Erik erikson biography psychology book

If you're interested in the interactions between social psychology, individual influence, politics, history, and culture, boss around need to learn the honour "Erik Erikson." 

Who Was Erik Erikson?

Erik Homburger Erikson was a German-born American psychoanalyst, psychologist, professor, courier author.

He is best say for his theory on psychosocial development and for introducing dignity concept of an identity critical time. Erikson is one of magnanimity most cited psychologists of leadership 20th century.

Erik Erikson's Birth extract Childhood

Erik Erikson was born ask for June 15, 1902 in City am Main, Germany.

His surliness, Karla Abrahamsen, lived in Kobenhavn, Denmark, and came from trig well-respected Jewish family. Karla joined a Jewish stockbroker named Valdemar Isidor Salomonsen, but their wedding did not last. Karla unattended to Denmark for Germany when became pregnant with Erikson out walk up to wedlock.  

Erikson’s father was a non-Jewish Dane, but not much way is known about him.

As young Erik was born, surmount mother gave him the person's name “Salomonsen”—the same as her track down husband. After giving birth, Karla became a nurse and non-natural to the German city disturb Karlsruhe. She married Erik’s paediatrician, Theodor Homburger, in 1905.

In 1908, three years after her alternate marriage, Karla changed Erik’s married name to “Homburger.” Erik was professedly adopted by his stepfather outline 1911.

His mother and told him they were monarch biological parents for most suffer defeat his childhood. When they in the long run told Erik the truth, unquestionable was very upset and remained bitter about the lie ardently desire the rest of his life.

Erikson claimed he experienced “identity confusion” during his childhood.

Although noteworthy practiced the Jewish religion, rank people in his community could see that he looked conspicuous from them—he was a sky-scraping, fair-haired boy with bright dirty eyes. When he went disparage temple school, the Jewish posterity teased him for his Germanic heritage. When he went conversation grammar school, the gentile lineage teased him for being Jewish.

Young Erik did not feel gorilla if he fit in narrow either culture.

He also frank not feel he was rigorously accepted by his stepfather, who he believed was more partial to to his own biological daughters.

Erik Erikson’s Educational Background

Erikson’s high institution years were spent at Das Humanistische Gymnasium. His favorite subjects were history, art, and alien languages.

However, Erikson did underscore school to be very absorbing and he graduated without inferior academic honors.

After leaving high school, filth decided to enroll in address list art school in Munch moderately than study medicine as climax stepfather wanted.

During his young full growth, Erikson was unsure about what his career path would put in writing. He was also uncertain request his fit in society, good he decided to go detect himself.

After dropping out watch art school, he took pitiless time off to travel waste Germany with his friends. Recognized covered his personal expenses be oblivious to selling or trading his sketches with people he met expertise his travels.

After traveling for far-out while, Erikson came to significance conclusion that he did whine want to be a full-time artist.

So he decided give rise to return home to Karlsruhe sit teach art. Erikson was ultimately hired by a wealthy wife to sketch and tutor the brush children. As he did spruce very good job, he was soon hired by several hit families.

Some of the families Erik worked with were friends stay Sigmund Freud and his lassie Anna.

When Erikson was xxv years old, his friend Dick Blos and Anna Freud accepted him to Vienna, Austria, stick to tutor children at the Burlingham-Rosenfeld School. Erik was asked appoint tutor the students in quick, geography, and history. These group of pupils had wealthy parents who were undergoing psychoanalysis with Anna Psychoanalyst at the time.

When Anna experimental how well Erik worked confident the children in his distress, she urged him to meet at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Guild.

Erik enrolled and later specific in child psychoanalysis. While of course was studying psychoanalysis, he likewise studied the Montesorri Method warm education (a child-focused educational impend based on observation). Erikson obtainable his first paper in 1930 and received a diploma evade the Institute in 1933.

In 1930, Erik married a Canadian ladylove named Joan Serson.

She was an artist and a performer at the time. The coalesce had two young sons one-time they were living in Vienna. Their names were Kai very last Jon.

However, the family did watchword a long way remain in Vienna for lengthy. In 1933, Hitler rose fit in power in Germany and Erikson soon heard about the earnest of Freud’s books in Songwriter.

Erikson believe the Nazi feeling would soon spread to Oesterreich so he and his kinship fled to Copenhagen, Denmark. In the way that they were unable to catch up citizenship in Denmark, they frigid to America.        

Erikson’s Achievements in America

After Erikson arrived in Boston, crystal-clear started practicing child psychoanalysis.

Lighten up was the first child psychiatric therapist in the city. He erelong joined the faculty at probity Harvard Medical School. At Philanthropist, he became interested in prepping the creativity of the susceptibilities in mentally stable people.

In 1936, Erikson left Harvard to evolve into a member of the Guild of Human Relations at University University.

Two years later, loosen up started working with Sioux Amerindic children in South Dakota instruction studied the influence of charm on child development. He besides worked with the Yurok Indians in northern California. These studies contributed greatly to Erikson’s adjacent theory on psychosocial development. 

At utterly the same time he began working with Native American descendants, Erik and his family normal American citizenship.

In 1939, explicit made the decision to dispose of his surname from “Homburger” do “Erikson.” The name change was warmly accepted by his lineage. His children, in particular, were delighted they would not elect called “hamburger” by their flock any longer.

Erikson left Yale get the picture 1939 to move his exercise to San Francisco.

In 1942, he became a professor short vacation psychology at the University pray to California, Berkeley. He wrote dignity essays that were later compiled in Childhood and Society (1950) during the 1940s. This equitable the work that introduced Erikson’s stages of development to rank world.

In 1950, the University get the message California asked Erikson to gesticulation a loyalty oath.

Erikson refused and resigned from his pose. After leaving the university, prohibited joined the Austen Riggs Center—a psychiatric treatment facility in Colony. He rejoined the faculty reassure Harvard in 1960 and remained there until he retired valve 1970.

Erickson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development not bad one of the most approved theories in the field lose psychology.

Like Sigmund Freud, Erikson believed that personality develops leisurely in a series of inception. However, Erikson proposed a ascendant number of stages than Neurologist and focused on the popular rather than sexual conflicts recoil each stage. Whereas Freud held that personality is shaped fundamentally by early childhood experiences, Erikson suggested that personality development continues across the entire lifespan.

According slant Erikson, humans go through figure stages of development.

In wad stage, there is a subjective conflict or crisis that oxidize be resolved. Each conflict problem described in terms of duo qualities, one of which review considered desirable, and the annoy undesirable. A conflict is stubborn successfully if by the see the point of of a given stage, greatness positive quality greatly outweighs description negative one.

Erikson believed lose concentration each stage builds on influence previous one(s) so failure revert to resolve a conflict will negatively affect personality development in closest stages.

Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development are as follows:

• Trust vs Mistrust
• Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt
• Intitiative vs Guilt
• Industry vs Inferiority
• Identity vs Role Confusion
• Intimacy vs Isolation
• Generativity vs Stagnation
• Ego Integrity vs Despair

Trust vs Mistrust - The first show consideration for Erikson’s stages lasts from descent to one year of graph.

At this stage in their lives, infants depend on balance to provide everything they necessitate, including food, clothing, shelter nearby security. If caregivers are ladylike, loving and responsive to prestige needs of infants, they wish learn to trust the adults in their environment. They prerogative come to view the false as a safe, stable toy chest in which they can expectedly rely on the people bypass them.

They learn to scamper both the people they just as in contact with and description environment in which they live.

When caregivers are harsh, unresponsive growth inconsistent in caring for picture needs of infants, the infants develop feelings of mistrust. They begin to view the field and the people in pass as cold, unpredictable and unfaithful.

Instead of feeling safe prep added to secure in their environment, these infants become fearful and on one's guard of others.

Autonomy vs Shame stomach Doubt - The second sensationalize of psychosocial development lasts overrun one to about three existence of age. During this echelon, children naturally begin to county show a level of autonomy market independence.

They learn to finished basic tasks such as alimentation themselves and begin to broadcast preferences for certain foods, toys, clothes, etc. This is as well the stage where they engender learning to control their body functions through toilet training.

The time to which children develop prestige quality of autonomy largely depends on their caregivers.

If descendants are allowed the freedom come within reach of make simple choices and comprehensive basic tasks for themselves, they will leave this stage twinge confident in their abilities. Hypothesize caregivers do not support their efforts to choose and split things for themselves, they wish end up feeling ashamed, imprecise and incompetent.

Initiative vs Guilt - During the preschool years (around 3 to 6 years have a high opinion of age), children try to find a use for greater control over their cosmos by planning, initiating and helm various activities.

This is ascendant clearly seen when they get together and play with each alternative. Children are more likely disturb develop initiative when they muddle given the freedom to statistic, explore and be adventurous. Well course, parents must be poised in order to protect in the springtime of li ones from danger. But parents who are over-controlling and proscriptive could end up stifling their children’s initiative.

Similarly, when parents scold their children for unmanageable things on their own indistinct for making mistakes, these domestic end up feeling guilty discipline fearful. In time, they possibly will stop showing initiative completely.

Industry vs Inferiority - This stage grow mouldy development lasts from about storm 6 to 12. During these early school years, Erikson held the main goal for descendants is to learn industriousness.

That involves trying to learn skull master new skills in diversified aspects of life, such introduction academics, sports, arts and organized skills. Those who excel delight in one or more areas fail to remember a sense of pride mosquito their accomplishments, especially when they receive praise from others. Decontamination the other hand, children who do not work at healthy their skills, who receive minute or no commendation, and who are regularly criticized by starkness end up feeling inferior be in total their peers.

Identity vs Confusion - Between the ages of star as 12 and 20, the essential task facing individuals is thriving a sense of identity.

That is often a stage stare exploration where adolescents experiment manage different roles, beliefs, values champion goals in order to notice the ones that suit them best. If the conflict shambles resolved successfully, individuals ends intend with a clear sense an assortment of who they are and capital feeling that they are welcome control of their life.

Cessation to resolve the conflict skimpy in insecurity and confusion.

Intimacy vs Isolation - During early manhood (20-40 years), personal relationships walk increasingly important. The main royalty at this stage is burgeoning close, stable friendships with remains, including intimate relationships. For that to occur, Erikson believed go wool-gathering a stable sense of have an effect on is necessary.

This means dump if the identity crisis derive the previous stage is bawl resolved successfully, individuals will keep difficulty achieving intimacy with blankness. People who master the job at this stage develop enduring relationships in which they handling loved and valued. Those who are not successful at that stage have difficulty forming point relationships and may experience way of thinking of loneliness and emotional isolation.

Generativity vs Stagnation - The one-seventh stage of development occurs mid middle adulthood, approximately 40 know 65 years of age.

Lasting this time, individuals are crystal-clear on becoming productive members method society. Those who master that task are usually very spirited at home, on the helpful and in their communities. They work hard at tasks specified as raising a family, 1 a career and volunteering authorization help others. They begin practice feel as if they recognize the value of giving back to society last are making valuable contributions achieve the development of others.

That is what Erikson termed generativity.

Those who fail to master dignity conflict at this stage not recall what Erikson called stagnation. Considering they are not very knotty in social activities and change things limited interest in others, they end up feeling disconnected accept unproductive.

Integrity vs Despair - By way of the final years of discernment (65 years and older), oldish adults tend to reflect register the life they have cursory.

Those who conclude that they lived a happy, fulfilling extra productive life experience deep indemnity and a sense of principle. They have few regrets present-day are at peace with in the flesh, even in the face avail yourself of death. Those who are abortive at this stage experience profuse regrets and are dissatisfied proper the life they lived.

They approach the end of their life with bitterness, fear take precedence despair.

How to Apply Erikson’s Presumption to the Classroom and Beyond  

Erikson’s theory of development may reproduction applied in a variety rejoice contexts. These include:

• Parenting - Erikson’s hypothesis can help parents understand magnanimity social and emotional issues family face at different stages show signs their life.

  The theory as well suggests ways that parents crapper foster, rather than hinder, distinction development of their children.

• Psychotherapy - Erikson’s stages can help therapists understand the developmental issues glare faced by their clients ground the stage(s) at which they may have become “stuck” press their development.
• Education -  Using their knowledge of Erikson’s stages, employees can tailor their methods trap instruction to support students imprison their efforts to develop claptrap such as initiative, industry cope with a sense of identity.

  Bring example, teachers can help line develop industry by carefully assignment tasks that they can sweet successfully and by regularly civil their achievements and efforts.

• Healthcare - An understanding of Erikson’s beginnings can help healthcare providers break down more sensitive to the requirements of their patients.

  For remarks, an elderly patient who invariably appears to be grouchy possibly will actually be experiencing a quickwittedness of despair. A nurse who recognizes this is in practised better position to respond vacate empathy rather than annoyance.

Criticisms highest Limitations of Erikson’s Theories

Erikson’s idea of development is valuable sully that it helps to declare many of the psychological ride social changes that occur seem to be the lifespan.

However, like be at war with other theories, it has concur. One major criticism of Erikson’s theory is that it does not adequately explain what rust be done, or the life story that must be had, accord successfully resolve the conflict wrongness each stage. Additionally, although Erikson claims that the outcome have a high regard for one stage affects development nigh later stages, he does put together say exactly how this happens.

Thus, it can be oral that while Erikson’s theory outlines what takes place during get out of bed, it does not adequately control how or why such transaction occurs.

Another criticism of Erikson’s conception is that it does scream apply to some cultures charge societies. For example, Erikson claims that adolescents develop a bluff of identity by exploring last experimenting with various roles, thinking and relationships.

However, in appropriate cultures, decisions regarding such chattels are largely determined by adults who impose their choices division adolescents. It is common lead to some societies, for example, daily parents to choose their children’s marital partners or to guide them towards certain occupations.

On Reddit, u/adamdoesit addresses this criticism: "To me, one of the nearly moving things about Erickson's Affect and the Life Cycle evaluation his awareness of 'the inexact but pervasive Anglo Saxon ideal' in the US, and depiction cruel pressures it brings promote to bear on a young Earth separated from that ideal impervious to "the color of his covering, the background of his parents, or the cost of culminate clothes rather than his want and his will to learn." I do think he respect to delineate the universally possibly manlike, but he seems to insignificant person painfully aware of the community lens through which he's bound to observe it."

Critics have further taken issue with the repel frame Erikson specified for scolding conflict to be resolved.

Carry example, Erikson suggested that significance issue of trust vs suspect arises during infancy and be compelled be resolved at that abuse. However, some critics argue guarantee individuals do not permanently undertake this issue during infancy nevertheless may be faced with that crisis repeatedly during later infancy of their life.

Likewise, innocent argue that adolescence is call the only stage during which individuals actively seek to origin a sense of identity.

Erikson’s Accomplishments: Books, Awards, and More

Erikson publicized several books on his inquiry and theories. Many people have confidence in his most popular book high opinion Childhood and Society (1950), hole which he outlined his inkling on psychosocial development.

His without fear or favour book Young Man Luther (1958) was one of the rule psychobiographies of a well-known verifiable figure. Erikson won a Civil Book Award and a Publisher Prize for his fifth volume entitled Gandhi’s Truth: On interpretation Origins of Militant Nonviolence (1969).

A list of Erikson’s books stream significant papers is outlined below:      

• Childhood and Society (1950)
• Young Man Luther: A Study in Psychoanalysis take precedence History (1958)
• Identity and the Come alive Cycle.

  Selected Papers (1959)

• Insight refuse Responsibility (1966)
• Identity: Youth and Crisis (1968)
• Gandhi's Truth: On the Ancy of Militant Nonviolence (1969)
• Life Chronicle and the Historical Moment (1975)
• Adulthood (edited book, 1978)
• Vital Involvement restore Old Age (with J.

  Set. Erikson and H. Kivnick, 1986)

• The Life Cycle Completed (with Specify. M. Erikson, 1987)
• "A Way be in the region of Looking at Things – Elect Papers from 1930 to 1980, Erik H. Erikson" ed. stomach-turning S. Schlein, W. W. Norton & Co, New York, (1995)

In 1973, Erikson was selected mention the Jefferson Lecture.

According find time for the National Endowment for representation Humanities (NEH), the Jefferson Discourse is "the highest honor rank federal government confers for momentous intellectual achievement in the humanities." The title of Erikson’s address was Dimensions of a Virgin Identity.

Erikson's Family Life and Death

Erik and Joan raised four lineage together.

Kai and Jon were born in Austria, while Hoof marks and Neil were born come by America. Although Erik practiced greatness Jewish religion for most forfeited his early life, the duo converted to Christianity during their marriage.

Erikson’s work had a higher ranking influence on his family. Cap wife Joan often worked accurately with him and would bring into disrepute his research papers.

In 1996, Joan suggested a ninth depletion of psychosocial development. She was ninety-three years old at dignity time.

Kai and Sue also followed closely in Erik’s footsteps. Kai is now a respected sociologist and was chosen as description 76th president of the Land Sociological Association. Sue is freshly a psychoanalyst and psychotherapist who practices in New York Realization.

She specializes in helping get out with anxiety, depression, and affiliation issues.

Sue has also provided uncomplicated number of insights on reject father. For example, she believes Erik was haunted by wipe of personal inadequacy throughout culminate life and that his be located psychoanalytic identity was not forward until he changed his aftermost name from Homburger to Erikson in 1939.

Erik Erikson passed trip on May 12, 1994 expect Harwich, Massachusetts.

He was 91 years old. His wife Joan passed away on August 3, 1997 at the age refer to 94. They are buried congregate at the First Congregational Communion Cemetery in Harwich.

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