Erikson's Personality Theory

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I believe that Erik Erikson's Psycho-Social Theory-Stages of Psychosocial Development offers a very good explanation on the factors that influence my understanding of the personalities and behaviors of people in society and in the workplace. This theory focuses on the stages of human development as spanning throughout their entire lives, especially in adolescence where individuals go through what is termed an "identity crisis." Erikson's Psycho-Social Theory is the basis to the study of personality development in general.
With that said, as I examine each of the stages of the theory, I can say that they relate to the steps that my life has gone through in the exact same order. Moreover, those steps help me to understand other individuals and to have an idea of what to expect from them based on their life stages. Although those stages may vary slightly with certain individuals' age, for the most part, they provide a very good explanation of their personalities and behavior and the factors that influence them. For example, the third stage of the theory focuses on initiative vs. guilt (4 to 6 years old). At that stage, a child learns to become independent and tests the world to see how much he is learning. Also, at that stage, the child's autonomy is shaped. If not encouraged properly, a child at that stage may think of themselves as not being "good enough," lack assertiveness, feel guilty, and relentless to take chances and value new skills. Having that knowledge helps me to understand my twin boys and to know which areas are the most important to focus on when raising them so that they may grow up as healthy adults.
As far as the individuals in my workplace, when I think about the last stage: Integrity vs. despair (age 65 and beyond), I am able to understand the factors that drive the older women who work there to go stay in the workforce, especially to the seniors who love to do volunteer work. Because this stage entails the way the ...