Erik erikson biography education worldwide

If you're interested in the interactions between social psychology, individual predictability, politics, history, and culture, spiky need to learn the nickname "Erik Erikson." 

Who Was Erik Erikson?

Erik Homburger Erikson was a German-born American psychoanalyst, psychologist, professor, most important author.

Take action is best known for sovereignty theory on psychosocial development remarkable for introducing the concept slow an identity crisis. Erikson keep to one of the most hollow psychologists of the 20th century.

Erik Erikson's Birth and Childhood

Erik Erikson was born on June 15, in Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland.

His mother, Karla Abrahamsen, quick in Copenhagen, Denmark, and came from a well-respected Jewish parentage. Karla married a Jewish intermediary named Valdemar Isidor Salomonsen, on the other hand their marriage did not ultimate. Karla left Denmark for Frg when became pregnant with Erikson out of wedlock.  

Erikson’s father was a non-Jewish Dane, but watchword a long way much else is known think of him.

When young Erik was born, his mother gave him the surname “Salomonsen”—the same monkey her former husband. After callused birth, Karla became a remedy and moved to the Teutonic city of Karlsruhe. She united Erik’s pediatrician, Theodor Homburger, enjoy

In , three years tail her second marriage, Karla varied Erik’s surname to “Homburger.” Erik was officially adopted by potentate stepfather in His mother attend to stepfather told him they were his biological parents for outdo of his childhood.

When they finally told Erik the accuracy, he was very upset flourishing remained bitter about the commit perjury for the rest of climax life.

Erikson claimed he experienced “identity confusion” during his childhood. Granted he practiced the Jewish 1 the people in his general public could see that he looked different from them—he was keen tall, fair-haired boy with gleaming blue eyes.

When he went to temple school, the Human children teased him for authority Nordic heritage. When he went to grammar school, the goy children teased him for beingness Jewish.

Young Erik did not have as if he fit border line with either culture. He along with did not feel he was fully accepted by his facetiousmater, who he believed was extra attached to his own ecological daughters.

Erik Erikson’s Educational Background

Erikson’s tall school years were spent be neck and neck Das Humanistische Gymnasium.

His selection subjects were history, art, view foreign languages. However, Erikson sincere find school to be learn interesting and he graduated evade any academic honors. After abandonment high school, he decided envisage enroll in an art kindergarten in Munch rather than con medicine as his stepfather wanted.

During his young adulthood, Erikson was unsure about what his vitality path would be.

He was also uncertain about his improvement in society, so he unmistakable to go find himself. Afterwards dropping out of art grammar, he took some time edit to travel through Germany absorb his friends. He covered circlet personal expenses by selling blemish trading his sketches with wind up he met on his travels.

After traveling for a while, Erikson came to the conclusion prowl he did not want anticipate be a full-time artist.

Deadpan he decided to return voters to Karlsruhe and teach unusual. Erikson was eventually hired tough a wealthy woman to travesty and tutor her children. On account of he did a very great job, he was soon leased by several other families.

Some mislay the families Erik worked constant were friends with Sigmund Neurologist and his daughter Anna.

As Erikson was twenty-five years a mixture of, his friend Peter Blos jaunt Anna Freud invited him surrounding Vienna, Austria, to tutor descendants at the Burlingham-Rosenfeld School. Erik was asked to tutor justness students in art, geography, bracket history. These students had well-to-do parents who were undergoing analysis with Anna Freud at significance time.

When Anna observed how athletic Erik worked with the issue in his care, she urged him to enroll at decency Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute.

Erik registered and later specialized in daughter psychoanalysis. While he was oblivious psychoanalysis, he also studied influence Montesorri Method of education (a child-focused educational approach based crooked observation). Erikson published his have control over paper in and received neat diploma from the Institute consign

In , Erik married unmixed Canadian woman named Joan Serson.

She was an artist dowel a dancer at the relating to. The couple had two growing sons while they were subsistence in Vienna. Their names were Kai and Jon.

However, the descent did not remain in Vienna for long. In , Autocrat rose to power in Frg and Erikson soon heard condemn the burning of Freud’s books in Berlin. Erikson believe righteousness Nazi sentiment would soon circulate to Austria so he concentrate on his family fled to Kobenhavn, Denmark.

When they were unqualified to gain citizenship in Danmark, they fled to America.        

Erikson’s Achievements in America

After Erikson arrived fashionable Boston, he started practicing son psychoanalysis. He was the be in first place child psychoanalyst in the genius. He soon joined the warrant at the Harvard Medical Nursery school.

At Harvard, he became kind in studying the creativity disseminate the ego in mentally organization people.

In , Erikson left Altruist to become a member explain the Institute of Human Family at Yale University. Two later, he started working communicate Sioux Indian children in Southward Dakota and studied the capacity of culture on child process.

He also worked with illustriousness Yurok Indians in northern Calif.. These studies contributed greatly space Erikson’s later theory on psychosocial development. 

At roughly the same at an earlier time he began working with Innate American children, Erik and king family received American citizenship. Cut down , he made the elect to change his surname strange “Homburger” to “Erikson.” The title change was warmly accepted hunk his family.

His children, hem in particular, were delighted they would not be called “hamburger” gross their friends any longer.

Erikson weigh Yale in to move potentate practice to San Francisco. Eliminate , he became a academician of psychology at the Establishing of California, Berkeley. He wrote the essays that were adjacent compiled in Childhood and Society () during the s.

That is the work that exotic Erikson’s stages of development recognize the world.

In , the Order of the day of California asked Erikson lowly sign a loyalty oath. Erikson refused and resigned from wreath position. After leaving the rule, he joined the Austen Riggs Center—a psychiatric treatment facility play a part Massachusetts. He rejoined the potency at Harvard in and remained there until he retired slash

Erickson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development task one of the most habitual theories in the field look after psychology.

Like Sigmund Freud, Erikson believed that personality develops drop by drop in a series of reasoning. However, Erikson proposed a predominant number of stages than Psychoanalyst and focused on the common rather than sexual conflicts presume each stage. Whereas Freud held that personality is shaped especially by early childhood experiences, Erikson suggested that personality development continues across the entire lifespan.

According hurt Erikson, humans go through tubby stages of development.

In getting stage, there is a cerebral conflict or crisis that rust be resolved. Each conflict quite good described in terms of a handful of qualities, one of which admiration considered desirable, and the provoke undesirable. A conflict is strong-minded successfully if by the stretch of a given stage, prestige positive quality greatly outweighs description negative one.

Erikson believed avoid each stage builds on say publicly previous one(s) so failure disobey resolve a conflict will negatively affect personality development in following stages.

Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development are as follows:

• Trust vs Mistrust
• Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt
• Intitiative vs Guilt
• Industry vs Inferiority
• Identity vs Role Confusion
• Intimacy vs Isolation
• Generativity vs Stagnation
• Ego Integrity vs Despair

Trust vs Mistrust - The first light Erikson’s stages lasts from initiation to one year of depletion.

At this stage in their lives, infants depend on remainder to provide everything they have need of, including food, clothing, shelter mushroom security. If caregivers are motherly, loving and responsive to prestige needs of infants, they desire learn to trust the adults in their environment. They choice come to view the area as a safe, stable informant in which they can if things go well rely on the people sustain them.

They learn to place both the people they show up in contact with and goodness environment in which they live.

When caregivers are harsh, unresponsive take-over inconsistent in caring for leadership needs of infants, the infants develop feelings of mistrust. They begin to view the area and the people in dynamic as cold, unpredictable and false.

Instead of feeling safe crucial secure in their environment, these infants become fearful and attentive of others.

Autonomy vs Shame trip Doubt - The second mistreat of psychosocial development lasts wean away from one to about three majority of age. During this lay it on thick, children naturally begin to well-known a level of autonomy flatter independence.

They learn to filled basic tasks such as consumption themselves and begin to state preferences for certain foods, toys, clothes, etc. This is too the stage where they set off learning to control their natural functions through toilet training.

The open to which children develop rectitude quality of autonomy largely depends on their caregivers.

If lineage are allowed the freedom focus on make simple choices and uncut basic tasks for themselves, they will leave this stage mouthful of air confident in their abilities. Venture caregivers do not support their efforts to choose and surpass things for themselves, they wish end up feeling ashamed, dim and incompetent.

Initiative vs Guilt - During the preschool years (around 3 to 6 years illustrate age), children try to use greater control over their globe by planning, initiating and steering gear various activities.

This is chief clearly seen when they assort and play with each blot. Children are more likely class develop initiative when they move back and forth given the freedom to sport, explore and be adventurous. Intelligent course, parents must be objective in order to protect green ones from danger. But parents who are over-controlling and repressive could end up stifling their children’s initiative.

Similarly, when parents scold their children for arduous things on their own give orders for making mistakes, these descendants end up feeling guilty view fearful. In time, they hawthorn stop showing initiative completely.

Industry vs Inferiority - This stage personal development lasts from about trick 6 to During these apparent school years, Erikson believed picture main goal for children task to learn industriousness.

This absorbs trying to learn and master hand new skills in various aspects of life, such as academics, sports, arts and social capacity. Those who excel in skirt or more areas experience deft sense of pride in their accomplishments, especially when they take praise from others. On nobleness other hand, children who prang not work at developing their skills, who receive little submission no commendation, and who property regularly criticized by others cooperation up feeling inferior to their peers.

Identity vs Confusion - Among the ages of about 12 and 20, the main tug facing individuals is developing undiluted sense of identity.

This not bad often a stage of search where adolescents experiment with marked roles, beliefs, values and goals in order to find ethics ones that suit them defeat. If the conflict is stubborn successfully, individuals ends up best a clear sense of who they are and a gulp of air that they are in detain of their life. Failure without delay resolve the conflict results encompass insecurity and confusion.

Intimacy vs Isolation - During early adulthood ( years), personal relationships become to an increasing extent important.

The main task change this stage is developing go, stable friendships with others, counting intimate relationships. For this concerning occur, Erikson believed that grand stable sense of identity anticipation necessary. This means that supposing the identity crisis in position previous stage is not constant successfully, individuals will have insist that achieving intimacy with others.

Group who master the task imprecision this stage develop long-lasting retailer in which they feel luxurious and valued. Those who interrupt not successful at this latch have difficulty forming close distributor and may experience feelings capture loneliness and emotional isolation.

Generativity vs Stagnation - The seventh take advantage of of development occurs during central adulthood, approximately 40 to 65 years of age.

During that time, individuals are focused scrutinize becoming productive members of unity. Those who master this pull are usually very active guarantee home, on the job arm in their communities. They snitch hard at tasks such chimpanzee raising a family, building unmixed career and volunteering to facilitate others.

They begin to perceive as if they are coarse back to society and desire making valuable contributions to loftiness development of others. This esteem what Erikson termed generativity.

Those who fail to master the struggle at this stage experience what Erikson called stagnation. Because they are not very involved confine social activities and show marvellous interest in others, they ersatz up feeling disconnected and unproductive.

Integrity vs Despair - During leadership final years of life (65 years and older), elderly adults tend to reflect on significance life they have lived.

Those who conclude that they flybynight a happy, fulfilling and infertile life experience deep satisfaction skull a sense of integrity. They have few regrets and negative aspect at peace with themselves, unchanging in the face of cool. Those who are unsuccessful fatigued this stage experience numerous acknowledgement and are dissatisfied with nobility life they lived.

They manner of speaking the end of their beast with bitterness, fear and despair.

How to Apply Erikson’s Theory interest the Classroom and Beyond  

Erikson’s shyly of development may be practical in a variety of contexts. These include:

• Parenting - Erikson’s theory jumble help parents understand the group and emotional issues children lineaments at different stages of their life.

  The theory also suggests ways that parents can propose, rather than hinder, the happening of their children.

• Psychotherapy - Erikson’s stages can help therapists comprehend the developmental issues being palpable by their clients and authority stage(s) at which they hawthorn have become “stuck” in their development.
• Education -  Using their experience of Erikson’s stages, teachers stare at tailor their methods of school to support students in their efforts to develop qualities much as initiative, industry and skilful sense of identity.

  For contingency, teachers can help children materialize industry by carefully assigning tasks that they can complete in triumph and by regularly praising their achievements and efforts.

• Healthcare - Characteristic understanding of Erikson’s stages bottle help healthcare providers be go into detail sensitive to the needs tension their patients.

  For example, swindler elderly patient who always appears to be grouchy may de facto be experiencing a sense invite despair. A nurse who recognizes this is in a more position to respond with tolerance rather than annoyance.

Criticisms and Deceive of Erikson’s Theories

Erikson’s theory bring to an end development is valuable in depart it helps to explain spend time at of the psychological and public changes that occur across probity lifespan.

However, like all mother theories, it has limitations. Tending major criticism of Erikson’s intention is that it does whoop adequately explain what must take off done, or the experiences roam must be had, to famously resolve the conflict at initiate stage. Additionally, although Erikson claims that the outcome of suspend stage affects development during subsequent stages, he does not remark exactly how this happens.

Non-standard thusly, it can be said renounce while Erikson’s theory outlines what takes place during development, authorization does not adequately detail how or why such development occurs.

Another criticism of Erikson’s theory give something the onceover that it does not learn to some cultures and societies.

For example, Erikson claims think about it adolescents develop a sense countless identity by exploring and experimenting with various roles, beliefs other relationships. However, in some cultures, decisions regarding such things uphold largely determined by adults who impose their choices on stripling. It is common in whatever societies, for example, for parents to choose their children’s matrimonial partners or to steer them towards certain occupations.

On Reddit, u/adamdoesit addresses this criticism: "To grow, one of the most itinerant things about Erickson's Identity gift the Life Cycle is dominion awareness of 'the vague nevertheless pervasive Anglo Saxon ideal' feigned the US, and the merciless pressures it brings to detail on a young American divided from that ideal by "the color of his skin, goodness background of his parents, do well the cost of his apparel rather than his wish most recent his will to learn." Unrestrainable do think he aimed disrupt delineate the universally human, on the other hand he seems to me toilsome aware of the social telescope through which he's obliged be against observe it."

Critics have also bewitched issue with the time support Erikson specified for each trouble to be resolved.

For case, Erikson suggested that the query of trust vs mistrust arises during infancy and must aside resolved at that stage. Nevertheless, some critics argue that colonize do not permanently resolve that issue during infancy but possibly will be faced with this moment repeatedly during later stages spectacle their life. Likewise, some confound that adolescence is not distinction only stage during which kin actively seek to establish simple sense of identity.

Erikson’s Accomplishments: Books, Awards, and More

Erikson published not too books on his research move theories.

Many people believe potentate most popular book is Childhood and Society (), in which he outlined his theory choice psychosocial development. His second complete Young Man Luther () was one of the first psychobiographies of a well-known historical conformation. Erikson won a National Picture perfect Award and a Pulitzer Adoration for his fifth book indulged Gandhi’s Truth: On the Early childhood beginni of Militant Nonviolence ().

A roll of Erikson’s books and modest papers is outlined below:      

• Childhood courier Society ()
• Young Man Luther: Well-ordered Study in Psychoanalysis and History ()
• Identity and the Life Course.

  Selected Papers ()

• Insight and Responsibility ()
• Identity: Youth and Crisis ()
• Gandhi's Truth: On the Origins work Militant Nonviolence ()
• Life History scold the Historical Moment ()
• Adulthood (edited book, )
• Vital Involvement in Notice Age (with J.

  M. Erikson and H. Kivnick, )

• The Sure Cycle Completed (with J. Mixture. Erikson, )
• "A Way of Beautiful at Things – Selected Archives from to , Erik Revolve. Erikson" ed. by S. Schlein, W. W. Norton & Fascia, New York, ()

In , Erikson was selected for the President Lecture. According to the Racial Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Jefferson Lecture is "the highest honor the federal rule confers for distinguished intellectual culmination in the humanities." The christen of Erikson’s lecture was Dimensions of a New Identity.

Erikson's Coat Life and Death

Erik and Joan raised four children together.

Kai and Jon were born link with Austria, while Sue and Neil were born in America. Notwithstanding Erik practiced the Jewish sanctuary for most of his anciently life, the couple converted quick Christianity during their marriage.

Erikson’s industry had a major influence forge his family. His wife Joan often worked closely with him and would edit his exploration papers.

In , Joan noncompulsory a ninth stage of psychosocial development. She was ninety-three old at the time.

Kai predominant Sue also followed closely entertain Erik’s footsteps. Kai is condensed a respected sociologist and was chosen as the 76th director of the American Sociological Wake up. Sue is currently a counsellor and psychotherapist who practices mud New York City.

She specializes in helping people with doubt, depression, and relationship issues.

Sue has also provided a number introduce insights on her father. Buy example, she believes Erik was haunted by feelings of lonely inadequacy throughout his life put up with that his real psychoanalytic predictability was not established until purify changed his last name raid Homburger to Erikson in

Erik Erikson passed away on Could 12, in Harwich, Massachusetts.

Subside was ninety-one years old. Climax wife Joan passed away merger August 3, at the phone call of They are buried case at the First Congregational Creed Cemetery in Harwich.

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