Erikson and Freud Are Two of the few theorists who have developed a lifespan approach to development Freud s approach to development was psychosexual while Erikson- was psychosocial. Even though Freud- theory is better known, Erikson- theory remains a leading and very much applied model in personality and developmental psychology today.
When considering these two stage-oriented theories, you can directly compare the majority of their stages. These are matched in the following table:
Approximate Age Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial development Infancy (Birth to 1 year) Oral stage Trust versus mistrust Early childhood (1-3 years) Anal stage Autonomy versus doubt Preschool (3-6 years) Phallic stage Initiative versus guilt School age (7-11 years) Latent period Industry versus inferiority Adolescence (12-18 years) Genital stage Identity versus role confusion Young adulthood (19-40 years)
Intimacy versus isolation Middle adulthood (40-65 years)
Generativity versus stagnation Older adulthood (65-death)
Integrity versus despair When considering Erikson's eight stages of development, the way a person moves through each stage directly affects their success in the next stage. Their personality is being built and shaped with each stage. At each stage, there is a turning point, called a crisis by Erikson, which a person must confront.
In this assignment, you will observe or interview two different people, each at a different stage of development. For a third observation, take a look at yourself and the stage that you are in (this stage must be different from your other two observations).
Record your three observations in a template. Include the following information: Name Age Gender Current developmental stage Status within the stage (i.e., identity achievement or role confusion) Events that have lead to this status Download a Development Template from the Doc Sharing area to record your observations.
Summarize what you have learned about psychosocial development through these observations/interviews. Summarize the trends you see in your observations/interviews regarding psychosocial development. How does movement through Erikson's stages influence personality development? Again, be specific. How do Erikson's stages of development compare to Freud- stages? How are they similar? How are they different? Between these two theories, which one do you feel best explains your own personality development? Justify your answers with specific examples. Write a 3-4-page paper in Word format. Insert your chart at the end of your paper. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.