ERIKSONS PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY & BENJAMIN BUTTON 1

Eriksons Psychosocial Theory & Benjamin Button

Rhema E. Douglas

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

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The film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells the story of a man named Benjamin

Button who is born noticeably different from the average individual. Due to unusual

circumstances, he is born with the body of an elderly man and as his life progresses, he ages

backwards and becomes younger. Throughout the film, a wide variety of incidents occur in

Benjamins life. Many of the incidents coincide with Eriksons Psychosocial Theory that we

discussed in class earlier in the semester. Eriksons Psychosocial theory consists of eight stages

of development that individuals go through throughout their lives. Each stage is comprised of a

developmental challenge that the person must resolve. If the person is able to overcome the

challenge, then they are well prepared for the succeeding stage.

The first stage of Eriksons theory is trust versus mistrust which generally occurs

between the ages of 0 to 1 . In this period of time, if the infant is loved and cared for then they

learn to be less fearful of the world; however, if they are not properly looked after, the child

learns to mistrust others. After Benjamins biological father drops him off on a random staircase

the night he is born, Benjamin is taken in by a woman named Queenie. Despite the unsettling

appearance of the infant, Queenie decides to take on the responsibility of raising him. She

introduces him to the elderly tenants of her retirement home and provides him with the essential

care that he needs at this time such as feeding and bathing him. Benjamin begins to feel like he is

at home and begins to refer to Queenie as his mother. In this instance, Benjamin has learned to

trust individuals and have a better outlook on the world due to Queenies actions.

Immediately after the trust versus mistrust stage comes the psychosocial crisis of

autonomy versus shame and doubt. During this stage, the child develops a sense of independence

and self distinct. The child discovers that they have many skills and abilities. If they are not

given the opportunity to assert themselves, they begin to feel worthless in their ability and feel a
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sense of shame. For Benjamin, he quickly learns that he is not like other kids and is made aware

of his physical limitations. During the first years of his life, he is confined to a wheelchair and is

unable to stand. He is also viewed differently from other children; one night, he sneaks off with

his friend Daisy at night to talk and they are caught by Daisys grandmother who accuses

Benjamin of inappropriate motives. Benjamin begins to become overridden with doubt that he

belongs in the world and begins to feel inadequate.

According to Erikson, between the ages of 3 and 5 is when children experience the

psychosocial challenge of initiative versus guilt. Children begin to assert themselves more

frequently and it is the time of vigor and action. During this period, the child regularly interacts

with others who are mainly children around the same age. Benjamin, during his initiative vs.

guilt stage, begins to progress physically and is able to walk with the help of crutches. He

befriends a Pygmy man who takes him into town and they begin to connect over their

uniqueness. Benjamin misses the last streetcar and has to walk home on his crutches. Although

Queenie does scold him, Benjamin remembers his first taste of freedom as one of the best days

of his life. Benjamin shows enjoyment of being in control for the first time in his life and this

makes him want to continue to make decisions for himself more frequently.

Children begin to move out into the world and learn the skills that are required of their

culture during the industry versus inferiority stage. If they are encouraged, a sense of industry

develops and the child becomes excited to learn and becomes confident. Benjamin visits the

docks of the harbor one day and volunteers to work for a tugboat captain named Captain Mike.

Captain Mike agrees to take Benjamin on and he mostly scrubs the decks and does light work.

Through this job, Benjamin learns more about how hard work is valued in American society.

One night, Captain Mike takes Benjamin to a brothel in order to show Benjamin something new
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that he isnt used to; while they are there, Benjamin binge drinks and sleeps with a prostitute. In

this stage, the child feels the need to win the approval of their peer group by completing specific

tasks valued by society. With Captain Mike, Benjamin drinks and has sex which are very

prevalent and common ordeals completed by many Americans.

Between the ages of 12 to 18, adolescents search for a sense of self and personal identity.

They explore their personal values, beliefs, and goals; this is known as the identity versus

identity confusion stage. Benjamin desires to leave home at about 17 and work on Captain

Mikes tugboat. He wants to discover himself and discover what more is out there for him. While

Benjamin continues to travel from harbor to harbor, his friend Daisy begins to grow up and train

as a ballet dancer. Dancing becomes a part of who she is while being a member of the tugboat

team becomes a part of who Benjamin is.

As early adulthood arises, many individuals find themselves in the battle between

intimacy versus isolation. People begin to share themselves more intimately with others and

begin to explore relationships with someone other than a family member. During his travels,

Benjamin becomes friends with an unhappily married Englishwoman named Elizabeth at the

hotel he lives in. She introduces him to the finer things in life like caviar and vodka and tells him

about places hes never seen. They eventually start an affair and spend every night together.

Benjamin writes that he has fallen in love. However, this intimate stage is short lived after

Elizabeth disappears leaving an impersonal note which leads to an isolated and lonely Benjamin.

Benjamin and Daisy also explore their relationship multiple times throughout the film. They

meet at the beginning of the movie and are reunited several times until the end where Daisy

remains Benjamins primary caregiver before he dies.

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Queenie is one character who prominently goes through the generativity versus

stagnation stage of life. During this stage, individuals establish their careers; they begin to give

back to society through raising children and involving themselves in community activities.

Queenie takes in Benjamin and raises him like her own. She also runs a retirement home where

she provides for the well-being of all of her tenants. She eventually becomes pregnant with her

daughter and raises her as well. The stage immediately after continues for the remainder of an

individuals life. During ego integrity versus despair, people begin to slow down their

productivity. They contemplate their accomplishments and develop integrity if they see that they

have led a successful life. Daisy throughout the film rehashes on what her life was like while on

her death bed in the hospital. She mentions her most notable experiences with Benjamin and

other events that have occurred in her life. Erikson says that if an individual feels unproductive

or guilty about the past in this stage, they become dissatisfied and develop despair. Benjamins

father, Thomas, feels this way at first because of the way he handled Benjamins birth. However,

he reconciles with Benjamin and they both become at peace with the past and even watch the

sunrise together before Thomas dies.

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References

Arnett, J. (2015). Human Development: A Cultural Approach. Pearson.

Mcleod, S. (2017). Erik Erikson. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-

Erikson.html