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Erik H. Erikson's Personality Development Theory

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Choose a specific theorist, such as Freud, Erikson, Pavlov, Skinner, or Bandura, and summarize their theory and connect it with your own life or experiences.

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The solution is a 1,296-word essay explaining and discussing Erik H. Erikson's Personality Development Theory - what it is all about, its varied stages, its application and importance in philosophy, psychology and studies of social identity. A connection to life experiences is presented for further clarification.References are listed. The solution follows the APA format. A word version is attached for easy printing.

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Dear Student,
Hello. I hope you will find the solution below suitable and useful in putting together your own set of answers (each position is person specific in terms of comparison).The essay below provides a general overview and example of adapting Erikson's theory in viewing a life. Good luck and thank you for using Brainmass.

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OTA 105878/Xenia Jones

Erik H. Erikson's Personality Development Theory

German-American Erikson is a psychologist and psychoanalyst who developed theories of the self and of personality development. A Neo-Freudian, he studied the span of human development in the varied stages of life. He proposed the following 8 stages that encompass thus:

*Stage of Hope - Basic Trust vs. Mistrust - Infant stage. Is the infant reliant and trusting to its caregivers?
*Stage of Will- Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt - Toddler stage. The child is curious and explores the world around him to learn. Parents need to maintain a balance; the child must not be smothered but at the same time must not be neglected.
Stage of Purpose - Initiative vs. Guilt - Kindergarten - The child must be allowed to choose according to judgments based on what he has learned. A positive outlook in a child can be initiated if they find a sense of accomplishment in the things they can do independently (dressing up, eating), etc. Guilt is usually felt by the child due to following own initiative but this must be mediated and turned into a positive event while enforcing morals and manners by example.
*Stage of Competence - Industry vs. Inferiority - Around age 6 to puberty. The competitiveness in the classroom shows especially as the child tries to find his worth in comparison with other kids' abilities. Recognition of disparities in relation to skills is apparent. Teachers must ensure that inferiority complexes do not develop in their wards despite skills disparity due to its long term effects on personality. Same goes for parents in how they treat their children.
*Stage of Fidelity - Identity vs. Role Confusion - Teenager. The teen entering young ...

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