic trips with my husband.
During this stage it will also be nice to see my family and my husbands family to grow
together and spend lots of time together. I want to watch my children grow up and go to school
and become very smart good children. Im hoping that I will not have to go through losing one or
both of my parents at this time in my life. I want my parents to live to see my children to grow
up and see their children grow up too. Losing one or more of my loved ones is the part of my life
I never want to go through. I am hoping that this stage will be the best stage of my life.

Erikson stage 8 Ego Integrity vs. Despair

The most important event at this stage is coming to accept one's whole life and reflecting
on that life in a positive manner. According to Erikson, achieving a sense of integrity means fully
accepting oneself and coming to terms with the death. Accepting responsibility for your life and
being able to undo the past and achieve satisfaction with self is essential. The inability to do this
results in a feeling of despair.

(Vtaide.com, 2014)

Well this stage is a stage I dont want to be in anytime soon. I plan to live a long long life if
thats what God has planned for me. When Im in this stage. I hope I will not be in a nursing
home. I want to be a healthy little old lady. If Im not that healthy I hope my kids will take care
of me so Im not in a nursing home. I would like to be a great grandma to my little
grandchildren. I would spoil my grandchildren, they will love their grandma. I want to live in a
nice house with lots of room for my kids and grandchildren to come visit me all the time.
I hope to still be married to my wonderful husband. Hope to have a happy and loving
marriage. Sitting back spending lots of time with are wonderful grandchildren. When it does
come to the time where I will be getting close to passing away. I hope to look back on my life
and say I had a good life. I hope I did everything I wanted to do in my life. I hope I did a great
job with my daycares and was able to pass my daycares to my children to run them in keep
them in the family. When I do pass away, I hope my family and friends will miss me and have a
lot of good things to say about me. I hope I leave a good legacy behind. Well Im glad Im not in
this stage yet because I have so many things I want to do with my life.

This was a very fun project I enjoyed it very much. I learned a lot about myself and how I
grow up in each stage. I had so bad and good stages in my life, but over all I think the stages
that I have actually been though I have done a good job. I have come a long way in life and cant
wait to see whats coming next in my life. I hope the stages that Im not in yet will go the way I
hoped they will or maybe better then I plan them to. I hope to achieve all my goals I have for
myself. Im a little nerves and so happy for the future.

Resources
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_)
(Vtaide.com, 2014)