In psychology when the word development is mention to two theorists, stand out. These theorists are Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson. Freud being the father of psychology changed the technique of studying the development of individuals. Erikson was influenced by Freud but he felt that be underestimated other significant dimension that shape our development. They both agreed that personality develop is mostly an unconscious process and when it does happen, it is over time and has universal stages. They believe that personality is developing through a sequence of predestined stages. In each stage, there is crisis that needs to be conquered in order to advance to the next stage in life. However, Freud believed the libido, person’s biology and basic needs are major factors in our development of personality (Simon & Gagnon). Although Freud’s theory influenced Erikson, instead he believed environment and culture were major factors that influenced our personality (Wallerstein, Robert & Goldberger, 2000). Freud called this development process psychosexual theory and Erikson called it psychosocial theory. Both have similarity within their theories as the age group are divided the same. Even so, they differ in way. Freud believed that the first three stages were the most important. He also understood personalities were developed by conflicts resolved and the demands from reality. Erikson believed all stage were equally important and cultural experiences helped develop personally (Wallerstein, Robert & Goldberger, 2000). They both had a different development process and outcomes. In order to grasp the theories, I will examine each theorist and personality stages individually.
In the first stage, that Freud called this psychosexual stage the oral stage and Erikson called this psychosocial stage the trust vs. mistrust stage. Both Freud and Erikson acknowledge the trust and dependency infants