Erickson’s Psycho-social Theory of Development and its educational implications ? (frame open book questions )
Answers
Answer:
Erik Erikson (1902–1994) was a stage theorist who took Freud’s controversial psychosexual theory and modified it into an eight-stage psychosocial theory of development.
During each of Erikson’s eight development stages, two conflicting ideas must be resolved successfully in order for a person to become a confident, contributing member of society. Failure to master these tasks leads to feelings of inadequacy.
Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development include trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame/doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. role confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and integrity vs. despair.
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 upon their cultural and survival needs.
TERMS
autonomy: Self-government; freedom to act or function independently.
psychosocial: Having both psychological and social aspects.
Erikson’s Theory
Erik Erikson (1902–1994) was a stage theorist who took Freud’s controversial theory of psychosexual development and modified it as a psychosocial theory. Erikson emphasized that the ego makes positive contributions to development by mastering attitudes, ideas, and skills at each stage of development. This mastery helps children grow into successful, contributing members of society. During each of Erikson’s eight stages, there is a psychological conflict that must be successfully overcome in order for a child to develop into a healthy, well-adjusted adult.
Erik Erikson
Erikson developed his eight stages of psychosocial development based on Freud’s psychosexual theory.
Stages Of Psychosocial Development
Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development are based on (and expand upon) Freud’s psychosexual theory. Erikson proposed that we are motivated by the need to achieve competence in certain areas of our lives. According to psychosocial theory, we experience eight stages of development over our lifespan, from infancy through late adulthood. At each stage there is a crisis or task that we need to resolve. Successful completion of each developmental task results in a sense of competence and a healthy personality. Failure to master these tasks leads to feelings of inadequacy.
Erikson also added to Freud’s stages by discussing the cultural implications of development; certain cultures may need to resolve the stages in different ways based upon their cultural and survival needs.
Trust vs. Mistrust
From birth to 12 months of age, infants must learn that adults can be trusted. This occurs when adults meet a child’s basic needs for survival. Infants are dependent upon their caregivers, so caregivers who are responsive and sensitive to their infant’s needs help their baby to develop a sense of trust; their baby will see the world as a safe, predictable place. Unresponsive caregivers who do not meet their baby’s needs can engender feelings of anxiety, fear, and mistrust; their baby may see the world as unpredictable. If infants are treated cruelly or their needs are not met appropriately, they will likely grow up with a sense of mistrust for people in the world.
Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt
As toddlers (ages 1–3 years) begin to explore their world, they learn that they can control their actions and act on their environment to get results. They begin to show clear preferences for certain elements of the environment, such as food, toys, and clothing. A toddler’s main task is to resolve the issue of autonomy vs. shame and doubt by working to establish independence. This is the “me do it” stage. For example, we might observe a budding sense of autonomy in a 2-year-old child who wants to choose her clothes and dress herself. Although her outfits might not be appropriate for the situation, her input in such basic decisions has an effect on her sense of independence. If denied the opportunity to act on her environment, she may begin to doubt her abilities, which could lead to low self-esteem and feelings of shame.
Answer:
Erikson's theory lies in the fact that he was the first to propose that human personality develops in a predetermined manner through 8 sequential stages of psychosocial development, starting from infancy and ending in old age.
Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development, which was introduced in the 1950s, is divided into 8 stages, which coincide with the age of an individual as he grows from infancy until attaining old age. This is presented in the table, which depicts the 8 stages of Erikson's chronologically organized model.
the Salient Features of Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development?
Erikson's theory is influenced by Sigmund Freud's psychosexual theory
Erikson laid more emphasis on culture and society
Erikson proposed that personality development spans across the entire lifetime
Erikson proposed that a crisis/conflict arises at each developmental stage
The crisis/conflict identifies differences between individual and societal needs
Successful completion of each of the 8 stages leads to a healthy personality and acquisition of virtues.
Explanation:
Educational implication of Erison’s theory are:
Stage theory - development took place in stages
Ego identify - formation of ego identity right from birth
Crisis – every individual has to go through crisis in his/her life
The weaknesses of Erikson’s theory are:
Focus on the competing forces rather than emotional development of individuals
Difficult to be tested scientifically as it is not possible to measure some of the concepts upon which the theory is based
Fails to specify the effect of failure in one stage impacts which other stages
Various educational implications of Erikson’s theory are possible depending upon the age group of the learner and the tasks they are expected to perform. For example,
Allowing the child to play with various natural, simple materials, and role-playing for the expression of fantasy and imagination.
Games, stories and songs can be used. Real-life activities like serving food, chopping vegetables or making chapattis, prepare children for participation in the community around them.
Child-directed activities where the child chooses his or her activity and repeats it as often as they want must be encouraged.
Erikson’s psychosocial theory is a very powerful way for building self-awareness and for improving oneself, as it helps to understand a person’s learning according to his or her personal differences.