ERIK ERIKSON: EGO PSYCHOLOGY

• Erik Erikson is an ego psychologist who develops one of the most popular theories of development.
• His theory is strongly influenced by Sigmund Freud, however the major difference is Freud focused on
psychosexual development while Erikson focused on psychosocial development

Erik Erikson
• In each stage a person faces conflicts and challenges and those conflicts and challenges are inevitable. It will
come at a specific life stage. This is called a crisis.
• People must modify their personalities in order to adjust successfully to their social environment
• This development begins in childhood. The development of the ego does not end during early childhood, but
it actually begins during childhood.
• A child’s success in the early stages depends largely on their parents. As you go through the different stages
of development, there are significant people that influence you. For a child it's their parents.
• The development of the ego is an ongoing process that is never final.

Basic Points:

• Growth takes place according to the Epigenetic Principle (borrowed from embryology, which implied that each
stage develop/developing properly on its time)
• In every stage of life, there is an interacting opposites.
• Syntonic - successful
• Dystonic - unsuccessful
• Each one of us has an identity crisis. In every stage of your life, there’ll be a crisis that will be our turning point.
This crisis allows our ego to develop its own identity.
• Whatever is most powerful between Dystonic vs, Syntonic, this will define our ego strength/ego quality.
• Core Pathology
• If dystonic is successful, core pathology will emerge.
• Basic Strength
• If syntonic is successful, it will develop our basic strength

Summary of Erikson’s Eight Stages of Life:

IEP SAY MO: Infancy, Early Childhood, Play Age, School Age, Adolescence, Young Adulthood, Middle Adulthood, Old
Age
Infancy: Trust vs. Mistrust (0–18 mos.)
• Very important at this age to instill to an infant that they can trust the world. They have to see the
world as a safe place where they could trust people around them. Because if a child is not able to
trust the world, it will show in their adult personality. They will have a hard time trusting people and
become suspicious.
• How to instill trust in an infant?
1. Respond to them quickly
2. Call, cuddle, care and love them
• They have to be able to feel secure as an infant because they highly depend on other people.
• If this crisis (trust vs. mistrust) is successfully resolved, hope will emerge in the child. They will be
innately hopeful for the future.
• If the crisis is unsuccessfully resolved, fear will emerge. They will be suspicious toward the world
and everyone in it.

Early Childhood: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (2–3 years old)
• It is important for the child to feel a sense of independence.
• This is the stage where they are developing a mind of their own.
• This is the time where having control of their own behavior and environment is important. They will
look forward to different stimulation, interaction, and challenges.
• If this crisis is successfully resolved, they will have will power and self-control.
• But if the crisis is unsuccessfully resolved, e.g. the toddler is being criticized for not being perfect
or doing things incorrectly, not allowing the toddler to do things on their own, they will view
themselves as unable to do things, they will doubt their capabilities. Self doubt emerges.

Play Age: Initiative vs. Guilt (4 & 5 yrs old)

• If the crisis is resolved at this stage, it will give them a sense of direction or purpose. They will
initiate activity, they want to know new things, start and keep asking questions to people.
• Play is important during this stage. This play will enable them to create ideas and put them into
action
• If the crisis is unsuccessfully resolved, feelings of unworthiness will emerge. This is when parents
tell instead of encouraging. It's when they are not acknowledging the value of the child’s outputs or
punishing children for acting out their ideas.
School Age: Industry vs. Inferiority (6–11 yrs old)
• Industry = pertains to the capacity to make a productive effort
• Inferiority will arise if the child could not finish a task, and if they ever finish one, it is not acceptable
or getting praised.
• It is important to encourage children to make and interact: join contests, socialize, play with other
children.
• It is important at this stage in seeing a task through its completion. If they finish a task, praise and
reward them. If they did something wrong, explain to them and do not redeem them.
• If the crisis in this stage is unsuccessfully resolved, they will develop inferiority.
• If the crisis is successfully resolved, they will be able to understand the concept of seeing a task
through its completion. Competence emerges in the child.
Adolescence: Identity vs. Role Confusion (12–18 yrs old)
• This is the stage where the child transitions from childhood to adulthood.
• During this stage, development of sense of self and personal identity is very important
• Success in this stage leads to the ability to stay true to yourself.
• Failure in this stage leads to role confusion/weak sense of self.
• This is also the stage for the search of who you are and how you are going to fit in the society. This
is where you search for independence and look at the future.
• This is the stage where the child has to learn the role they will occupy as an adult. The adolescent
will try to examine his/her identity to find out who they are.
• Erikson suggests that two identities are involved during this stage:
 • Sexual Identity (gender preference, gender orientation)
• Occupational Identity(career, education, etc.)
• Erikson claims that at this stage, one of the factors is a child not feeling comfortable with the development of
their body. For a while, they can adapt and grow into the changes of it.
• Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of fidelity.
• Failure to establish a sense of self and identity within the society can lead to role confusion—it involves
individuals not being sure about themselves or their place in the society. In response to the role confusion or
identity crisis, an adolescent is expected to experiment lifestyles, try new things, and get to know new people
because they are looking for a state where they could fit in.
• During this period, adolescence will explore possibilities and begin to form their own identity based on the
outcomes of their exploration. They are more curious than ever.

Young Adulthood: Intimacy vs. Isolation (21–35 years old)

• Crisis: Young adults focus on forming close relationships with others.
• Difficulties during this stage result in feelings of loneliness and even fear of relationships themselves.
• Successful resolution of this crisis results in formation of relationships that are intimate on a physical,
intellectual, and emotional level.
• At this stage, the most important relationship is love relationships—this is not limited to romantic partners.
• Intimacy = our ability to relate to other people on a more personal/deeper level.
• If you have not developed your sense of self, it is hard for you to commit to a relationship. In the end, you will
isolate yourself.
• Having a sexual relationship does not mean intimate relationship because intimacy requires personal
commitment.
• If the crisis in this stage is unsuccessfully resolved, exclusivity will emerge.

Middle Adulthood: Generativity vs. Stagnation (40–65 yrs old)

• The basic conflict is generativity vs. stagnation
• Generativity = meant making something or contributing in making the society/world a better place. It meant
accomplishing and creating things that made sense. Making your mark.
• People in which stagnation prevailed will feel disconnected. They are uninvolved, self-centered.
• If you fail to attain generativity, you will feel unproductive and uninvolved in the world. They are very sensitive.
Ex: “Hindi mo man lang ako mapasasalamatan, di ba ako nagturo sayo nyan”
• If the crisis is successfully resolved, care will emerge.
• The important event is parenting and the important relationships are with children and the community
• This stage is based on the idea that each adult must find a way to satisfy, support, and contribute to the next
generation; it is often thought of as giving back.
• Failure to resolve this stage can lead to overextension or rejectivity.

Old Age: Ego-Integrity vs. Despair (age 60+)

• Integration of all prior stages.
• I am what survives me
• Aged look back on life: crises, aspirations, accomplishments
• Success: wholeness, satisfaction with life
• Failure: feelings of futility, disappointment.
• At this stage of development, it is important in being able to look back and see your accomplishments. If you
are able to become satisfied with the things you have seen, then this will contribute to your overall
psychological well being and wisdom will emerge.
• At this stage, the key conflict centers on questioning whether or not the individual has led a meaningful,
purposeful, satisfying life. Failure to see that, feelings of despair and meaninglessness will emerge
• meaninglessness will emerge

“In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of
identity”
• Erik H. Erikson