Exploring Ericksons Theory

The sine qua non is that human beings possess various traits that are honed in different ways that ultimately define who really we are. For that reason, the essay will explore Erik Erikson’s theory of Psychological Development and discuss how people experience as they undergo different phases in their life. The first subject that I interviewed was a lady and she was 18 years old. Based on the Erik’s Erikson theory of development and the stage is characterized by identity versus role confusion. During this stage, teenagers strive for a sense of self and personal identity which is accomplished through the intense exploration of personal values, beliefs as well as goals. The second subject that I interviewed was a young boy that was 8 years old.

According to Erikson’s theory of development, the subject occupied the 4th stage which is about industry versus inferiority. This stage is known to occur between the ages of 5 and 12 years. This stage is characterized by the determination of children to learn how to read and write. Also, children learn how to calculate sums on their own and therefore this is an important stage in the stage of a child where he learns the basic skills that will be essential in his her life. Thus, appointing the subject as a class captain has helped the boy to overcome the challenges that are experienced by children at this stage. The success that will be obtained within this phase of development will eventually lead to the desired quality of competency.

However, even after explain Erickson’s theory to the subject, he could not identify the stage that was relevant to the stage of development that he was currently undergoing. The third subject was me and I decide to use Erickson’s theory so that I can explore more keenly the experiences that I am undergoing and thereafter establish the stage that I might be undergoing through. I am a male, 23 years old and therefore based on Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development I learned that I am currently within the 6th stage of development which is intimacy versus isolation. One issue that is emphasized by Erickson is that every stage of development is very important and therefore the subject should be given the necessary support to facilitate the development of desirable traits.

Every stage is very important because it determines the traits that will pass to the next stage of development and eventually the personal identity of a person. Nevertheless, I disagree with Erikson’s theory because it is vague regarding the causes of development. Erikson failed to provide the types of experiences that are ideal for people that make them mitigate psychosocial conflicts and enable them to move from one stage of development to the next. It is clear that theory is deficient of universal mechanism that is employed by people to resolve the challenges that they encounter as they undergo development. " Teaching and Teacher Education 36 (2013): 23-32. Marcia, James, and Ruthellen Josselson. "Eriksonian personality research and its implications for psychotherapy. " Journal of Personality 81.