Essay Sample on Erickson's Psychosocial Stages of Identity: Challenges of Life

Introduction

Erik Erickson, a psychoanalyst in German who was also influenced by Sigmund Freud, took his time and analyzed the three aspects of identity. In his psychosocial term, Erickson developed it from two words - social, which means the environment and external relationship and psychological, which relates to the personality, brain, and mind of a person. Each stage was developed under the emotional forces known as contrary dispositions that correspond to the stages of life, and the challenges faced (Erikson, 1981). To signify the different or opposing relationship, Erickson incorporated the word 'versus' by using an abbreviation to elaborate his explanations towards or against the reality of life. The essay will elaborate more on Erickson's problem of ego concerning real life under the film 'Seven up.'

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After successfully going through each crisis, Erickson put a healthy balance or ratio between the opposing dispositions that presented each challenge. For instance, the healthy balance which appears on stage one (Mistrust v Trust) was described as growing and experiencing through the issues of trust between people and life. On stage two (Autonomy v Shame & Doubt), Erickson elaborated that is means to be in one's person but not a quivering or mindless follower (Erikson, 1981). This means that a person has sufficient capacity by doubts to be a free thinker and yet they are responsible, considerate, and ethical.

The chapter 'The Problem of Ego Identity,' was written to show how the progress of people goes through a series of stages as they change and grow in life. Each step, for instance, has different developmental conflicts that need to be solved successfully by enhancing virtues. In this chapter, Erickson was interested to know how social relationships and interaction affect growth and development (Erikson, 1981).

What is Ego Identity? One way Erickson elaborated this was that it was the development of ego in the psychosocial stage theory. It is also a conscious sense that people gain through social interaction those later changes when the individual is exposed to a new environment. The behavior of teens seems impulsive and unpredictable because of the process of finding their identity (Erikson, 1981). Family members and parents, in this case, play a vital role in influencing how teens feel as compared to the outside forces. In other words, school mates, social groups, friends, popular culture, and even social trends play a vital role in forming and shaping identity (Erikson, 1981). According to Erickson, teenagers that receive proper reinforcement and encouragement through their life exploration end up having a strong feeling of control and independence and control.

The film '7 Plus Seven' consisted of several children who were at the age of 14 years. Before the director developed this movie, he interviews several to know what they think about school, their feelings about money, their future, social issues, etc. (Jackson, 2016). His idea was to see how children become after they have grown. The film also gives a glimpse of what is happening in England socially and politically. The purpose of developing this film was to gather a group of kids to represent their socio-economic backgrounds.

The assumption in this feeling was that every circumstance each child goes through determines their future when they are adults. For instance, kids that came from more privileged backgrounds and managed to attend the university education attained professional occupations. One the other hand, the ones that were not lucky to get higher education were ascribed to work low paying jobs that were often done manually. This anecdote shows how people live in confused environments of social class. One character in the 'Seven up' film that was lucky to go to the university was Tony (Jackson, 2016). When he was young Tony wanted to become a jockey. Tony was fortunate because his dream came true, never gave, and he became a cabbie. Tony also managed to buy himself a home not only in England but also in Spain.

When the life of Tony is compared to Erickson's stages of psychosocial development, it is evident that he achieved competence in certain areas of his life. Based on this theory, Tony went through eight stages of life from the time he was born to the time he became an adult. According to Erickson, everyone that goes through the steps of development also passes through stages of the crisis that need a solution (Erikson, 1981). When one manages to complete each developmental task successfully, they tend to leave a healthy lifestyle but those that never made it had lives that felt inadequate.

The success of Tony began when he was born. Under Erickson's stages, Tony first went through the 'Trust v. Mistrust.' For instance, from birth to the age of 12 months, Tony was learned how he could trust his parents. This happened when all his basic needs were met, and this made him sensitive and responsive anytime he was near his parents. According to Erickson, parents that do not cater for the needs of babies engender feelings of mistrust, fear, and anxiety, and this makes the baby see the world as an unpredictable world (Erikson, 1981). When kids are oppressed, they end up not trusting people around them.

At the age of 3 years, Tony was passing through the 'Autonomy v. Doubt/ Shame' theory. In this stage, Erickson elaborated that kids learn how to act on their environments, and control their actions to get results. In this stage, Erickson highlighted that infants begin to notice specific elements of the situation, such as clothing, toys, and food (Erikson, 1981). The main task of a child when they reach this stage is to make the choices that fill their desire. One area that shaped Tony's life was when Tony was from twelve years old. In the Film, Tony was this kind of kid that was always joyful, charming, and funny. Most of his stories were fun listening mainly when he used the Cockney voice. Tony was this kind of person that accepted people and was willing to help any time.

In the film, when Tony was seven years old, he was raised in a financially unstable family. This made him become embraced to allow his friend to come to visit him. Most of the time, he hid under the bed, especially when his girlfriend Mitchell came to visit (Jackson, 2016). Although Tony got the chance to be taken out to places like the zoo where he met with other kids, and they had fun together. They were also taken to the adventure playground where they played, danced and mingled with other kids. In this time of life, Tony was going through the theme of 'Guilt v. Initiative.'

According to Erickson, once children reach the preschool stage, they engage themselves in initiating activities and control over anything around them through play and social interaction (Erikson, 1981). It is clear that even though Tony came from a low-income family, he never feared to play with other kids because that was what drove his mind. In this stage, most kids go learn how to achieve their goals through planning, especially when they interact with other kids. The theory also elaborates that kids develop a sense of responsibilities and ambitions that makes them explore within their limits. When kids are exposed to this kind of life, they tend to build a sense of purpose and self-confidence. Those who don't go through this stage end up develop guilt.

When Tony became an adult, he was successful not only to have a wife but also to buy two houses. According to Erickson, when a person reaches their 40's, they enter middle life. This life involves contributing to their experiences of other people, such as raising children and securing themselves jobs that will ensure their lives (Erikson, 1981). In this stage, the author adds that a person contributes to the next generation by caring for others.

People that fail to deliver this task experience stagnation in their lives. Most of them even loose connection with people and have little interest in self-improvement and productivity. The growth of Tony later became successful because he got married, had children, and bought two houses (Jackson, 2016). This shows that he never developed any guilt despite passing through challenges, as shown in the film. When the comparison of the film and Erickson book are compared, it shows that the life of Tony was successful because he got lucky to get supportive parents.

Conclusion

Erickson stages of development elaborate on how a person passes through various levels in life from the time they are born till they become adults. Erickson put a healthy balance or ratio between the opposing dispositions that presented each challenge. Each stage was developed under the emotional forces known as contrary dispositions that correspond to the stages of life, and the challenges faced. In other words, the author designed it from two words - social, which means the environment and external relationship and psychological, which relates to the personality, brain, and mind of a person. Erickson also incorporated the word 'versus' by using an abbreviation to elaborate his explanations towards or against the reality of life. A good example that passed through this stage was Tony. In the Film 'Seven up,' Tony was raised from a poor background, but throughout his life the stages of life experience allowed him to become successful similar to the themes Erickson was displaying.

References

Erikson, E. H. (1981). 15. The Problem of Ego Identity. The Life Cycle, 189-198. doi: 10.7312/stei93738-016

Jackson, J. (2016). Seven plus Seven 1970. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2fGlT7HWus