Erikson

Question 1

What are 4 biographical points about Erikson?

Answer 1

1. The only historical psychologist with no formal training, actually started off as a painter
2. He went through an identity crisis. His father shortly left after his birth, so he had questions about who he was, and his identity during his adolescence, which was a driver for his research, argued he stayed in his adolescent phase
3. Multicultural experiences to learn more about cultural factors when it came to personality development
4. Met with Freud’s daughter Anna who psychoanalyzed him, which is how he became acquainted with/introduced to Freud’s theory

Question 2

What are Eirkson’s 8 psychosocial stages

Answer 2

1. Infancy (trust vs mistrust)
2. Early childhood (autonomy vs shame/doubt)
3. play age (initiative vs guilt)
4. school age (industry vs inferiority)
5. adolescence (identity vs identity confusion)
6. young adult (intimacy vs isolation)
7. adulthood (generativity vs self absorption)
8. Mature age (integrity vs disgust/despair)

Question 3

Infancy

Answer 3

• 0 to 1 y/o
• oral sensory mode ( ALL senses, with mode meaning the main source of pleasure)
• Trust (syntonic) vs mistrust (dystonic)
• trait for this stage is +/- optimism
• Basic strength = hope (trust, believes they’ll be taken care of)
• core pathology (mistrust, flat, unresponsive, pissed off)
• needs some mistrust so they don’t just trust everyone

Question 4

Early childhood

Answer 4

• 2 to 3 y/o
• anal urethral muscular mode (ie. manipulates objects. this extends on Freuds theory)
• autonomy (syntonic) vs shame and doubt (dystonic, overprotective, doesn’t let the child do anything)
• trait for this stage is +/- willful & autonomous
• basic strength = will (autonomy)
• Core pathology = compulsion (shame and doubt. repeats the same task compulsively in order to be safe)
• Needs some shame and doubt to protect themselves (ie. running with scissors)

Question 5

play age

Answer 5

• 3 to 5 y/o
• genital locomotor mode (you’re moving around)
• Initiative (syntonic, bigger version of autonomy, make choices long term) vs guilt (dystonic, parents keep saying don’t)
• trait for this stage is +/- purposeful
• Basic strength = purpose (initiative)
• core pathology = inhibition (guilt, extreme form of compulsion, connected to withdraw)
• Need some guilt to minimize risk and refrain from doing things that cause harm (ie. crossing the street)

Question 6

school age

Answer 6

• 6 to 12/13 y/o
• industry (syntonic, sense of competence, “I can do things”) vs inferiority (dystonic)
• trait for this stage is +/- competence
• strength = competence (industry)
• core pathology = inertia (dystonic, “I’m not even going to try and bother)
• need inferiority so that you try again

Question 7

adolescence

Answer 7

• 12 to 18 y/o
• identity (syntonic, “who I am what’s important to me”) vs identity confusion (dystonic)
• trait for this stage is +/- self aware
• basic strength = fidelity (identity, super ego, you know who you are)
• core pathology = role repudiation (dystonic, divided self image, don’t know what to expect, don’t know who you are, lack of closeness/intimacy, don’t know how to share, have no characteristics/interests, defiance, rejects authority, this becomes their identity)

Question 8

early adulthood

Answer 8

• 18 to 30 y/o
• intimacy (syntonic, ability to fuse own identity with someone w/o fear of losing your own identity) vs isolation (dystonic)
• trait for this stage is +/- loving
• basic strength = love (intimacy)
• core pathology = exclusivity (dystonic, I exclude ppl from getting closer to me, can’t open up)

Question 9

Adulthood

Answer 9

• 31 to 60 y/o
• generativity (syntonic) vs stagnation (dystonic)
• Generativity isn’t just generating offspring, it can also be generating things like music or gardening; essentially you’re taking care of something)
• trait for this stage is +/- caring
• basic strength = care ( generativity)
• core pathology = rejectivity (stagnation)

Question 10

old age

Answer 10

• 61 to death
• Mode: generalized sensuality (means that this stage has slow decline that results in slow, sensual things (ie. drinking tea, using blankets, etc.)
• Integrity (syntonic) vs despair (dystonic)
• the trait for this stage is maturing/accepting
• Basic strength = wisdom (integrity, Eriksons definition of wisdom is an informed and detatched concern with life itself in the face of death itself)
• core pathology = disdain (despair, the belief that life is unfair)