Category: Erik Erikson

Research Paper

Erik Erikson was a psychoanalyst from America. He was born on June 15, 1902, in Frankfurt, Germany. He died on May 12, 1994. He is best known for the stages where he describes every step from you are born and what is happening in life. He had a big impact on psychology because of his theories on identity crisis and child development. Before he became interested in psychology he was a teacher and an artist. In the 1920’s he met a psychoanalyst from Australia, Anna Freud. This was the beginning of a new chapter of his life that he had never seen before. She was the woman who inspired him to get into the psychology world. My goal with this paper is to introduce you to the psychoanalysis, of Erik Erikson, and discuss his stages of development in life.

When Erik Erikson came to America he did not have an academic degree. Not only did he not have a degree, but the language was also one of the more difficult factors for him. English was not his first language so it took him so time to adapt. Besides from Erikson’s more difficult beginning in America, there is no developmental theory that is more known than his 8 stages of development. In the book, “Ideas and identities: The life work of Erik Erikson, Wallerstein say, “No single psychoanalyst has had a more profound impact on our twentieth-century culture and world than him”(p.1). This is a great example of how many people saw Erik Erikson as a very dedicated and clever psychoanalyst. Besides Erikson’s great success in the psychoanalysis world, there were some people that were not convinced about all of his work. David Rapaport said Erikson belonged in the ego psychology world.

Erik Eriksson’s first step into psychology started in Vienna at the psychoanalytic institute. Because of his interest in child psychoanalysis, it became his choice of degree. After his studies in Vienna, he chose to immigrate to the United States in 1933. He started as a teacher at Harvard Medical School and later on, he chose to start a Yale University. After his years at Harvard Medical School and at Yale University he became more interested in child development. He also started to become more interested in how to influence society. At the beginning of his theories, he started to study American Indian kids in order to get information for his new theories. He started his career concentrating on young people and further on this led to his development of the “identity crises”. In 1950 he published his first book, “Childhood and Society”. Very quickly the book became a well-known classic all over the world. Further on Erikson wrote multiple books that explained the development in life and in society.

I believe that Erikson’s theory about the developments that you go through from when you are born until your late adulthood is relatively accurate. Most people will be able to relate to the different stages that they remember from their childhood. Trust vs. mistrust is the first stage and it takes place in the first 12 months from the baby is born. It is a great example of when a newborn baby needs to feel the trust of the parent or caregiver. This is an important step in order to make the baby feel safe. Stage 2 is Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt. This stage takes place from age 1-3 years old. In this stage, he makes a great point that this is when the children start finding out that they can control their own actions. Stage 3 is called Initiative vs. Guilt and it takes place from age 3-6. In this stage, he explains how the children are being more mature and get self-confidence. After this, you enter the Industry vs. Inferiority. This is from age 6-12 and is the last stage before they enter their teenage years. They start to compare them to each other. I think Erikson is spot on with this stage. An example is when a child starts playing soccer at that age. Many of the children will start comparing themselves to each other and see how their level is compared to their friends. This is something that is easy to see when you watch young children playing soccer in elementary school. Often you see them having a discussion of who is best and who should be on which team. The next stage in Erikson’s psychosocial development is Identity vs. Role Confusion. This stage is a great example of the age where you start to wonder what you want to do in life and who you are. It is also the age where you start to face your own problems and you have to figure out a way to solve them too. After entering your teenage years Erikson says the next stage is young adulthood also called Intimacy vs. Isolation. This is the stage, where some things can be discussed. He states that if she or he is not fully developed in the other stages you might be struggling in this stage. This can be discussed since it is not always you are behind at this age even if you did not develop as he states in the other stages. You can still be at the same level as other people even if you or they are different. Middle adulthood also called Generativity vs. Stagnation is the stage where many people start contributing to the younger generation. It can be discussed if everyone contributes to the younger generation when they reach this stage. It is common that people in this age group to become parents and by that way, they contribute to the younger generation by raising their kids. The last stage in Erikson’s development theory is Integrity vs. Despair also called late adulthood. This is when most people start thinking about their life and how they lived it. Are they satisfied or do they regret some of their decisions during their lifetime? Erikson states that people that have feelings of regret might be depressed in this stage. It can be discussed if everyone at this stage that feels like they did not have a great life are depressed. Maybe they think that they are going to enjoy the rest of their days and get the best out of it. They could decide not to look at the past, but instead focus in the present or in the future where they can make the right choices.

There is no doubt that Erik Erikson had some great points with each of the stages he talks about in the psychosocial development from when you are born. Of course, this is not 100 percent sure that you will go through those stages at the exact age. Every person is different and his or her needs and development are different. It is a great template to see how a person’s life goes and how they interact with each other.

Life History Interview

On September 04, 1955, Mr. Aguayo was born on a ranch in Mexicali, Baja California. He was one of seven children and was the youngest. The siblings were composed of five boys and two sisters. Mr. Aguayo grew up seemingly achieving milestones as a normal child would. He loved to play with his brothers and their dogs in their ranch. I am currently working as a Social Worker for the In-Home Supportive Services for Los Angeles County and it is there that I have the pleasure of first meeting Mr. Aguayo as a client. The interview took place in his lovely home that he shared with his wife, daughter, and his two grandchildren (boy and girl twins). This paper will try to accomplish three goals. The first is to present a brief narrative of Mr. Aguayo’s life. The second is to present an analysis of Mr. Aguayo’s life development. Last, is to present a reflection of the personal and professional understanding acquired through the interview.

Narrative

The interview was expected to be an easy task as the interviewer was already acquainted with Mr. Aguayo. As the interview began, Mr. Aguayo appeared shy as the interviewer was sitting in front of him. This event was expected as Mr. Aguayo was a shy person. The interviewer sat beside Mr. Aguayo and that seemed to be the best position to conduct the interview. As mentioned above, Mr. Aguayo was the youngest of seven siblings. He loved playing and running around their yard with his six siblings and their dogs. He stated that it was one of his fondest memory and one that gives him the most peaceful feeling. He stated that his family was very close, but their father was very authoritative and was never supportive. He added that his father was never one to show any affection, but that they received that affection from their mother. He recalls that he and his siblings loved singing with their mother until they fell asleep. As the interview progressed, Mr. Aguayo suddenly got teary-eyed as he mentioned the first sad event that he experienced as a child. He recalled feeling sad and lonely when his mother passed away when he was 2-years old. He mentioned that he was very close to his mother. He felt lost and alone, but was relieved that his six other siblings were there to comfort him and that they could provide each other the love that they required as this was not displayed by their father. His father was never the one to show any public display of affection, but the children knew that deep inside he loved them and was also at a loss when their mother passed.

Mr. Aguayo and his family moved to East Los Angeles, California in his teenage years. He attended Garfield High School. It was there that he experienced bullying which led to his low self-confidence and self-esteem. He was bullied due to the color of his skin and eyes. Mr. Aguayo has very light skin and green eyes which was at that time seemed to be very uncommon for a Mexican male to have. In addition, he was also bullied for his speech disability due to his tongue tie which does not allow his tongue to fully articulate during speech. In high school, he experienced the Garfield walkout of the students to demand equal rights and better education. Not too long, Mr. Aguayo decided to drop out of high school and start looking for employment.

Mr. Aguayo is a very hard-working individual. He mentioned that he would never call in sick even when he did not feel well. He wanted to show his managers that he is a responsible individual and could eventually take on the responsibilities as a supervisor or a manager. Even though his hard work, he was always passed up for the promotion for anything. This increased his feeling of low self-confidence and settled on the fact that he will never amount to anything. In a few years, he met the love of his life. He stated that they knew each other because their fathers were friends but lost contact due to relocations. He mentions that Mrs. Aguayo provided the will and confidence that he required to move forward. In a few years of marriage, they had a son and soon after had a daughter. Mr. Aguayo stated that the birth of his two children further provided him with the motivation to work harder and to set goals of purchasing a house in a better neighborhood. He stated that he did not want his children and grandchildren to live in a gang-infested community. He pushed his two children to attend school and get their degrees.

Mr. Aguayo is now retired and achieved his goals. He accomplished his goal of relocating his family to a very different and safe neighborhood. He now has two grandchildren who he loves very much. He spends his time taking care of the two grandchildren and playing with the three dogs in their yard. He stated that his proudest moments were achieving his goal of relocating his family to a better neighborhood, seeing his two children grow, and acquiring their degrees and his two grandchildren.

Theoretical Analysis

Erik Erikson: Psychosocial Development Stages

The Psychosocial Development of individuals is comprised of eight stages according to Erik Ekison. The eight stages aim to assist in explaining and aid in the understanding of the development of the individual’s lifecycle (Robbins, Chaterjee, & Canda, 2012). The eight stages in Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial development include basic trust versus mistrust, autonomy versus shame and doubt, initiative versus guilt, industry versus inferiority, identity versus confusion, intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and ego integrity versus despair (Munley, P, 1975). Patrick H. Munley explains that Erik Erikson’s eight stages of development take place and match to the sequences of crises that individuals encounter as they mature from birth to adulthood (Munley, P, 1977). In addition, the Psychosocial Development stages suggest that as child grow and develops, the child’s network and environment begin to widen, the perception and expectations also change.

For the objective of evaluating the life and development of Mr. Aguayo, this paper will not focus on all eight stage of Psychosocial development stages. The central focus will be on two of the stages: identity versus role confusion and ego integrity versus despair. This will assist in narrowing the analysis of Mr. Aguayo’s developmental stage during his teenage years through adulthood.

The identity versus role confusion stage is one of Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development stages This stage is where the child evolves from a teenager to becoming an adult, which is around twelve years old and eighteen years old (Robbins, Chatterjee, & Canda, 2012). This is the stage wherein the individual starts to connect his prior self to the individual he will become. Moreover, this is a life stage where the individual will begin to deal with issues such as puberty and deciding the proper societal and gender roles. If the individual fails in this stage, the individual will go through the stage of role confusion which causes the individual to question who they are and what their role is. According to Levesque (2014), the ego identity is the individual’s impression to determine who they are and how to accept who they are as persons in society. In addition, an individual’s great idea of self-identity assists in merging the various characteristics of the individual into oneself, therefore, safeguarding the individual from unpredicted changes of various aspects in their life (Levesque, 2014).

Looking at Mr. Aguayo’s life, it can easily be determined that he has a solid understanding of who he is at the age of sixteen. Although he was shy, he was determined to prevent others from bullying him and to start looking for employment to assist in providing for his immediate family. He took initiative in looking for odd jobs. In addition, he took the initiative to learn various skills to make him more employable. He recognizes where his skills are better suited, and he also discovered his weakness in school and other aspects of his life. Mr. Aguayo did not experience any sense of uncertainty about who he wanted to become. Mr. Aguayo noted that he knew at an early age that his family was important to him and to his identity.

According to Robbins, Chatterjee, & Canda (2012), ego identity is the individual’s capability to acknowledge their responsibility for the different choices that they made and to discover the significance and fulfillment in their lives. When the individual begins to accept their choices and finds satisfaction in their own lives, this is when they have attained ego identity (Erickson, Klein, &Rapaport, 1994). All throughout the interview, Mr. Aguayo did not present an indication of discontent in his life. He continually expressed that he was grateful and does not regret anything that transpired. He added that not every experience was good, but he stated that even the bad experiences made him who he is today. Moreover, Mr. Aguayo stated that he would not change anything in his life, and everything was as it should be. This is a man who achieved ego identity even before the interview was conducted.

A study conducted by Tahreen and Shahed (2014) investigated the connection between ego despair, ego integrity, social support, and condition of life in relation to the individual’s health. The research was conducted by locating a total of one hundred individuals with different backgrounds, marital and employment statuses, and different education levels. They located fifty men and fifty women to participate in the study. The participant was given a number of questions intended to evaluate the conditions mentioned. Tahreen and Shahed discovered that the mental health of the individual is clearly associated to the social support received by the individual. Furthermore, the study showed that the amount of ego integrity also assisted in calculating mental health and that the amount of social support received by the individual can calculate the degree of ego identity (Tahreen and Shahed, 2014).

Mr. Aguayo is clearly surrounded by close family. Even though Mr. Aguayo’s father never showed affection, this was substituted by the affection of his brothers and sister who loved him very much. Mr. Aguayo is also surrounded by his family and friends who provides support. Mr. Aguayo mentioned during the interview that there was one time in his life where he was unable to work due to a health condition. He was worried that he was not able to feed his wife and two children. He stated that as soon as his close friends and family learned about his condition, they all went out of their way to take food to his family and to take him to the doctor. He added that even his brothers-in-law stayed with them to take care of his family until he managed to start working again. The study conducted by Tahreen and Shahed identified a connection between physical health and employment (Tahreen and Shahed, 2014). It was amazing to discover that Mr. Aguayo has retained his good health and appears to be very strong. He is now seventy-five years old and still appears in good health. He mentions that he only goes to the doctor when he is ill. He still walks around the block and keeps active by taking care of his two grandchildren.

Strengths and Weakness

Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development theory is not exempt from weaknesses and strengths. The most prominent strength of the theory is that it permits space for the individual to grow and permits crises to develop with the different stages of the theory. This shows that every individual is unique and takes a different speed of progression to go through the eight stages of development. Some individuals may take a longer time to fully realize ego identity as compared to Mr. Aguayo who seemed to discover who he was and who he wanted to be at an earlier age. Erickson’s Psychosocial Development theory allows for the development of a crisis in the individual’s life. This crisis’ to does mark the end due to the capacity of the individual to gain knowledge and mastery to get out of the crisis.

One weakness in Erikson’s theory is that it does not provide any benchmark or standard to determine how and when the individual reached competency in each of the eight stages of the theory. In going through the crisis, there is no indication of the reasons why the individual faced the crisis, Furthermore, a benchmark does not exist to explain when and how an individual could achieve mastery of any of the stages. Mr. Aguayo is an individual who seemed to have encountered an identifiable crisis in identity versus role confusion and ego integrity versus despair. Erik Erickson’s theory was the simplest to apply to Mr. Aguayo due to the fact the he did not go through and crises in the identity versus role confusion and ego integrity versus despair. It was apparent that he achieved mastery in both stages.

Personal Reflection

As I started to locate individuals who are seventy years old and above, I had a feeling that Mr. Aguayo would be the best person to approach for the assignment. Although I knew him as a client, I did not really know him personally, especially his very personal experiences and his family stories. I assumed that this interview would be very easy as I knew Mr. Aguayo. It was surely the opposite. There are parts of a person that you truly would never know and discover until you can sit down with then and listen. The elderly has so much to offer. Personal experiences in twined with a history that we may never get to experience are there to be offered by them if we are willing to listen.

The challenge with the interview was not about where to start but rather how to end it. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience to be gained just from listening. I found myself yearning to listen and grasp more understanding on how this individual before me mustered enough will to go the crisis’ that he faced and achieved his goals.

Mr. Aguayo is a shy man who has some difficulty in telling his story. I tried a few ways to tackle the issue. At first, I was sitting opposite to him on the table and he seemed a little reluctant and shy. After some time, I asked him if I could just sit beside him while he told me his story which made him more comfortable. Form the interview. The idea of self-determination came to mind as Mr. Aguayo continued with his stories. The idea of self-determination is the capability of n individuals to determine the direction of their lives and how to live it without any pressure from outside forces (Self-determination, 2016). It is easy to see that Mr. Aguayo lives in his own terms and chooses to live his life without any hesitation whether coercive forces are present. He chooses to break through the pressure to achieve his goals.

The biggest knowledge that I gained from the interview is that no one is immune or exempted from pressures or barriers in life that make it seem hard to achieve any goals. Mr. Aguayo has enlightened me to the fact that anyone can achieve their goals if there is determination and perseverance. Individual is in charge of their life and they also have the ability to break through the barriers that life has put in their way. Professionally, it was interesting to know that value of family whether immediate or secondary has a tremendous effect on the individual’s identity and perspective of life. During the whole interview, Mr. Aguayo did not express a single complaint about life and its barriers which shows that each person calculates their own experiences very in a different way.

References

1. Erikson, E.H., Klein, G.S., and Rapaport, D. (1994). Identity and the life cycle. W.W. Norton & Company: New York City, New York Levesque, R.J.R. (2014). Ego Identity. Encyclopedia of Adolescence. 813-814
2. Munley, P. (1975). Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development and vocational behavior. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 22(4), 314–319. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0076749
3. Munley, P. (1977). Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development and career development. Journal of Vocational Behavior., 10(3), 261–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-8791(77)90062-8
4. Robbins, S.P., Chetterjee, P. and Canda, E.R. (2012). Contemporary Human Behavior Theory: A
5. Critical Perspective for Social Work (3rdED). Pearson: Upper Saddle River, NJ
6. Self-determination. (2016). Dictionary.com. Retrieved December 9, 2016 from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/self-determination
7. Tahreen, S.F. & Shahed, S. (2014). Relationship between ego identity, despair, social support, And health related quality of life. Pakistan Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 12(1), 26-33. Retrieved December 8, 2016 from http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http:// search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/docview/178929949?accountid=14749

There are a vast amount of theories that describe the development of a human from gestation to death. Despite the theories that are provided there will be a description of Freud’s, Erikson’s, and Piaget’s theories that are in regard of development plus similarities and differences. There will be an explanation on how these early theories were created, and why there is a concern related to race, gender, socioeconomic status, and further areas of diversity that these theories were developed for.

The theorists by the names of Freud, Erickson, and Piaget helped theorize development and can be very important and there will be an explanation to go alongside the research. The id, ego, and superego are the result of the interactions of your brain and cause human behavior. (Boundless,2016) The id, the most primordial of the three types of compositions, is connected with instantaneous appeasement of primary physical needs and the urges you to do take when you are apt to procure it. It works externally of conscious thought. Imagine your id perambulated past an unco consuming some sort of treat. Id would possibly take the treat for out of pleasure and not moral reasoning. It doesn’t know or mind that it is ill-mannered to remove a treat or something that belongs to another individual. Your id would have no mind retrieving the treat. The superego is concerned with social rules and morals—similar to what many people call their ”conscience mind” They also call this a “moral direction.” This will be developing as a young child learns what their way of life considers to be correct and wrong. Imagine if your superego strolled past the same stranger, the superego would abstain from retrieving their treat as your conscious understand that it would be rude. Yet, consider if your id and superego were involved and the id was powerful enough to supersede your superego, you would still take the treat or something that does not belong in your hands. After the fact, guilt and shame or both over your actions that were troublesome would haunt you. If you walked past the stranger with a treat that doesn’t belong to you once again, your ego would arbitrate the discordant between your id and superego. You would decide to go buy a treat instead of taking one. This will mean that you may not get it right then, but you will get it in a morally right way. Fulfillment for satisfying your wish for a treat all while evading a discomfited situation in the social context and situation can cause a sentiment of indignity. Freud had a strong belief that id, ego, and superego are in conflict constantly. He believes a person of mature age’s conduct and personality are the outcomes of adversity that are childhood internal struggles. This is presently described as anxiety, depression, and not healthy behavioral issues or mental illness. The “structural theory” of character grants great importance on how quarrels among the parts of the mind. Those of the behavior. Those of the shape. Lastly, there is personality. The conflicts are most of the time unconscious. Freud enticed multitudinous conventioneers that redesigned his psychoanalytic theories to generate modern theories of personality. Among other theorists from derivative of Freud were recognized as Neo-Freudians. These individuals expanded on Freud’s ideas. They concurred that youngster experiences are imperative. They expanded on Freud’s ideas by showing the importance of focusing on cultural influences and sociological influences in conjunction with biological influences. (Boundless,2016) During this time period, a child is presented with social expectations and biological drives. Successful navigation of internal conflicts like the ones presented above will lead to mastery for each developmental stage. This will ultimately become a fully mature character and personality. Freud’s ideas have been met with criticism because of his use of psychosexuality as the main driver of human personality development phases. In order for a theory to have scientific validity, it must be able to disprove it with experimental evidence. A good amount of Freud’s notions are not falsifiable (Piaget,n.d) Which means they could not be correct. Empirical data is important when testing a theory.

Erickson is an individual who has similar and different traits. Everyone has their own unique traits and identity. Identity is composed of many different personality traits that can be considered bad or good. These personality traits can also be natural or acquired. They vary from one person to another based on the degree of influence that the environment has on the individual. Erik Erikson created psychosocial theory considered with more explanation of childhood and adult development. The stages represent transitions based on conflict or crisis. Conflict is needed to move from one stage to the next one. Erik Erikson proposed the Psychosocial of Development. A theory of development, which suggested that in sociocultural development we emphasize the sociocultural determinants of an individual’s development. There are eight stages. In countering a crisis, we are left but with no choice rather than to face it and think of ways to find a solution. The failure to overcome a crisis may lead you to a significant impact on our psychological development. According to Erik Erikson’s theory, we all will eventually encounter a specific crisis that contributes to our psychosocial growth. This happens at the end of each of Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. It can be beneficial and detrimental to the stages of psychosocial development.

We move on to another theorist: Piaget. Piaget (1936) was the first psychologist to make a systematic study of cognitive development. According to the Essay on The Developmental Theories of Jean Piaget, Sigmund Freud, and Erik Erikson, “His contributions include a stage theory of child cognitive development, detailed observational studies of cognition in children, and a series of simple but ingenious tests to reveal different cognitive abilities.” (Piaget,n.d) What Piaget was interested in doing was not quantifying how well minors could count or spell. He even wasn’t interested in getting the minors to solve problems as a technique of grading their I.Q. What he was more interested in was the way in which fundamental concepts like the very idea of number, time, quantity, causality, justice, and so on emerged. Before Piaget’s work, the common assumption in psychology was that children are merely less competent thinkers than adults. Piaget showed that young children think in strikingly different ways compared to adults. According to Piaget, children are born with a very basic mental structure that is genetically inherited and evolved through evolution on which all subsequent learning and knowledge are based. Piaget’s theory differs from others. It is concerned with mostly children. This theory will focus on development. This is opposed to learning. Development does not address the learning of information or specific behaviors. Marked by qualitative differences, it proposes discrete stages of development. Rather than a gradual increase in the number of complications of concepts, behaviors, ideas, etc. There are four specific phases and children develop their ways of thinking and processing into info through organization and adaptation. Adults help develop schemas, which are frameworks that help adults organize and interpret information.

The theories I am about to present are to help you realize why they were important and why they were created. These early theories were created to help with race issues when it comes to conflict and walking away. Gender does the same exact thing. Childhood in Erik Erikson’s conflict is the need to move from stage one to the next stage. Conflict or crisis instead or walking away. Children think through organization and adaptation and they can effectively get through these social problems. Socioeconomic status helps when you can effectively speak through adaptation and socialize and develop. There is also injustice and inequality that can help to prove why these were created. Socioeconomically struggling individuals will have inequality and injustice when it comes to development in school, life, etc. Gender has inequality and it can affect development as well as many other concepts. Development and learning can have a huge effect on a child or grown adult.

Major similarities and differences in these theories consist of Freud being obsessed with sexuality when Erickson and Piaget were not. Erickson had a key development system that also includes crisis and conflict. Freud also had crises and conflicts in his theory. He also used iq, superego, and ego to make decision-making, rather than the other two theorists. Piaget was concerned with children like Erickson and Freud was in the phallic stage. Piaget was concerned about development like Erickson. However, Piaget was concerned about IQ levels and how they process information. Erickson does, however, point out that kids do learn at a certain level, but Piaget was not about learning. It was about development.

The theories of Freud, Erickson, and Piaget of development can be very tedious and there was an explanation to go along with the research. Despite the theories that are provided there will be a description of Freud’s, Erickson,’s, and Piaget’s theories regarding development and similarities and differences. There will be an explanation how these early theories were created, and why there is a concern related to race, gender, socioeconomic status, and other areas of diversity in how these theories were developed.

Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

Erik Erickson developed the psychosocial development theory that has eight stages following a person’s life from the time they were born to the day they pass away. During each stage the person goes through, there are advantages and disadvantages that could shape and affect the individual’s life. Each situation the individual goes through is of psychosocial nature because it involves the need of the individual which conflicts with the social needs (McLeod, 2018). For this case study, I interviewed my aunt named Felicita Brynelson-Garcia (who I call Aunt Fela) who is turning 66 on November 15 and is the sixth child out of seven. I explained what the interview was going to be about and what each stage entailed.

As we discussed the first stage of Erickson‘s theory which is Trust vs. Mistrust, I explained that it occurs from birth to the age of one and that as a baby there is no one to rely on other than the care of a giver such as a mother and that if she received care that was consistent and reliable she would develop a sense of trust which would carry on to other relationships. If this stage is successfully passed the individual will now have a basic strength of hope. Hope that as a new crisis arises there will be someone there to take on the responsibility of support (McLeod, 2018). If proper care was not positive she may become mistrusting, full of fear, and may become anxious. I asked my aunt Fela if she remembers her older siblings telling her that she cried so much as a baby, if her siblings took care of her, or if her mother (my grandma) did everything.

My aunt Fela told me that even though there were seven children and her being the sixth one, her mother took care of her because she didn’t work. My aunt told me that her mother believed it was her job to take care of each and every child of hers; not the sibling’s responsibility. With my grandmas’ mindset, I believed she played a vital role in my aunt successfully putting her trust in her mother who stayed consistent and reliable.

Stage two of the theory is Autonomy vs. Doubt and Shame. I explained to my aunt that it occurs during the ages of one-year-old to three years old and during this stage, she might have been focused on controlling her personal and physical skills; and may have developed a sense of independence. The skills include holding on, letting go, toilet training, putting on shoes, and toy playing (McLeod, 2018). I told my aunt if she was supported by her parents during this stage she will develop a high sense of self-esteem and confidence, however, if she wasn’t she may become doubtful of her abilities and depend on others too much. If she successfully passed she will have the basic strength of will. After explaining, I asked if she remembered anything from that age and she told me that, because she was the sixth child out of seven there were already toys to play with, no new ones. She told me that my grandma chose the toys she played with. For instance, my aunt played with dolls while her younger brother would play outside in the dirt or with action figures. The food she ate was already made for her and mentioned the children never got to choose what they wanted to eat and if they didn’t want what was cooked, then my grandma would say “Then you’re not really hungry”. My aunt mentioned that her clothes would be picked out for her already and told me a story about how she once put her shirt on backward; I stopped and asked her if she got supported or yelled at for that. My aunt Fela said that her mom just laughed and said “That’s why I help you guys”. Fela told me she didn’t feel like she wasn’t supported or encouraged, it was just there were seven of them and my grandma didn’t have time to praise them for every little thing they did. My aunt told me that she didn’t doubt or shame herself for her actions at that age because she didn’t see her mother praise or reward any of her other brothers and sisters, so she didn’t know if there was a difference.

Stage three of the psychosocial development theory is Initiative vs. Guilt which occurs between the ages of three and five. I explained to my aunt that during this stage is when she would have established a sense of assertiveness with others and a significant part of this period is connecting with other children. This would have allowed her to explore skills through initiating playing activities, and if she succeeded in this stage she would have a basic strength of purpose. I told her that she would be seen arranging or making plans and creating new games with other children or even her siblings. Her parents may have even thought her behavior was aggressive (McLeod, 2018). Fela told me that back then kids were to be seen not heard. So my aunt never really got to explore her knowledge because she was taught it was disrespectful to talk when the elders when speaking. My aunt told me she remembers being aggressive whenever she would play at this age range with kids from school and siblings at home. She would make decisions on what toys she wanted to play with and what game she wanted to make up so the others could follow along. I asked my aunt if her parents supported that behavior and she said “Of course not, they got upset with me and told me to share, but I never understood why because my younger brother had his own toys to play with”. I asked Fela if her parent’s authority made her feel guilty, and she said no because she was logically thinking “I had the toy first so I don’t know why I had to share”.

The fourth stage of psychosocial development deals with Industrious vs. Inferiority and occurs between the ages of six through 11 years old. I explained to my aunt Fela that during this stage children are becoming more social and interacting with others and because of this develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments and abilities (Cherry, 2019). I told my aunt that her self-esteem would have relied on the individuals she surrounded herself with. If she was supported and encouraged in her abilities she would have been competent and felt confident in herself and what she can do. However, if she received no recognition or support from her parents or others, she would have felt inferior like she could not perform those skills and abilities which would hinder her potential. My aunt told me during this age range she used to participate in the school’s “field day” where they would compete against classmates in track events. She mentioned that none of her family would go to watch her but she said it didn’t affect her because her parents would never let any of the children go out and do anything; so this was her time of freedom. In class, however, she told me that she would do really well and felt proud of herself because she was the fastest at flash cards and the teacher would say “Let’s see who can beat Felicita today”. She said academics was beneficial for her sense of competence because she was getting encouraged by her teacher in class and whenever she would take a good grade home her mother would say a good job, however, she told me that good grades were expected of all the siblings for my grandparents. The closest to my aunt’s age was her younger brother Rene and she told me they were always trying to one-up each other. If my aunt felt like her younger brother was getting more of the encouragement and attention she told me she would feel upset. She told me whenever she felt upset with her brother over that, she would not play with him or beat him up. However, she would always protect him; she played the cliche big sister role saying she was the only one who could treat or say stuff to her brother.

Stage five of the theory is Identity Cohesion vs. Role Confusion which occurs between the ages of 12 through 18. I explained to my aunt Fela that during this stage she would have been trying to figure out who she is or think about who she was wanting to be. This would have dealt with education, employment, beliefs, and exploring her own personal values. I told my aunt if she successfully passed this stage she would have the virtue of fidelity, which is the ability to live by society’s standards and expectations (Cherry, 2019). If she did not think about discovering who she was or wanted to be in life this may have caused her to have a crisis in her identity.

During this stage, my aunt told me that the only views on life she knew were her parents. She told me that my grandparents made her conform to their lifestyle. She wasn’t allowed to go out or do anything a normal teenager does. I asked if the person she thought she was then is the same person she is now and she said “Oh most definitely not”. This is because she felt her parents were ignorant about certain topics and an important one being sex. She felt like there was no trust. I asked her if she did anything during that age to make her parents not trust her and she said “No they just didn’t want us to do anything because they would have to go and support, and some of the things we wanted to do was difficult with seven kids because we didn’t have a lot of money”.

My aunt felt like she couldn’t do most of the things she liked or took an interest in because of her parents. Fela thinks some of those factors hindered her development in the sense of discovering who she was or wanted to be because she wasn’t able to explore the world. My aunt told me she left at 18 because she was motivated to find out what life was like without rules and she thought this is where she would find out who she truly was without the judgment of peers, friends, and family.

Stage six of the psychosocial development theory is Intimacy vs. Isolation and occurs between the ages of 18 and 35. I explained to my aunt Fela that it was significantly important for people to develop close and committed relationships with people because those who succeed at this stage will develop the basic strength of love and will be able to feel endured and secure (Cherry, 2019). I asked my aunt about this stage of her life because this is where you slowly realize who you are and where you might find love. If you are unable to be intimate with another you may end up unaccompanied and secluded from the world. My aunt told me that she didn’t give away her innocence until she was 18, which is pretty old in today’s society. She thought she was in love with her first, but she discovered he was just a learning experience to discover who she was and realized she only did it in a sense to spite her parents because they never talked about that topic and didn’t trust her. My aunt told me that building intimate relationships wasn’t just with boys; she said you can have some friends that you care deeply for and be intimate with them. She told me she was able to form relationships with people because they were so different from what she was used to. She loved learning and hearing what everyone was about. Whether it was their favorite movie, book, music, or even food. When she did find the love of her life she told me she had a forever best friend and said it was love at first sight. My aunt Fela told me it’s different from now a days because when you found the one back then they were the “one”. My aunt Fela married at the age of 20 and waited to have kids for six years; she wanted to have fun with married life because a kid is a serious commitment and responsibility. She had her son at the age of 27 and her daughter at the age of 33. She didn’t feel isolated or lonely because she felt everyone gravitated toward her and was easy to talk to because she was so understanding and attentive toward others.

Stage seven of the theory is Generativity vs. Stagnation which occurs between the ages of 35 and 55. I explained that this stage is kind of like leaving your mark on the world whether it was through what you did for a living, your kids, or what you did for society. Successfully passing this stage would allow one to feel accomplished and failure may lead to the individual feeling like they didn’t do enough or valueless. During this stage, my aunt told me she felt very accomplished. She had a bucket list of jobs she wanted to pursue and was able to cross off most of them on her list. She raised her kids to the best of her ability and I personally think she did a great job. Her son is an officer in the United States Air Force and her daughter is a nurse. My aunt worked for her hometown newspaper and volunteered her time by being the photographer for school and town events. My aunt still works as a home provider for the elderly and I ask why she hasn’t retired and she told me “I don’t have to retire I can work as long as I want to”. My aunt is so hard working it’s inspiring, her dream job which is on the top of her bucket list is to work at Disney World. I laugh because she always tells me, “I don’t care if I’m sweeping up trash as long as I’m in the presence of the magic”.

The last stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development theory is Ego Integrity vs. Despair which occurs at the age of 55 and up. I explained to my aunt that this stage is about reflecting on her life. If she reflects and says she is content with every decision and action she has taken then she has passed with integrity and gained wisdom, however, if she feels the opposite and has regrets, she may feel that her life was spent wastefully and will be left feeling despaired. My aunt told me as she looks back on life, the only regret she has is not joining the military because she loves to travel. However, she feels very accomplished with her job, kids, and her life. My aunt tells me there is still so much life to live and she says 65 is still young. In her words “You’re only as old as you feel and right now I feel good”. My aunt Fela feels content with life, and told me “Yes I’ve made mistakes but life is full of mistakes. It’s what you do after you’ve made one… now that’s the real test”.

Erikson’s Development Theory is important in understanding not only an individuals personality but their story. Each stage has its own pros and cons that can explain why an individual might be, act, or behave a certain way. Each pro and con can affect the individual but with the support and encouragement from others and discovering that it is okay to make mistakes we can become who are supposed to be and look back on life with no regrets.

References

1. Cherry, K. (2019, September 5). Understanding Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/erik-eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial- development-2795740.
2. McLeod, S. A. (2018, May 03). Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html
3. https://www.verywellmind.com/erik-eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-

Psychological distress is a feeling or emotion which arises when external events or circumstances exert demands on an individual, who is unable to manage and is overwhelmed. Unpleasant thoughts and feelings influence a person’s level of functioning, which can lead to unfavorable opinions on his or her surroundings and daily activities. Unhappiness, anxiety, being distract, etc., are symptoms of psychological distress.

The humanistic and psychodynamic approaches are fundamental in understanding human behavior. Psychodynamic theory, mostly associated with Sigmund Freud, explains the unconscious thoughts, feelings and emotions, where an individual is able to understand oneself which is vital in molding adult personality. Whereas, the humanistic perspective is the study of the whole person and its uniqueness. The following write-up will offer a study of the discoveries made from the humanistic and psychodynamic approaches and how these two perspectives explain the behavior of Nick and his psychological distress.

Concept of Humanistic Perspective

The humanistic perspective emerged during the mid-20th century and became well known through Abraham Maslow during the humanistic movement, as some psychologists like Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers saw some limitations in behaviorist and psychodynamic theories. This is the reason why the humanistic approach is also referred to as the ‘third force’ in psychology.

The humanistic approach explains that as human beings we respond and interpret things according to our past experiences. Theorists pointed out the idea that a man or a woman has free will and can select their actions. The humanistic concept focuses primarily on the character of humans, not animals or plants.

Maslow’s Theory

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) was an American psychologist who made a hypothesis of self-actualization that depends on emotional encounters and free will, which an individual is accomplishing at their most elevated level of ability, called Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory explaining five stages of human needs. He developed a pyramid to express that when an individual reached the highest point of the five levels, he or she has arrived at self-actualization. The five levels of hierarchy of needs are: 1) physiological needs (food, water, shelter, etc.); 2) safety needs (security, health, etc.); 3) belonging needs (intimate relationships with loved ones and having friends); 4) esteem needs (feeling of accomplishment and respect); 5) self-actualization needs (realizing one’s full potential). Self-actualize is the final goal of the hierarchy of needs that not everyone is able to attend.

In the above study of Maslow’s approach, he argued that every person has the free will and ability and desire to progress up the ladder toward self-actualization. Unfortunately, family problems, financial instability, heartbreak or divorce are examples of life events that might lead a person to move up and down the ladder. As a result, not everyone will go through the different stages of life in a single direction, but instead will switch back and forth between the different categories of hierarchy needs.

This is how Nick is experiencing psychological distress as he is trying hard to find a way to level up his standard of living, i.e., reaching his highest protentional (self-actualization): he was going to party living a high standard life to be able to form part of the society. Sadly, he is unable to reach his goal and sees himself in a place where he is not comfortable, which leads to unpleasant feelings thus, mental imbalance.

Carl Rogers’ Theory

Carl Rogers (1902 – 1987) was considered one of the main founders of humanistic theory and an influential psychologist who acknowledged Maslow’s basic assumptions. However, he added that to ‘grow’ one requires an environment that encourages truthfulness (openness and self-disclosure), acceptance (unconditional positive regard) and empathy (being listened to and understood). He stipulates that relationships and healthy character traits will not grow as they should without unconditional love, affection, and acceptance to reach self-actualization. He even expressed the depth of this feeling with the quote (Rogers, 1967): “Early emotional ignorance in a child can result in a number of negative outcomes, including poor stress management, a reduced sense of self-worth, negative views of relationships and the self (low self-esteem and a lack of self-confidence). Hence reaching adulthood, this can develop into harmful behaviors, such as weight gain or excessive drinking”. However, if a child is raised with unconditional positive regard, he or she will be better able to resist and recover from tough situations, which indicates they have unconditional self-positive regard. For example, Susan Boyle auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent in 2009 with her unruly curling hair and crooked teeth, the 46-year-old scarcely resembled a conventional music star. The audience laughed at Boyle’s looks before she sang but the judges were astonished as she sang out. “I know what they were thinking, but why should it matter as long as I can sing? It’s not a beauty contest” – Boyle proudly told reporters when questioned about the audience’s immediate critique. In other words, Boyle refused their criticism as she has unconditional positive self-regard and a strong self which bring back her self-confidence.

Based on Rogers’ theory above, in the case of Nick’s is mentally unhappy as he is experiencing low self-esteem, his self-image has been affected. Maybe he wanted to enjoy life to the fullest and have a chance to climb the social ladder while partying, but if he starts comparing himself to his peers or others who are more successful, richer, happier or more attractive than him, he would acquire a negative self-image. It’s also plausible that other people’s looks and criticism towards him generate a sense of vulnerability in him, destroying his confidence and goal of achieving self-actualization. Nick’s low self-esteem, his low self-regard and his depression can also be explained by the fact that Nick has experience ignorance during his early childhood, he did not receive unconditional love from his parents or surroundings as Rogers’ theory demonstrate.

Psychodynamic Approach

The psychodynamic method is a psychological theory developed by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and his followers to explain human behavior. The psychodynamic perspective covers human functioning, the interaction of unconscious and conscious impulses and forces within a person, as well as between the various personality structures. Typically, psychodynamic therapy would be treating the patient for depression or anxiety.

Freud’s Structural Theory

As seen by Freud, human personality emerges as a result of interactions between the three main aspects of human mind are: the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is the basic and impulsive (what I want right now) part of the mind that is preoccupied with immediate satisfaction of fundamental physical needs and impulses. To balance between the unrealistic id and the external real situation, the ego emerges. The superego is made up of social values and morals that one learns from someone else’s parents and others.

According to Freud, the id and superego are part of the unconscious mind, they are always on conflict with the conscious mind (the ego). This clash causes stress, which the egos may be able to handle through defense mechanisms. Some defense mechanisms are: denial, repression, projection, displacement, regression, sublimation, rationalization, reaction, formation, and identification with the aggressor.

Anna Freud sees denial defense mechanisms as unconsciously designed psychological techniques to prevent an individual from feelings of fear or guilt that emerge when we feel unsafe or when the id or superego becomes over-demanding. Denial can make it difficult to cope with circumstances that demand immediate attention. For example, it may be simpler to overlook the negative consequences of excessive drinking than it is to reduce alcohol consumption. This explains why Nick usually did not hold himself accountable for anything, he refused to accept the reality and started to question everything around him as an excuse.

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

Erikson, who first proposed his theory in the 1950s, thought that personality evolved in phases. According to him, there are eight stages in a human life that influences human development and growth when there is social contact and within relationships. Nevertheless, people go through a struggle at each stage that acts as a turning point in their development. Eight stages of life and their age conflicts are:

1. Infancy (birth to 18 months): trust vs. mistrust;
2. Early childhood (2 to 3 years): autonomy vs. shame and doubt;
3. Preschool (3 to 5 years): initiative vs. guilt;
4. School age (6 to 11 years): industry vs. inferiority;
5. Adolescence (12 to 18 years): identity vs. role confusion;
6. Young adulthood (19 to 40 years): intimacy vs. isolation;
7. Middle adulthood (40 to 65 years): generativity vs. stagnation;
8. Maturity (65 to death): integrity vs. despair.

Erikson pointed out that one’s identity must be strong and has to be partially sacrificed in order to fit the identity of someone else. If enabled to do so, the person lacks a strong identity to sustain the flow. Alternatively, adults who fail to develop the basis for personal relationships become alone in an isolation state. One can have a lot of friends and be very social, but there is like a kind of wall that protects one’s ego vulnerability. The individual can develop this position and create a life that does not have intimate ties with other individuals, thus experiencing psychological distress. Similarly, in Nick’s case, he may be a fun-loving person and always want to party, but he is unable to make significant commitments to others as he lacked a positive ego identity and a good sense of social interaction. He may exhibit characteristics of open judgment towards everyone, this is why he might not have a positive to have intimate relationships or close friendships and familial bonds.

Conclusion

This assignment contributes to understanding the humanistic approach, where Maslow argued that individuals are motivated by a hierarchy of needs, and Nick was unhappy as he was unable to reach self-actualization. Rogers put forward the unconditional positive regard and unconditional positive self-regard theory, and we evaluated that Nick had a negative unconditional self-regard. On the other hand, the psychodynamic approach emphasizes the interaction of unconscious and conscious impulses. We see that Freud’s structural perspective explain the id, the ego and the superego, where his defense mechanism theory explained why Nick refuses to see him responsible in any context. While Erikson points out that, there are eight stages in a human life that influences human development and growth, and the fact that Nick tends to be vulnerable towards judgement. The common point between these two approaches is that they were able to demonstrate why Nick is experiencing psychological distress.

Finding My Identity in My Life

As I’ve grown up and reflected on my childhood I realize how great of a childhood I had and how it’s affected me to this day. I had a loving and supportive family who was always there for me and a group of friends I could always fall back on. I did well in school and participated in sports while I was growing up. Even though I had all these great things in my life that I’ll always be thankful for, I always felt like something was missing. I didn’t start to feel like this until I entered 7th grade, so I was around thirteen years old. It was a whole new world to me. The school I went to was different than the one that all my friends from elementary school went to. There were kids there that were older than me and kids from other schools who already went into that school knowing their friends from the previous school. I am now twenty years old but as a young kid going from adolescent to teenager and going to a new school felt like a big step. In Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, I feel like I have two stages that do heavily impact me. Those stages are Identity vs. Role Confusion and Intimacy vs. Isolation. The first stage, I stated, Identity vs. Role Confusion, takes place from the age of twelve to eighteen, and in this stage where people develop a sense of self and really find out what they want to be (Cherry 2019). The other stage, Intimacy vs. Isolation, ages nineteen to forty, centers around forming loving relationships with other people whether it’s family or friends. Both of these stages are stages that I’ve already experienced or that I’m still going through.

To start off with, let’s talk about the Identity vs. Role Confusion stage. A brief summary of it is,” …adolescents search for a sense of self and personal identity, through an intense exploration of personal values, beliefs, and goals.” (McLeod 2018). In Erik Erickson’s theory, the stage of going from childhood to adulthood is very important. I also feel like it was very important in my life. Going back to what I said about entering middle school, it was a hard time for me. Even though I had great relationships with friends and family I still felt alone. I felt like I need to start looking for a purpose even at such a young age. In middle school, I had to see where I would fit in and it wasn’t easy. This is where that search for a sense of self and personal identity started for me because I could ask a family member or friend what my identity should be, that’s something I had to find on my own. So throughout middle school, I did start to make friends and be more social trying to find that sense of self and it was going well. Then high school came. I felt like I was starting over again after those two years because it was another school where I knew no one and what my role was yet. These next four years I would be trying to find out who I am and what I want to do with my life. I was able to do this with support from my family and friends and emerge from high school with a sense of self.

The next stage that I’m currently going through is Intimacy vs. Isolation. This takes place from the ages of twenty to forty. This stage is where most young adults either find love or stay isolated for some time. A lot of people in this age group still want to fit in with their friends and sometimes they end up being isolated because of intimacy (Gautam 2018). This relates to my life because after high school I did feel a sense of loneliness. All my friends were finding significant others and not having time to hang out like we all used to. So I would try and find someone but I would be rejected sometimes which led me back to isolation. This stage relates a lot to the last stage, once you find your identity it becomes a lot easier to find intimacy. The reason is that once I found my identity and my purpose, I knew what I wanted to be and the direction I was heading in. Along that way, I’m happy with myself and I am able to find a significant other who is also at the same stage in life as me and they know what they want. There is also the other side where other people feel lonely and do not know what to do next. This is how I felt at first, but when I found a connection with someone it completely changed my point of view.

It’s really crazy to look back on life and the stages that you have gone through that Erik Erickson talks about. Everyone goes through all these stages differently and all have different outcomes from each. When I look back on my life so far, I see how the Identity vs. Role Confusion stage has affected in my life. It has determined who I associate with and what I want to be in my life. I am glad I didn’t succumb to the role confusion part and did not know what I want to do or be in my life. Being able to form an identity through my teenage years has helped me with the next stage in my life which is the Intimacy vs. Isolation stage. It helped me because it’s helped me form meaningful relationships and not just drift from one relationship to the next. Even though I am doing well at this moment, this current stage that I’m in ranges from twenty to forty so there is time for things to mess up along the way but I believe that won’t happen. Once you understand how important it is to have a meaningful relationship, you don’t want to lose it.

In conclusion, there have been two stages in Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development that have impacted my life. Those two stages are Identity vs. Role Confusion and Intimacy vs. Isolation. Erik Erikson says that if a person can successfully complete each stage that the end results with be a healthy personality and a good understanding of basic virtues. I hope that throughout the next stages of my life, I will successfully complete each one of them.

References

1. Gautam, S. (2018, March 31). Erikson’s Stages of Psychological Development | Psychology. Psychology Discussion – Discuss Anything about Psychology. https:www.psychologydiscussion.netdevelopmental-psychologyeriksons-stages-of-psychological-development-psychology13403
2. Mcleod, S. (2018, May 3). Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development. Simply Psychology. https:www.simplypsychology.orgErik-Erikson.html
3. Cherry, K. (2020, November 4). Intimacy vs. Isolation: Forming Intimate Relationships With Others. Verywell Mind. https:www.verywellmind.comintimacy-versus-isolation-2795739

In this essay I will begin by explaining psychological theories. Furthermore, I will evaluate how a care worker could use psychological theories to understand the behavior of an individual. Lastly, I will evaluate these psychological theories by looking at the strengths and weaknesses of each of them in regard to working with an individual.

Erik Erikson and the Lifespan Theory is a psychological theory. Erik Erikson (1902-1979) was of the writers who developed the psycho-dynamic approach. He believed that there were eight stages of development also known as the eight stages of man. At each stage he suggested we come across new situations and how we respond to them determine our psychological balance and health. If each stage is dealt with successfully this will lead to positive strengths forming that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. However, if these stages are dealt with unsuccessfully, they could interfere with our psychological development. Furthermore, Erikson suggested that a person who feels capable in life will drive their behavior, attitude and actions. Each stage of the Erikson theory is critical in becoming accomplished in a particular part of life.

The first stage of development is Infancy (0-18 months). The basic conflict at this stage being trust v mistrust. At this stage children develop a sense of trust when caregivers provide reliability, care and affection. A lack of this will lead to mistrust.

The next stage is early childhood (2-3 years), the basic conflict being autonomy vs shame and doubt. At this point children need to develop a sense of personal control over physical skills and a sense of independence. Success leads to feelings of autonomy, failure results in feelings of shame and doubt.

Followed on from childhood the next stage is preschool (3-5 years). The conflict at this point would be initiative v guilt. Preschoolers learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans, or they will feel bad about their attempts to be independent.

The school age stage (6-11 years) is where competence v inferiority would be the conflict. Children will learn the joy of taking part in tasks here, or they will feel inferior.

The next stage is adolescence (12 to 18 years) where the conflict is identity v role confusion. At this point teens need to develop their own sense of self and personal identity. Success at this point leads them to staying true to themselves, whereas failure here would lead to role confusion and a low sense of self-worth.

Following adolescence is the young adulthood stage (20-24). The conflict here is Intimacy v Isolation. Young adults need to form intimate, loving relationships with other people at this stage. Positive experiences here lead to strong relationships whereas negative experiences can lead to a person feeling lonely and isolated.

Adulthood (25-64) is the next stage where generativity v stagnation is the conflict. The person who has experienced good circumstances to develop a positive identity, be productive and develop satisfying relationships will try and pass these experiences onto the next generation. Those who are unable to invest something of their own selves in others can become socially destitute and stagnation often develops.

The last stage is maturity (65-death) where Ego-integrity v despair is the conflict. People who can look back on a positive and fulfilled life will not fear death, they will find order and meaning in life and accept what has happened in the past. The stage should bring a feeling of completion. Those who look back with frustration will not be happy as they know it’s too late to start again and achieve what their wishes.

Another theory that will be looked at is that of Carl Rodgers, a humanist psychologist. Rodgers believed that for people to grow they need to be in a place that offers them genuineness, acceptance, and empathy.

Carl Rogers describes people who enjoy life as fully functioning people. He would see them as being psychologically healthy. In order to reach psychological health, he believed people need to have a positive self-concept which is achieved by not having too many conditions of worth put on them, and benefiting from the core conditions from people they interconnect with. Fully functioning people also live in the moment and are fully congruent. To achieve psychological health, they also had to have an openness to experience, the ability to live in harmony with others and unconditional regard for themselves which leads to confidence and allows a person to become the best person they can be.

Rogers believed that all people wish to grow and achieve their own potential in life. This is called self-actualization, and he believes that this is the main motivator of people’s behavior. Rogers believed that self-concept begins in childhood and our parents would play the most important role in this. Parents who offer unconditional love and regard most often produce children with a healthy self-concept. However, children who feel they have to gain their parents love and affection can end up feeling unworthy and develop low self-esteem.

Rogers also advised that people can also live in a state of congruence. This is when we have our own thoughts of our ideal self. However, often the image we have does not much up to how other people view us. If someone’s self-image does not line up with their ideal self then we are in incongruence. He believed if people receive unconditional positive regard and pursue self-actualization, people can work towards being a state of congruence.

Rogers also believed that for psychotherapy to be successful a therapist had to have unconditional positive regard for their patient to allow them to show both good and bad feelings without being judged.

Transition is a part of life that everyone will experience at some point. Some of these changes will be expected and unexpected, and they all will experience different conflicts at different stages of our lives. The Adam, Hayes and Hobson model consists of seven stages. It aims to describe how our self-esteem will be affected as we go through a change and what impact this will have on the way we behave. The seven stages of transition are immobilization, minimization, depression, acceptance of reality and letting go, testing, searching for meaning and internalization. Within these stages Adam, Hayes and Hobson look at patterns of behavior of an individual to observe how they have been affected. All people are different and cope in different ways. Sometimes individuals can remain at a certain stage for longer than expected and at other times they can go backwards.

William Worden was another psychological theorist that looked not at what happens when you experience a loss but what a person has to do to cope with the loss. Worden discusses tasks rather than stages.

The first task is to accept the reality of the loss. When we first lose someone is can be hard to accept. Some people won’t believe it’s real and get stuck in grieving. It’s quite normal after a death to believe that the person has not gone away forever, however, for most people this does not last long and allows them to move onto task two. Sometimes in task one people will retain the possessions of a loved one who has passed or keeps their bedrooms the exact way that they left it when they died.

Task two is to work through grief. This is when feelings should be expressed. These can include sadness, anger and depression. Society can play a point at this part too. Some societies allow very overt displays of grief while others would see this as unhealthy or could be seen as someone feeling sorry for themselves. Suppressing pain can prolong the process of grieving. The task of grieving can be made worse by the denial of feelings, the misuse of alcohol or by creating or by creating a perfect memory of dead person. People that are grieving can also deny that they are feeling pain, sometimes by keeping busy so that they don’t have time to think. Some people may need support to complete this task.

Task three is to adjust to an environment in which the deceased is missing. This involves recognizing and perhaps taking on roles which the deceased person once performed or where the bereaved persons live was intertwined with the deceased find a new sense of self. Task three may be harder to complete if the bereaved does not adapt to loss. They may focus of helplessness and take a step back from the world. The task can be resolved by the development of new skills needed to cope with their new way of life.

Task four is to emotionally relocate the deceased and move on with life. This task includes using energy which in the past had been used for mourning the dead person and using the energy to live more effectively. However, some people will find this difficult as they feel as though they are disowning the deceased. They can also be scared of revisiting their emotions in another relationship in case it also ends in loss. Other members of the family may also disapprove of them starting a new relationship.

Psychological theories are very important for anyone working in a caring profession to understand why people behave in certain ways. The past experiences and trauma, a person goes through, can go on to have a massive impact on their daily lives. It’s extremely important that care professionals can acknowledge this as to why individuals find themselves in situations that they do. This will help them realize why some individuals do so much that can be detrimental to their own well-being. Understanding these theories clearly can help care professionals show empathy to individual and offer them the support that they need. If they are able to recognize the stage or feature, that an individual is going through, they will be able to create the correct support plan and course of help that the individual needs to overcome the problem. All this support can help individuals to go on and lead happy and independent lives. Theories can also give care workers a framework to use while trying to help individuals manage their behaviors and emotions.

Erikson theory is mostly a positive theory. One of the strengths of this theory is that it suggests individuals not matter where they are on the lifespan, all have the ability to move on and create better lives for ourselves. This is particularly good for people in a care setting as they can realize no matter what challenges they have had in life so far, they are still able to overcome them, which will lead to a better life. To make this possible, the individual would need the correct support around them to accept where they are in the life span and what they want to achieve.

One of the weaknesses of this theory, however, would be that when applied in a care setting individuals need to be able to analyze themselves and understand what stage they are at in life before they can move on. Social factors and culture can play a big part on what stage we are at in our life so it may be difficult for someone in care to know exactly what stage they are at and it may also be difficult for care workers to determine where the individuals are either. Individuals in society are very different and may not always slot into one of these stages easily.

The Adams, Hayes and Hopson is a useful theory to be used in a care setting. It can help health care workers when an individual is experiencing loss or transition. Every individual will react differently in these situations. Some people will be affected emotionally, while others’ behavior may change. This theory allows care workers to work out what stage an individual is at and support them while they move on to the next stage.

To conclude, all of the theories discussed in this essay are relevant today and can be used in a nursing or care environment. Having a good understanding of these theories is so important to health care professionals as this provides them with the tools to help individuals move on from major life events or transitions. They can support people to move on positively with their lives without any destructive behavior occurring after these major life events. Furthermore, these theories, importantly, help health care professionals support individuals to build happy, healthy lifestyles and have a strong sense of self-worth.

Andrew Clark, in ‘The Breakfast Club’, seems to be the obvious movie jock, specifically a wrestler. He is a popular guy in school, so naturally, he seems to be interested in the popular girl, Claire. He is the movie’s ‘good guy’ – the opposite of bad boy, John Bender. Andrew tries to prove he is a good guy on multiple occasions of standing up to Bender. Initially, this jock acts as the voice for the other students, saying things the others may be too afraid to say to Bender. After some time, it is unclear if he really is a good guy, or he is acting to impress his peers. Either way, throughout the movie, Andrew is the loudest voice of reason against Bender.

Apart from his physical characteristics, Andrew is a bit of a pushover. He struggles thinking for himself, which may be due to his overbearing father. He mentions in the movie that he often just does what people tell him to, which is ironic since he is vocal about opposing Bender during detention. For example, when the group escaped to get drugs from Bender’s locker, he put his foot down and decided they would go a different way to get back to the library (Tanen & Hughes, 1985).

Andrew does not seem to be the most thought provoking of the bunch, but he is the first to realize how easily life can come full circle. During one of their conversations, Andrew says, “My God, are we gonna be like our parents?”. This moment is one of real desperation from Andrew. He bullied another student to impress his father, despite knowing it was not the right thing to do. This quote from Andrew is the most important thing he says throughout the movie, as it reminds the viewer the importance of appropriate modeling for children. This essay will examine Andrew Clark and his attitude as it reflects Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, particularly the fifth stage of identity versus role confusion.

Summary

‘The Breakfast Club’ is a popular movie, set and created in 1985 that explores the complexity of life, love, and friendship. One Saturday, five students show up to Shermer High School for the only thing it seems they have in common, early morning detention. The students represent five of the main stereotypical high school students: Brian – the brainiac, Andrew – the jock, Claire – the princess, Allison – the basket case, and John Bender – the criminal. The movie opens up with the group’s response to Richard Vernon’s, the teacher, essay prompt of who they think they are.

The first half of their detention sentence consists of John Bender acting out, making Claire uncomfortable, and trying his best to irritate Vernon. After lunch, they get together and speak to each other about their home lives. The students and the audience get a deeper dive into the chaotic lives each of the students. Bender reveals he comes from an abusive home, Andrew has pushy father that guilts him into bullying students, Claire’s parents use her to get back at each other, Brian’s parents pressure him academically to the point he contemplates suicide, and Allison’s family don’t even acknowledge her (Tanen & Hughes, 1985).

After these revelations, the students begin to bond with each other, realizing they may have more in common than initially thought. Simultaneous to these conversation, John Vernon is having a cathartic conversation with Carl Reed, the school’s custodian. He reveals he acts so spitefully towards students because he believes they have changed over the years and grown more disrespectful as a generation. Carl forces Vernon to self-reflect, stating the problem isn’t the attitude of the students, but his lack of empathy that stems from disappointment with his place in life.

Ultimately, the students leave detention with the shared experience of detention and cathartic moments. Allison gets a makeover from Claire and ends up pairing with Andrew. Claire and Bender share an intimate moment in a closet, prompting her to give Bender her real diamond earring before she leaves. Brian is the one who seems to gain the least from his experience. He explores his emotions but gets laughed at anyway, ends up writing the essay for everyone, and leaves detention alone. It is unclear whether the students will remain friends come Monday morning, but the lessons they learn during their detention on Saturday morning are sure to last a lifetime.

Analysis

Andrew Clark is a prime example of what happens when parents fail to guide their child through Erikson’s stages of development. Although it is not explicitly mentioned, the audience can guess Andrew failed to pass through the fourth stage correctly. Industry versus inferiority must have been a tough stage for someone with a father that expects strength at all times. Through the ages of five and twelve, children are expected to gain a sense of competence by demonstrating certain skills (Berk, 2014). In Andrew’s case the most important skill in his life is athleticism. The constant verbal battery from his father may have left Andrew with an inferiority complex as an adolescence.

According to Erikson, adolescence is the time for a person to develop a sense of self (McLeod, 2018). Children begin thinking about their careers, future relationships, and more. This is where Andrew struggled with his father. His father pressured him into pursuing a career in wrestling, stressing the importance of winning a scholarship for college. He’s pushed Andrew so aggressively that Andrew doesn’t know how to tell his father he’s not interested in wrestling anymore. Who is Andrew Clark when he is not an athlete? Perhaps this is why he is so hesitant to reject wrestling – Andrew is afraid of what comes next.

During adolescence, we begin to develop our sense of morality (Berk, 2014). Andrew Clark is still in the childhood phase of his morality. Clair reveals that Andrew would likely ignore Allison and Brian come Monday morning, although Andrew won’t admit to it. Additionally, we learn that Andrew ended up in detention because he taped another student’s rear end together. Despite knowing it was immoral, he has that intense childish desire to indulge his father whatever the cost.

He is still stuck in his concept of who he should be and falls into what his clique expects. According to Berk (2014), “If young people’s earlier conflicts were resolved negatively… they are likely to appear shallow, directionless, and unprepared for the challenges of adulthood”. Andrew is quietly shallow in this movie with his taste in girls. As previously mentioned, he instinctively pays attention to Claire, despite not knowing her at all. Moving forward, even after getting to know Allison on a deeper level, he expresses no romantic interest in her until she is given a makeover by Claire. The movie tries to play this off as Andrew changing and becoming a better person, however it actually suggests that physical appearance still plays a more important role in his partner selection than personality. Andrew falls for her now that she looks like someone he should be with.

Andrew is now reaching the age where Erikson’s sixth stage of development takes place. Intimacy versus isolation begins at approximately eighteen years old. During this stage, our internal conflict focuses on forming intimate, loving relationships with other people (McLeod, 2018). One can predict that Andrew and Allison may struggle with their relationship as peer expectations begin to affect him. Successful completion of this stage can result in happy relationships and a sense of commitment and safety (McLeod, 2018). This may cause Andrew to leave Allison for someone that his friends accept in an effort to feel emotionally safer around his friends.

Conclusion

Andrew Clark is more than a student athlete or a ‘jock’. He is a student whose father failed to navigate him through Erikson’s stages of development. Andrew has been pushed into something he no longer enjoys and does not realize it until he attends detention on a Saturday morning. He struggles with emotional independence because his father instilled a feeling of inferiority in him unless every wrestling match was won. He leaves detention with an unexpected love interest, but only after she conformed to his standards. Andrew is an example of how easily psychosocial development can be hurt even if there is no physical abuse taking place. If not addressed, poor navigation through Erikson’s fourth and fifth stage can lead to a lifelong identity crisis.

Erikson says if stages are not successfully resolved young adults may have trouble developing and maintaining relationships with others (Friedman, 1999). ‘The Breakfast Club’ provides a valuable lesson for the viewer – taking time to speak with people that are not like oneself can lead to interesting discoveries. Developing relationships with others is the best way to grow into an adult, establish our values, and gain a sense of self.

Probably the most intensely moving documentary is “Dying at Grace” (2003) which was directed by Allan King. It is a film where five terminal cancer patients, in a Palliative Care Unit at Toronto’s Grace Hospital, quite literally fade right in front of us; some are surrounded by friends and family, and some are alone. This is not a movie that would ever be recommended, simply for the reason that it makes one feel mortal, in the worst sense. It is painted heavily with regret, bitterness, and hopelessness in a way never seen before in film, and is incredibly life-changing. The documentary is filmed without any narration or interviews, it is simply an observation over the course of fourteen weeks as each person comes closer to their death day. One patient, Eda Simac, was convinced that she would move out and get a new apartment but was shocked when she received the news that she no longer had that option. The regret experienced by all five patients is palpable, and it feels almost suffocating. It is quite blatant that although the patients have come to terms with their mortality, they are drowning in regret knowing that certain hopes and dreams can never be accomplished. This in turn mirrors the theories put forward for despair by Erikson in stage eight of psychosocial development: ego integrity vs. despair.

The study of death has always been stimulating. Human mortality has raised many concerns, but it has always led to personality development, which can be positive or negative (Westerhof, Bohlmeijer & McAdams, 2017). Considering the various types of media that portray the phenomenon that is ego integrity vs. despair, it is safe to say that it is an integral part of our lives. The YouTube video “Adolescence” by Crash Course on Psychology aptly sums this up as “…sense of integrity and completeness from a life well lived…or retrospective disappointment can ruin old age with depression…” There is an old saying stating ‘the fear of death follows from the fear of life, a man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time’. This complements Erikson’s theory on ego integrity vs. despair, as those who live well accept their final days, whereas those who don’t become bitter, fearful, and anxious. On that note, heed Ernest Hemingway’s advice, “Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the romance of the unusual.”

In this essay I will begin by explaining psychological theories. Furthermore, I will evaluate how a care worker could use psychological theories to understand the behavior of an individual. Lastly, I will evaluate these psychological theories by looking at the strengths and weaknesses of each of them in regard to working with an individual.

Erik Erikson and the Lifespan Theory is a psychological theory. Erik Erikson (1902-1979) was of the writers who developed the psycho-dynamic approach. He believed that there were eight stages of development also known as the eight stages of man. At each stage he suggested we come across new situations and how we respond to them determine our psychological balance and health. If each stage is dealt with successfully this will lead to positive strengths forming that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. However, if these stages are dealt with unsuccessfully, they could interfere with our psychological development. Furthermore, Erikson suggested that a person who feels capable in life will drive their behavior, attitude and actions. Each stage of the Erikson theory is critical in becoming accomplished in a particular part of life.

The first stage of development is Infancy (0-18 months). The basic conflict at this stage being trust v mistrust. At this stage children develop a sense of trust when caregivers provide reliability, care and affection. A lack of this will lead to mistrust.

The next stage is early childhood (2-3 years), the basic conflict being autonomy vs shame and doubt. At this point children need to develop a sense of personal control over physical skills and a sense of independence. Success leads to feelings of autonomy, failure results in feelings of shame and doubt.

Followed on from childhood the next stage is preschool (3-5 years). The conflict at this point would be initiative v guilt. Preschoolers learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans, or they will feel bad about their attempts to be independent.

The school age stage (6-11 years) is where competence v inferiority would be the conflict. Children will learn the joy of taking part in tasks here, or they will feel inferior.

The next stage is adolescence (12 to 18 years) where the conflict is identity v role confusion. At this point teens need to develop their own sense of self and personal identity. Success at this point leads them to staying true to themselves, whereas failure here would lead to role confusion and a low sense of self-worth.

Following adolescence is the young adulthood stage (20-24). The conflict here is Intimacy v Isolation. Young adults need to form intimate, loving relationships with other people at this stage. Positive experiences here lead to strong relationships whereas negative experiences can lead to a person feeling lonely and isolated.

Adulthood (25-64) is the next stage where generativity v stagnation is the conflict. The person who has experienced good circumstances to develop a positive identity, be productive and develop satisfying relationships will try and pass these experiences onto the next generation. Those who are unable to invest something of their own selves in others can become socially destitute and stagnation often develops.

The last stage is maturity (65-death) where Ego-integrity v despair is the conflict. People who can look back on a positive and fulfilled life will not fear death, they will find order and meaning in life and accept what has happened in the past. The stage should bring a feeling of completion. Those who look back with frustration will not be happy as they know it’s too late to start again and achieve what their wishes.

Another theory that will be looked at is that of Carl Rodgers, a humanist psychologist. Rodgers believed that for people to grow they need to be in a place that offers them genuineness, acceptance, and empathy.

Carl Rogers describes people who enjoy life as fully functioning people. He would see them as being psychologically healthy. In order to reach psychological health, he believed people need to have a positive self-concept which is achieved by not having too many conditions of worth put on them, and benefiting from the core conditions from people they interconnect with. Fully functioning people also live in the moment and are fully congruent. To achieve psychological health, they also had to have an openness to experience, the ability to live in harmony with others and unconditional regard for themselves which leads to confidence and allows a person to become the best person they can be.

Rogers believed that all people wish to grow and achieve their own potential in life. This is called self-actualization, and he believes that this is the main motivator of people’s behavior. Rogers believed that self-concept begins in childhood and our parents would play the most important role in this. Parents who offer unconditional love and regard most often produce children with a healthy self-concept. However, children who feel they have to gain their parents love and affection can end up feeling unworthy and develop low self-esteem.

Rogers also advised that people can also live in a state of congruence. This is when we have our own thoughts of our ideal self. However, often the image we have does not much up to how other people view us. If someone’s self-image does not line up with their ideal self then we are in incongruence. He believed if people receive unconditional positive regard and pursue self-actualization, people can work towards being a state of congruence.

Rogers also believed that for psychotherapy to be successful a therapist had to have unconditional positive regard for their patient to allow them to show both good and bad feelings without being judged.

Transition is a part of life that everyone will experience at some point. Some of these changes will be expected and unexpected, and they all will experience different conflicts at different stages of our lives. The Adam, Hayes and Hobson model consists of seven stages. It aims to describe how our self-esteem will be affected as we go through a change and what impact this will have on the way we behave. The seven stages of transition are immobilization, minimization, depression, acceptance of reality and letting go, testing, searching for meaning and internalization. Within these stages Adam, Hayes and Hobson look at patterns of behavior of an individual to observe how they have been affected. All people are different and cope in different ways. Sometimes individuals can remain at a certain stage for longer than expected and at other times they can go backwards.

William Worden was another psychological theorist that looked not at what happens when you experience a loss but what a person has to do to cope with the loss. Worden discusses tasks rather than stages.

The first task is to accept the reality of the loss. When we first lose someone is can be hard to accept. Some people won’t believe it’s real and get stuck in grieving. It’s quite normal after a death to believe that the person has not gone away forever, however, for most people this does not last long and allows them to move onto task two. Sometimes in task one people will retain the possessions of a loved one who has passed or keeps their bedrooms the exact way that they left it when they died.

Task two is to work through grief. This is when feelings should be expressed. These can include sadness, anger and depression. Society can play a point at this part too. Some societies allow very overt displays of grief while others would see this as unhealthy or could be seen as someone feeling sorry for themselves. Suppressing pain can prolong the process of grieving. The task of grieving can be made worse by the denial of feelings, the misuse of alcohol or by creating or by creating a perfect memory of dead person. People that are grieving can also deny that they are feeling pain, sometimes by keeping busy so that they don’t have time to think. Some people may need support to complete this task.

Task three is to adjust to an environment in which the deceased is missing. This involves recognizing and perhaps taking on roles which the deceased person once performed or where the bereaved persons live was intertwined with the deceased find a new sense of self. Task three may be harder to complete if the bereaved does not adapt to loss. They may focus of helplessness and take a step back from the world. The task can be resolved by the development of new skills needed to cope with their new way of life.

Task four is to emotionally relocate the deceased and move on with life. This task includes using energy which in the past had been used for mourning the dead person and using the energy to live more effectively. However, some people will find this difficult as they feel as though they are disowning the deceased. They can also be scared of revisiting their emotions in another relationship in case it also ends in loss. Other members of the family may also disapprove of them starting a new relationship.

Psychological theories are very important for anyone working in a caring profession to understand why people behave in certain ways. The past experiences and trauma, a person goes through, can go on to have a massive impact on their daily lives. It’s extremely important that care professionals can acknowledge this as to why individuals find themselves in situations that they do. This will help them realize why some individuals do so much that can be detrimental to their own well-being. Understanding these theories clearly can help care professionals show empathy to individual and offer them the support that they need. If they are able to recognize the stage or feature, that an individual is going through, they will be able to create the correct support plan and course of help that the individual needs to overcome the problem. All this support can help individuals to go on and lead happy and independent lives. Theories can also give care workers a framework to use while trying to help individuals manage their behaviors and emotions.

Erikson theory is mostly a positive theory. One of the strengths of this theory is that it suggests individuals not matter where they are on the lifespan, all have the ability to move on and create better lives for ourselves. This is particularly good for people in a care setting as they can realize no matter what challenges they have had in life so far, they are still able to overcome them, which will lead to a better life. To make this possible, the individual would need the correct support around them to accept where they are in the life span and what they want to achieve.

One of the weaknesses of this theory, however, would be that when applied in a care setting individuals need to be able to analyze themselves and understand what stage they are at in life before they can move on. Social factors and culture can play a big part on what stage we are at in our life so it may be difficult for someone in care to know exactly what stage they are at and it may also be difficult for care workers to determine where the individuals are either. Individuals in society are very different and may not always slot into one of these stages easily.

The Adams, Hayes and Hopson is a useful theory to be used in a care setting. It can help health care workers when an individual is experiencing loss or transition. Every individual will react differently in these situations. Some people will be affected emotionally, while others’ behavior may change. This theory allows care workers to work out what stage an individual is at and support them while they move on to the next stage.

To conclude, all of the theories discussed in this essay are relevant today and can be used in a nursing or care environment. Having a good understanding of these theories is so important to health care professionals as this provides them with the tools to help individuals move on from major life events or transitions. They can support people to move on positively with their lives without any destructive behavior occurring after these major life events. Furthermore, these theories, importantly, help health care professionals support individuals to build happy, healthy lifestyles and have a strong sense of self-worth.