Discuss Erikson's theory of development - Essay Example

“Ego identity is the conscious sense of self that we develop through social interaction” (Cherry 1). In the point of view of Erikson, the ego identity of an individual is controlled by the experiences he/she goes through in everyday life. As one interacts more with the society, it adds to one’s knowledge. Thus, the action and behavior of an individual is governed by his/her ego identity as well as a sense of competence. Erikson’s theory is based upon eight stages of psychosocial development (Harder).

Each of these deals with a particular area of competence in life. It is up to the individual how he/she copes with the challenges encountered in each of the eight stages. If an individual performs well in a certain stage, he/she gains a feeling of mastery that is the symbol of ego strength. On the other hand, poor management of a stage will inculcate a feeling of inadequacy in the individual. The eight stages identified by Erikson are discussed below: Stage 1: This stage is titled as trust vs mistrust.

This stage essentially starts from the birth and lasts till the completion of first year of life. Because of the total dependability of child on adults in this stage, the development of trust in child depends upon the quality of care given by the adults. Development of trust is vital to achieve the sense of security in the whole life. Children whose caregivers are emotionally fake, inconsistent, and rejecting develop mistrust. When the caregivers are prudent and dutiful towards the child, the child develops trust that lasts for the whole life.

Stage 2: This stage develops autonomy or doubt and shame in the child. This stage occurs in the early childhood and talks about the development of personal control in the children. When a child learns how to control various needs of the body, he/she feels independent. Moreover, a child makes choices between various types of foods, clothes and toys. Successful completion of the second stage makes a child confident. Otherwise, the child suffers from self-doubt. Stage 3: This stage decides the development of either initiative or guilt in the child.

This covers the preschool years. Social interaction in this period gives a feeling of control and power to the child. Successful interaction with others in this stage inculcates leadership skills in the child, and unsuccessful experience inculcates guilt. Stage 4: This stage decides between inferiority and industry. The stage starts from age 5 and lasts till age 11. The encouragement received from parents makes the child competent and confident, and lack of encouragement by parents makes the child unconfident.

Stage 5: This stage decides between confusion and identity and occurs in adolescence. Encouragement received in this stage provides a person with a strong identity and lack of encouragement makes him/her confused. Stage 6: This stage decides between isolation and intimacy and occurs in early adulthood. Development of intimacy in relationships makes them secure. Development of intimacy requires a strong sense of identity. Stage 7: Stage 7 is about the development of generativity or stagnation in a person.

This stage focuses on the career building. If a person wins in this stage, he/she feels like contributing to the world positively. Failure in this stage lends the feeling of idleness to the person. Stage 8: This stage inculcat