Eriksons Eight Stages - Jungs Idea - Research Paper Example

? Erikson's Eight Stages-Jung's Idea Task Erikson was a psychologist, who was majorly known for his development of the socialtheory of human development, a theory that is divided into eight stages of human development. The eight stages span the human lifetime, and within each stage are two factors; the conflicts that the individual must deal with in life, and the consequences of not negotiating these conflicts (Lerner, 2002). The eight stages are: Trust Vs. Mistrust Autonomy Vs. Shame and Doubt Initiative Vs. Guilt Industry Vs. Inferiority Identity Vs. Role Confusion Intimacy Vs. Isolation Generativity Vs. Stagnation Ego-Integrity Vs. Despair From an analysis of the stages of development, it can be seen that the first attribute of each stage of development is a positive attribute while the second factor is a negative factor that the individual must overcome for positive development (Sigelman and Rider, 2008). As already stated the stages in human, social development last for a period in the individual’s life; meaning that each stage is experienced at some point of the lifetime of the individual. The first stage of the human development cycle is experienced between birth and 18 months, the second stage between 18 months and 3 years, the third between 3 to 5 years, and the fourth stage between 6 to 12 years. The fifth stage of the human development cycle is experienced between 12 to 18 years, the sixth stage between 18 to 35 years, the seventh between 35 to 55 years, and the last stage between 55 years and death. This discussion will focus on the first two stages of the human development cycle; trust vs. mistrust and autonomy vs. shame and doubt. The first stage of the human development cycle is experienced during infancy, a stage where the individual learns to develop a sense of trust in his surroundings and people with whom the infant associates (Lerner, 2002). This sense of trust in the surrounding is developed if the infant is loved and cared for by the people who are around him, a factor that leads to future development of the individual’s sense of trust. If this stage of the human development cycle is successfully developed, the infant learns to trust the world to provide for his needs, an important factor because it leads to the development of the infant’s trust in the whole world. The main providers of this stage in the life of the infant are the parents; who work to ensure that the infant is provided with the necessary needs for survival and the development of intimacy. The second stage of the human development cycle is concerned with the development of a sense of autonomy or shame and doubt by the child (Sigelman and Rider, 2008). This means that the infant learns to develop a sense of curiosity in their environment and learn to survey their surrounding. However, if this stage of the infant’s life is not successfully negotiated, the infant will tend to develop the negative attribute stated in the stage; a sense of shame and doubt. This sense of shame and doubt will result if the infant is not allowed to develop their natural curiosity, the result being that the infant will be withdrawn and lack a sense of confidence in their abilities. Because of failure in the development of this stage, the child will not build up the essential sense of curiosity; they will fear the unknown and not venture out into areas they have never been to before. # 2 Jung’s perception of the Collective Unconscious is a theory that was developed because of the influence he had as a child. As a child, Jung believed that he had two personalities, a fact that influenced his theories in later life. The development of Jung’s theories is also because of his relation with schizophrenic patients while working at a psychiatric hospital. According to Jung, the psyche is divided into three parts: the conscious ego, personal unconscious, and the collective unconscious (Gullatz, 2010). This analysis focuses on the third part of Jung’s psyche: the collective unconscious, which is a deeper level of the unconscious that is shared by all humans. According to Jung, the collective unconscious is a part of the psyche that cannot be developed by learning or association; it is part of the psyche divided into different archetypes. According to Jung, the archetypes are the building blocks of the collective unconscious; blocks that refer to the spiritual building of the mind and the psyche. The archetype is the main idea behind Jung’s idea of the collective unconscious and refers to the building blocks that make up the psychic tendencies of the individual (Gullatz, 2010). The archetypes are divided into subsections that govern the advance of basic human deeds and situations. According to Jung, the archetypes that govern human emotion also govern mystical and religious experiences that the individual feels. Examples of archetypes are the mother-child and father-child archetypes that determine the gender equality or inequality tendencies of the individual. The interpretation of archetypes in the collective unconscious are thought to influence factors of an individual’s life like dreams and visions, thus the application of the theory to interpret psychic, spiritual and mystical experiences. The main part of the collective unconscious is the self-archetype, a part that determines the individuality of a person and the wholeness of an individual. The Collective Unconscious is a universal term that is not acquired by any individual through learning or life experiences; every individual is endowed with the collective unconscious, a part that is developed before the individual is born. The collective unconscious can be described as the central repository of all human knowledge, the collection of experiences that determine the psyche of the individual (Mendez, 2010). In the current world, the main application of the theory of the collective unconscious is in the field of analytical psychotherapy; a field that focuses on the ultimate goal of self-actualization. The practice of psychotherapy utilizes the theory of the collective unconscious to discover the underlying complexes in the individual’s life. This field of analytical therapy focuses on four main stages with the individual; the confession stage, elucidation, education, and transformation. Analytical psychotherapy is utilized by a psychiatrist in determining the underlying complexes in an individual who has personality disorders; the main assumption being that an individual is only as sick as their most intimate secrets and childhood experiences. Therefore, the four stages of analytical psychotherapy are focused on discovering the underlying complexities in an individual. The first stage, the confession, the psychiatrist focuses on the cathartic recounting of an individual’s experiences and emotions, a stage that serves to bring out the inner feelings of the individual. The second stage tries to connect the individual’s separation to childhood experiences, the third stage focuses on the education of the patient to develop an active role in daily life, and the final stage is the development of self-actualization. # 3 Margaret Mahler proposed the theory of symbiosis that aims to describe the social interactions and relations that individuals have with other people in the society. In theory, one of the most notable factors is the development of autism, a disorder that prevents individuals from forming social ties or having social interactions. According to Mahler, autism is a disorder that is developed when an individual reaches the age of three, a disorder that influences an individual’s ability to form social interactions and ties. Despite the fact that many people consider autistic individuals as abnormal, autism is a disorder that can be managed and treated, and the affected individual sometimes becomes successful in life. One of the many classes of autism is the Asperger syndrome, a lifelong disorder that influences a person’s ability to form and maintain lasting social relations. One famous individual who possesses this trait is Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft Corporation (Grandin, 2010). The main factor that characterizes Asperger’s syndrome is a person’s lack of initiative in the development of social interactions and the tendency to perform repetitive tasks. Therefore, an understanding of this syndrome is important in identifying the factors that individuals display. According to Autism today, the main symptom of autism is the lack of development of social interactions, a factor that can be seen in the life of the famous monopolist. The businessperson is described as having a difficulty in the development of social interactions and having a tendency to rock as he is speaking. With an understanding of Mahler’s theory of symbiosis, the concepts can be used to understand the symptoms that are displayed by symbiotic autistic individuals, for example, the tendency to form minimal social interactions, and the tendency to perform repetitive tasks. References Grandin, T. (2010). Educating Students with Asperger's Syndrome, or High Functioning Autism. Retrieved on September 21, 2011 from: Gullatz, S. (2010). Constructing the Collective Unconscious. Journal of Analytical Psychology, Vol. 55. Pp. 691–714. Lerner, R. (2002). Concepts and Theories of Human Development. New York: Routledge. Mendez, D. (2010). Collective-Unconscious Dynamics of Gender Inequality. OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development, Vol. 1(3). Pp. 11-18. Sigelman, C., and Rider, E. (2008). Life-Span Human Development. London: Cengage Learning. Read More