Review of Evidence for Erik Erikson's Identity Theory of Personality
Review of Evidence for Erik Erikson's Identity Theory of Personality
Sarah Gruning
Wichita State University
Review of Evidence for Erik Erikson's Identity Theory of Personality
The personality theory that I have chosen to focus on will be Identity Theory. It was developed by Erik Erikson in the nineteen hundreds. Erik Erikson believed that every individual goes through a certain number of stages to reach his or her full development or potential (Erikson, 1994). He theorized that a human being goes through eight different stages ranging from birth to death (Erikson, 1994). Identity Theory focuses on eight psychosocial stages of development, and an epigenetic principle of maturation (Schultz, 2008). The stages of development are crucial to each developmental stage in life, ranging from infancy to late adulthood (Erikson, 1994). Erikson was considered to be a Neo-Freudian, and he has been described as an "ego psychologist" in he past because he studied all the stages of development that span the entire lifespan (Schultz, 2008). Each of Erikson's stages of psychosocial development are marked by a conflict, which will result in either a positive outcome or a negative outcome depending on how the conflict is resolved. If it is not resolved in a positive way, then this is why we see certain people struggle in other stages of life (Dunkel, 2008). According to Erikson, social and historical factors affect how your ego identity forms, and that will affect the nature of your personality (Erikson, 1994). The epigenetic principle states that each stage in life is governed by genetic and hereditary factors that determine what you will accomplish in that particular stage (Erikson, 1994). Unlike Freud, Erikson was focused on social relationships rather than sexual drives (Schultz, 2008). In Identity theory, there must be a crisis that occurs as a turning point in each stage that allows a transition on to the next stage (Schultz, 2008). This theory
Sarah Gruning
Wichita State University
Review of Evidence for Erik Erikson's Identity Theory of Personality
The personality theory that I have chosen to focus on will be Identity Theory. It was developed by Erik Erikson in the nineteen hundreds. Erik Erikson believed that every individual goes through a certain number of stages to reach his or her full development or potential (Erikson, 1994). He theorized that a human being goes through eight different stages ranging from birth to death (Erikson, 1994). Identity Theory focuses on eight psychosocial stages of development, and an epigenetic principle of maturation (Schultz, 2008). The stages of development are crucial to each developmental stage in life, ranging from infancy to late adulthood (Erikson, 1994). Erikson was considered to be a Neo-Freudian, and he has been described as an "ego psychologist" in he past because he studied all the stages of development that span the entire lifespan (Schultz, 2008). Each of Erikson's stages of psychosocial development are marked by a conflict, which will result in either a positive outcome or a negative outcome depending on how the conflict is resolved. If it is not resolved in a positive way, then this is why we see certain people struggle in other stages of life (Dunkel, 2008). According to Erikson, social and historical factors affect how your ego identity forms, and that will affect the nature of your personality (Erikson, 1994). The epigenetic principle states that each stage in life is governed by genetic and hereditary factors that determine what you will accomplish in that particular stage (Erikson, 1994). Unlike Freud, Erikson was focused on social relationships rather than sexual drives (Schultz, 2008). In Identity theory, there must be a crisis that occurs as a turning point in each stage that allows a transition on to the next stage (Schultz, 2008). This theory
References: Erikson, E. (1994). Identity and the life cycle. New York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton and Company. Schultz, D. P., and Schultz, S.E. (2008). Theories of Personality. (9 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing. Greenburg, J. (1992). Why do people need self-esteem? converging evidence that self- esteem serves an anxiety-buffering function Jennings, J. L. (1987). Schizophrenia and therapist involvement: changing the practice of four major psychotherapies Dunkel, C.S., & Sefcek, J.A. (2008). Eriksonian lifespan theory and life history theory: an integration using the example of identity formation Mummendey, A., & Kessler, T. (1999). Strategies to cope with negative social identity: predictions by social identity theory and relative deprivation theory