Psychosocial Development

Lifespan of Human Development
Final Research Paper
Psychosocial Development
Throughout life human beings are continuously changing, and it is not only due to biological factors. Erick Erikson shows how a multitude of different factors can effect development as well. By using a social context for explaining how development can be influenced by peer groups, schools, and cultural values Erikson created the psychosocial theory (Poole 23). The development of ego identity played a large role in his psychosocial theory. Ego identity is the conscious sense of self that we develop through social interaction. One factor of ego identity is that it is constantly changing because of new experiences and gained information (Cherry 1). Everyone deals with significant changes throughout their lifetime, but over time developmental aspects and factors change as well, which allows all people to go through Erikson’s psychosocial development and have very diverse experiences. Erikson developed eight stages dealing with social challenges that occur throughout one’s lifespan. He believed that each stage in his theory deals with becoming competent in an area of life. Competence motivates behaviors and our actions, so if the stage goes well then the individual will feel a sense of mastery but if the stage does not go well and the individual fails then they will feel inadequate. As one grows older they will progress further into the eight stages of psychosocial development and face more challenges, but previous issues are not dealt with and can be put aside for good (Poole 23).
The first stage in Erikson’s psychosocial development is known as basic trust vs. mistrust which normally occurs from birth to eighteen months and is based on the consistency of their caregivers. From eighteen months to three years of age is the autonomy vs. shame and doubt. In this psychosocial stage one can successfully become more confident in themselves if they are encouraged and being supported with their new found independence. Initiative vs. guilt occurs during preschool years and can allow children to be confident in their abilities as a leader. From six to twelve years people go through industry vs. inferiority where kids can start to develop dignity in their accomplishments. Successful adolescence in identity vs. role confusion begin to form their own personal identity. Intimacy vs. isolation occurs around nineteen to forty years of age and is a time when people are exploring different relationships that are more personal. From forty to sixty-five years of age people are continuing to build their lives and start to give back more to communities, this is generativity vs. stagnation. The final stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development is ego integrity vs. despair is when the elderly begin to reflect back upon their lives to see whether they feel as though they lead a successful life (Heffner). To expand on a few of Erikson’s stages I related them to my own personal life and also the life of my mother, Kerrin Frey. My mom and I grew up in the same town and also share a lot of the same interests so I felt as though it would be interesting to compare and contrast her experiences and my own. Erikson’s forth stage, industry verses inferiority, occurs through about age six to eleven. Children are now able to develop a sense of pride for their accomplishments and strengths through social interactions. Teachers, peers, and parents that encourage and support children will allow those children to develop that greater sense of pride in their work. On the other hand children who are not provided with enough positive reinforcement will increasingly doubt their work and struggle more. These children are more likely to not reach their full potential and feel inferior. This stage affects self-confidence in the long run. When speaking with my mom she said that she knew her parents supported her in everything that she did and they were always very positive so she was able to develop a sense of pride in her work, but it was still different from my own development. As a child my parents came to every single one of my activities; they would do everything they had to not to miss it, and that was the same for my brother as well. Even today as I am playing college hockey my parents drive to almost every game which is usually at least four hours away. Although my mom knew that her parents loved and supported her and her siblings they did not attend too many of their events. The rule of thumb for them was if you can get there on your bike you are able to do it, where as for me growing up my family would drive at least three hours every weekend for hockey practices. My mother also said that parents did not tell their children how much they loved them or how proud of them they were as often, but even without hearing that all of the time my mom knew that her parents loved her a lot and were always there for her if she needed. For my own development my parents have always been extremely supportive and loving as well. My mother and I have had two different upbringings but all in all we both feel as though the positive reinforcement our parents gave us allowed us to have self-confidence and develop a sense of pride in our work. We both were successful in industry verse inferiority.
The fifth stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development is identity verses role confusion and lasts from age twelve through eighteen. Adolescence at this stage explore to figure out where they belong in the world; they are trying to develop a sense of personal identity. Teens may try out different identities before they find the right one for themselves. It is important that they do find an identity that suits them because it is crucial for their development in self-control, independence, and confidence. When adolescences fail to do so they will experience role confusion and not understand where they fit into society; insecurity about themselves and the future set in (Cherry 2). The main difference that this stage brings that has not occurred in previous stages is that until now development mainly relied on what was done to us but from here on out development mostly depends on what we do (Harder). Erikson’s fifth stage is the one I am currently finishing out right now so I am able to relate very well. In talking to my mom about her personal experience during the identity verses role confusion stage she felt as though she had a lot of friends and felt close to many of them which allowed her to find herself and the identity she wanted to obtain. Throughout my life my parents allowed me to be involved in many different activities which enabled me to hang out with a wide variety of people. I now feel as though I am the same way as my mom; being on teams has made it so I have lots of good friends but I also have my very close group of friends that are not necessarily involved in the same sports as me. My mom felt as though the group of friends you hang out with has a lot to do with how you develop as a person; luckily we both had an amazing well behaved group of friends who were positive influences on our lives. She also talked about how she feels as though it is beneficial that parents more openly talk about personal subjects with their children such as sex, periods, and many other things. When my mom was growing up she did not talk to her mother about her menstrual cycle where as if I were to ever have a problem with my period I know that I could always go to my mom and she would talk about it with me. The ability to talk openly with my mother has helped me develop successfully through Erikson’s fifth stage and find my own unique identity. When talking to my mother about how she thought her experiences as an eighteen year old were different from my own, she talked about how kids had to be much more independent. While I have been very fortunate to be a three sport athlete in high school and involved in many extra activities my mom was not as privileged. She started working when she was thirteen years old and in high school she was an amazing athlete but had to give it up so she could spend more time working her jobs. While I was in high school I had a lifeguarding job in the summer but did not put in many hours and was always able to do the extra things I wanted without thinking twice. My mother said that if she would have gone to college she would have had to pay for it herself, but I am incredibly lucky that my parents are so supportive and willing to take on most of the financial burden. Today many families are able to take vacations and often times to exotic places for spring break or during the summer, but when my mother was growing up a vacation for them was to go camping and they were usually not able to do that because of her father being a quadriplegic. During my mother’s childhood they had to work for items that they wanted but most of the time today children get things handed to them. I then asked my mother, “What has changed that influences how I live relative to how you lived at the same age and how has culture changed?” The first feature she mentioned was that nowadays our society is not as safe. Internet allows weirdoes to access their victims easier and many people are oblivious to the consequences of putting a lot online. When my mom was growing up things like Myspace and Facebook were nonexistent. Technology also has its benefits though; parents are now able to keep in better touch with their children about where they are and what they are doing by the frequent use of cell phones. Kids are also available to more education through technology as well today because of the amazing access the internet allows to an enormous variety of subjects. Although everyone may experience Erikson’s psychosocial stages differently everyone goes through them. From generation to generation development is always changing and can be affected by varying environmental factors. Society plays a large role in ones development because of the advances in technology which can affect someone both positively and negatively. No two people will have all of the same occurrences throughout the stages, but people are able to learn from their mistakes and persevere through difficult situations which makes every individual unique.

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