Ericksons Stages

Hundreds of years ago, a wise man once said, “ The child is the father of the

man.” In so many words he was saying, who we are and what we experience as

children, will be the result of who we will become as adults. Psycho Analyst Erik

Erikson’s theory of development followed this point of view. He realized that each

human being goes through distinct developmental stages and that each stage has its own

unique crisis or obstacle to overcome. Individuals who successfully find a way to deal

with the crisis will develop a corresponding “ego strength.” Those on the other hand

who don’t find a way to deal with it, will be left with maladaptive or malevolent

tendencies.

Erickson’s definition of Psychosocial Crisis is the physical, emotional, and

psychological stages of developmental challenges across your lifespan. He breaks the

stages down into 8 challenges, each of these challenges requires an individual to rethink

orienta...