Erik Erikson s Psychosocial Development Theory - 2162 Words

The psychodynamic approach is predicated on a struggle between conscious and unconscious forces. As with anything in life forces are always at battle affecting our psyche, development, and mental health. Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development theory outlines how environmental forces can either foster a healthy development or cause maladaptive behaviors and development. Everyone has either seen or heard the awful stories of children being mistreated to the point it hinders proper development, and his theory helps to explain how to properly ensure a child, adolescent, or even adult has a healthy chance at life. The theory has eight stages that span from infancy to death. The importance of which is Erikson may have been the first and†¦show more content†¦To preface, if a person doesn’t successfully reconcile the conflicting sociocultural forces in the stage they’re in at the moment does not means there is no hope for the future development for that person; it simply means not mastering that stage can cause future issues to arise from what each stage represents. For example a child may have the best environment possible and go through each early stage with success and then in early adulthood problems may arise that cause them to then not master the stage there at. Does this mean that person is doomed? No, there is always ample time and opportunity to access the psychosocial crisis at hand and either seek help for problems presented or educate themselves as to the proper steps to assure that the next stage they reconcile the forces at hand. Also, mastery of a stag e is not dependent on whether a person can move forward in life, but it may damper the timeline and cause any number of problems: from mental health issues, inferiority complexes, guilt, or at worse not being able to face death with open arms and understanding. Erikson was a Neo-Freudian and was taught by Anna Freud, Sigmund’s daughter. One can see how Erikson’s early stages of childhood reflect Freud’s own personality development. Also, the fact that there is a crisis