2. Erikson’s 8 Ages of Man (Psychosocial Theory)
Otherwise known as:
• Erik Erikson and Lifespan Theory
(Psychosocial Theory)
• The 8 ages of development (the 8 ages of
man)
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3. Erikson’s 8 Ages of Man (Psychosocial Theory)
• Erik Erikson (1902-1979) was one of the
writers who developed the psycho-dynamic
approach.
• He received psychoanalytic training from
Freud’s daughter Anna.
• Unlike Freud (who believed that psychological
development was fixed by the end of
adolescence), Erikson suggested that
development is a lifelong process.
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4. Erikson’s 8 Ages of Man (Psychosocial Theory)
• We encounter new situations at each stage of
our life
• We have to work out how to respond to them
in order to achieve psychological balance and
health.
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5. Erikson’s 8 Ages of Man (Psychosocial Theory)
• The unsuccessful resolution of earlier stages
could produce lasting consequences:
• It would leave unsettled conflicts remaining
to interfere with current psychological
development
• The conflicts are to do with the individual’s
relationship with others – hence the name
psycho-social.
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6. Erikson’s 8 Ages of Man (Psychosocial Theory)
• Social factors have a lot of influence on the
way we behave and develop.
• We are influenced by our parents, in our
community by our friends, and at school by
our teachers.
• Consequently, we gather information that will
affect our behaviour.
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7. Erikson’s 8 Ages of Man (Psychosocial Theory)
Erikson’s theory is known as the eight
ages of development (eight ages of
man) as:
• he defines eight major life crises which he
says are
• significant in terms of individual growth and
development.
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8. Erikson’s 8 Ages of Man (Psychosocial Theory)
• During each stage, there is a life crisis which
we need to work through.
• There are two outcomes, one positive and one
negative, which will have implications for the
development of our identity.
• We will develop a mixture of both outcomes
from each stage, but if the positive outweighs
the negative, then an ego strength will emerge.
• This means we will have a stronger sense of who
we are.
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9. The 8 Ages of Development (8 Ages of Man)
STAGE AGE CONFLICT EMERGING
STRENGTHS
Infancy Birth – 1 year Trust versus
Mistrust
HOPE
Toddlerhood 1 – 3 Autonomy versus
Shame & Doubt
WILL
Pre-school Age 4 – 5 Initiative versus
Guilt
PURPOSE
School Age 6 – 11 Industry versus
Inferiority
COMPETENCE
Adolescence 12 – 20 Identity versus Role
Confusion
IDENTITY
Young Adulthood 20 – 24 Intimacy versus
Isolation
LOVE
Adulthood 25 – 64 Generativity versus
Stagnation
CARE
Maturity 65 - death Ego Integrity versus
Despair
WISDOM
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10. Erikson’s 8 Ages of Man (Psychosocial Theory)
• Stages 1 – 4 correspond roughly to the
Freudian stages, up to puberty
• Stage 5 encompasses late adolescence/early
adulthood
• Stage 6 is the so called “prime of life”
• Stage 7 corresponds to middle age
• Stage 8 corresponds to old age
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11. Stage 1: Trust v Mistrust (Infancy)
• This is the time when children are most
helpless and therefore dependent on adults.
• It is the quality of the caregiver relationship
that is the foundation for later trust in
others.
• If caregivers are inconsistent or rejecting a
feeling of mistrust will develop.
• If care is loving and consistent, infants will
not be unduly anxious.
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12. Stage 1: Trust v Mistrust (Infancy)
• The crisis is over when the child develops
more trust than mistrust.
• However, it could be dangerous for a child to
be too trusting: a little bit of mistrust is
healthy.
• The trusting child is willing to take risks and
will not be overwhelmed by disappointments.
• The virtue of hope develops.
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13. Stage 2: Autonomy v Shame
(Toddlerhood)
• Control of behaviour is gained. Skills include
walking, talking, climbing, and becoming ‘toilet
trained’.
• The caregiver has to guide the child’s
behaviour into socially acceptable directions
without damaging the child’s sense of
autonomy.
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14. Stage 2: Autonomy v Shame
(Toddlerhood)
• Over protection or strict control will produce
shame and self doubt.
• The development of a sense of autonomy will
allow the virtue of will to develop.
• This refers to the ability to exercise free
choice as well as self-restraint.
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15. Stage 3: Initiative v Guilt
(Pre-school age)
• The child becomes capable of more detailed
motor activity
• Language skills improve, imagination develops.
• These skills allow the child to initiate ideas
and actions and to plan future events.
• The child begins to explore what kind of
person they can become. They enjoy role-play
and test limits to find what is permissible and
what is not.
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16. Stage 3: Initiative v Guilt
(Pre-school age)
• Initiative is the result of encouragement
• Guilt stems from being ridiculed and feeling
inadequate.
• Developing a sense of initiative allows the
child to find purpose in life.
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17. Stage 4: Industry v Inferiority (School
age)
• Social skills enable them to co-operate with
others and peers and teachers are important
in the development of self-worth.
• Children become familiar with tasks and the
satisfaction of task completion.
• This develops a sense of industry that
prepares children to take up a productive
place in society.
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18. Stage 4: Industry v Inferiority (School
age)
• If this doesn’t develop there is a sense of
inferiority/a loss of confidence in their own
ability.
• If the sense of industry is stronger than the
sense of inferiority then the virtue of
competence is developed.
• If the sense of industry is too strong; there
is a danger that work becomes overvalued and
too much importance is placed on work at the
expense of other attributes
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19. Stage 5: Identity v Role Confusion
(Adolescence)
• This stage represents the transition between
childhood and adulthood.
• During this stage there is a search for an
identity.
• Children consider all the information they
have about themselves and their society and
they commit themselves to a strategy for
life. When this is achieved they have gained
an identity and become adults.
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20. Stage 5: Identity v Role Confusion
(Adolescence)
• Gaining a sense of self or personal identity
marks a satisfactory end to this stage of
development.
• Role confusion results from a lack of identity.
An inability to choose a role in life
• Some take on a negative identity from the
undesirable or most dangerous roles they
have been presented with.
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21. Stage 6:Intimacy v Isolation (Young
Adulthood)
• Freud once defined a healthy person as one
who loves and works.
• Erikson agrees and says that only those who
have developed a secure identity can risk
entering into a love relationship with another.
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22. Stage 6:Intimacy v Isolation (Young
Adulthood)
• The young adult is ready to commit to
partnership and those with a strong identity
look for intimate relationships with others.
• Those who do not develop a capacity for work
and intimacy withdraw into themselves and
develop a feeling of isolation
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23. Stage 7: Generativity v Stagnation
(Adulthood)
• The person who has encountered the right
circumstances to develop a positive identity,
be productive and develop satisfying
relationships will attempt to pass on the
circumstances that caused these things to
the next generation.
• Interacting with children, or producing or
creating things to enhance the lives of others
can do this.
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24. Stage 7: Generativity v Stagnation
(Adulthood)
• They develop the virtue of care.
• Those who are unable to invest something of
their own selves in others are socially
impoverished and stagnation results.
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25. Stage 8:Ego-Integrity v Despair
(Maturity)
• The person who can look back on a happy and fulfilling
life does not fear death.
• There is a discovery of order and meaning in life and
an acceptance of what has been.
• This stage brings a feeling of completion.
• Those who look back with frustration experience
despair, knowing that it is too late to start again.
• Wisdom is the result of ego integrity.
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26. Summary
• We move through the stages as we grow
older, but we may carry unresolved issues
from earlier stages.
• We may be able to work through these
conflicts during experiences later in life, but
it is more difficult to do this.
• Although we have developed a strong sense of
identity in Stage 5 (adolescence),
circumstances later in life may well challenge
this.
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27. Summary (continued)
• How we deal with problems/situations later in
life will depend on the ego strengths we have
built up in our earlier stages.
• So, the outcome of every stage has
implications for the development of our
identity and personality.
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