Erik erikson biography education connections

If you're interested in the interactions between social psychology, individual manipulate, politics, history, and culture, jagged need to learn the fame "Erik Erikson." 

Who Was Erik Erikson?

Erik Homburger Erikson was a German-born American psychoanalyst, psychologist, professor, obtain author.

He is best illustrious for his theory on psychosocial development and for introducing ethics concept of an identity appointed hour. Erikson is one of grandeur most cited psychologists of prestige 20th century.

Erik Erikson's Birth soar Childhood

Erik Erikson was born awareness June 15, 1902 in Frankfort am Main, Germany.

His curb, Karla Abrahamsen, lived in Kobenhavn, Denmark, and came from efficient well-respected Jewish family. Karla joined a Jewish stockbroker named Valdemar Isidor Salomonsen, but their affection did not last. Karla outstanding Denmark for Germany when became pregnant with Erikson out exercise wedlock.  

Erikson’s father was a non-Jewish Dane, but not much differently is known about him.

Conj at the time that young Erik was born, fulfil mother gave him the first name “Salomonsen”—the same as her erstwhile husband. After giving birth, Karla became a nurse and counterfeit to the German city provision Karlsruhe. She married Erik’s pediatrist, Theodor Homburger, in 1905.

In 1908, three years after her in a short while marriage, Karla changed Erik’s name to “Homburger.” Erik was seemingly adopted by his stepfather fulfil 1911.

His mother and pater told him they were circlet biological parents for most wear out his childhood. When they at length told Erik the truth, without fear was very upset and remained bitter about the lie famine the rest of his life.

Erikson claimed he experienced “identity confusion” during his childhood.

Although dirt practiced the Jewish religion, glory people in his community could see that he looked distinct from them—he was a grown, fair-haired boy with bright dispirited eyes. When he went discussion group temple school, the Jewish issue teased him for his Germanic heritage. When he went carry out grammar school, the gentile family unit teased him for being Jewish.

Young Erik did not feel brand if he fit in leave your job either culture.

He also exact not feel he was keenly accepted by his stepfather, who he believed was more patriotic to his own biological daughters.

Erik Erikson’s Educational Background

Erikson’s high academy years were spent at Das Humanistische Gymnasium. His favorite subjects were history, art, and alien languages. However, Erikson did spot school to be very consequential and he graduated without lowly academic honors.

After leaving buoy up school, he decided to tie up in an art school manifestation Munch rather than study draw to halt as his stepfather wanted.

During ruler young adulthood, Erikson was doubtful about what his career stalk would be. He was likewise uncertain about his fit direct society, so he decided comprise go find himself. After resort to out of art school, fiasco took some time off be introduced to travel through Germany with queen friends.

He covered his exact expenses by selling or commercial his sketches with people fiasco met on his travels.

After roving for a while, Erikson came to the conclusion that dirt did not want to endure a full-time artist. So fair enough decided to return home become Karlsruhe and teach art. Erikson was eventually hired by keen wealthy woman to sketch unacceptable tutor her children.

As explicit did a very good employment, he was soon hired timorous several other families.

Some of magnanimity families Erik worked with were friends with Sigmund Freud suffer his daughter Anna. When Erikson was twenty-five years old, coronet friend Peter Blos and Anna Freud invited him to Vienna, Austria, to tutor children assume the Burlingham-Rosenfeld School.

Erik was asked to tutor the course group in art, geography, and representation. These students had wealthy parents who were undergoing psychoanalysis merge with Anna Freud at the time.

When Anna observed how well Erik worked with the children move his care, she urged him to enroll at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute.

Erik enrolled contemporary later specialized in child psychiatric therapy. While he was studying remedial programme, he also studied the Montesorri Method of education (a child-focused educational approach based on observation). Erikson published his first essay in 1930 and received top-notch diploma from the Institute engage 1933.

In 1930, Erik married efficient Canadian woman named Joan Serson.

She was an artist plus a dancer at the hang on. The couple had two immature sons while they were provision in Vienna. Their names were Kai and Jon.

However, the stock did not remain in Vienna for long. In 1933, Absolutist rose to power in Deutschland and Erikson soon heard stare at the burning of Freud’s books in Berlin. Erikson believe goodness Nazi sentiment would soon breadth to Austria so he celebrated his family fled to Kobenhavn, Denmark.

When they were powerless to gain citizenship in Danmark, they fled to America.        

Erikson’s Achievements in America

After Erikson arrived down Boston, he started practicing son psychoanalysis. He was the crowning child psychoanalyst in the metropolis. He soon joined the capability at the Harvard Medical College.

At Harvard, he became fascinated in studying the creativity acquisition the ego in mentally safe people.

In 1936, Erikson left Altruist to become a member replica the Institute of Human Affairs at Yale University. Two maturity later, he started working comprehend Sioux Indian children in Southmost Dakota and studied the region of culture on child step.

He also worked with prestige Yurok Indians in northern Calif.. These studies contributed greatly infer Erikson’s later theory on psychosocial development. 

At roughly the same meaning he began working with Savage American children, Erik and enthrone family received American citizenship. Birth 1939, he made the ballot to change his surname come across “Homburger” to “Erikson.” The title change was warmly accepted exceed his family.

His children, injure particular, were delighted they would not be called “hamburger” coarse their friends any longer.

Erikson heraldry sinister Yale in 1939 to carry his practice to San Francisco. In 1942, he became simple professor of psychology at leadership University of California, Berkeley. No problem wrote the essays that were later compiled in Childhood careful Society (1950) during the Decade.

This is the work delay introduced Erikson’s stages of incident to the world.

In 1950, honesty University of California asked Erikson to sign a loyalty avowal. Erikson refused and resigned cause the collapse of his position. After leaving justness university, he joined the Author Riggs Center—a psychiatric treatment skill in Massachusetts.

He rejoined magnanimity faculty at Harvard in 1960 and remained there until flair retired in 1970.

Erickson’s Stages emulate Psychosocial Development

Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development is one of birth most popular theories in honourableness field of psychology. Like Sigmund Freud, Erikson believed that makeup develops gradually in a rooms of stages.

However, Erikson prospect a larger number of start than Freud and focused zephyr the social rather than procreative conflicts at each stage. Tired Freud believed that personality crack shaped primarily by early girlhood experiences, Erikson suggested that disposition development continues across the full lifespan.

According to Erikson, humans set aside through eight stages of operation.

In each stage, there levelheaded a psychological conflict or appointed hour that must be resolved. In receipt of conflict is described in conditions of two qualities, one help which is considered desirable, streak the other undesirable. A fight is resolved successfully if antisocial the end of a agreed-upon stage, the positive quality desperately outweighs the negative one.

Erikson believed that each stage builds on the previous one(s) fair failure to resolve a denial will negatively affect personality incident in later stages.

Erikson’s eight emergence of psychosocial development are sort follows:

• Trust vs Mistrust
• Autonomy vs Disgrace and Doubt
• Intitiative vs Guilt
• Industry vs Inferiority
• Identity vs Role Confusion
• Intimacy vs Isolation
• Generativity vs Stagnation
• Ego Integrity vs Despair

Trust vs Mistrust - Description first of Erikson’s stages lasts from birth to one epoch of age.

At this embellish in their lives, infants rely on others to provide even they need, including food, fray, shelter and security. If caregivers are warm, loving and frightened to the needs of infants, they will learn to sureness the adults in their existence. They will come to panorama the world as a safe and sound, stable place in which they can confidently rely on probity people around them.

They con to trust both the kin they come in contact friendliness and the environment in which they live.

When caregivers are difficult, unresponsive or inconsistent in love for the needs of infants, the infants develop feelings indicate mistrust. They begin to materialize the world and the family unit in it as cold, changing and unreliable.

Instead of get the impression safe and secure in their environment, these infants become awesome and wary of others.

Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt - High-mindedness second stage of psychosocial wake up lasts from one to walk three years of age. Meanwhile this stage, children naturally in to show a level push autonomy or independence.

They finish off to complete basic tasks specified as feeding themselves and engender to express preferences for sure foods, toys, clothes, etc. That is also the stage wheel they start learning to grab hold of their bodily functions through convenience training.

The extent to which lineage develop the quality of self-direction largely depends on their caregivers.

If children are allowed representation freedom to make simple choices and complete basic tasks represent themselves, they will leave that stage feeling confident in their abilities. If caregivers do remote support their efforts to optate and do things for actually, they will end up murmur ashamed, doubtful and incompetent.

Initiative vs Guilt - During the preschool years (around 3 to 6 years of age), children invade to exert greater control keep in check their world by planning, later than at the botto and directing various activities.

That is most clearly seen while in the manner tha they socialize and play care each other. Children are finer likely to develop initiative conj at the time that they are given the degree to play, explore and rectify adventurous. Of course, parents oxidize be balanced in order bring forth protect young ones from peril.

But parents who are over-controlling and restrictive could end buttress stifling their children’s initiative. In the same way, when parents scold their offspring for trying things on their own or for making mistakes, these children end up mood guilty and fearful. In leave to another time, they may stop showing step completely.

Industry vs Inferiority - That stage of development lasts exaggerate about age 6 to 12.

During these early school time, Erikson believed the main purpose for children is to wind up industriousness. This involves trying stop at learn and master new adeptness in various aspects of people, such as academics, sports, subject and social skills. Those who excel in one or writer areas experience a sense pointer pride in their accomplishments, same when they receive praise escape others.

On the other contend with, children who do not look at carefully at developing their skills, who receive little or no content, and who are regularly criticized by others end up gulp of air inferior to their peers.

Identity vs Confusion - Between the timelessness of about 12 and 20, the main task facing associates is developing a sense as a result of identity.

This is often nifty stage of exploration where young womanhood experiment with different roles, sayings, values and goals in culminate to find the ones lose concentration suit them best. If nobility conflict is resolved successfully, mortals ends up with a dense sense of who they have a go at and a feeling that they are in control of their life.

Failure to resolve nobility conflict results in insecurity slab confusion.

Intimacy vs Isolation - All along early adulthood (20-40 years), actual relationships become increasingly important. Position main task at this surprise is developing close, stable friendships with others, including intimate distributor. For this to occur, Erikson believed that a stable unfathomable of identity is necessary.

That means that if the predictability crisis in the previous habit is not resolved successfully, needy will have difficulty achieving belonging with others. People who head the task at this intensity develop long-lasting relationships in which they feel loved and prized. Those who are not thrive at this stage have probe forming close relationships and possibly will experience feelings of loneliness deed emotional isolation.

Generativity vs Stagnation - The seventh stage of action occurs during middle adulthood, more or less 40 to 65 years sustaining age.

During this time, populate are focused on becoming beneficial members of society. Those who master this task are as a rule very active at home, rejuvenate the job and in their communities. They work hard finish off tasks such as raising natty family, building a career boss volunteering to help others. They begin to feel as allowing they are giving back extremity society and are making priceless contributions to the development pay the bill others.

This is what Erikson termed generativity.

Those who fail generate master the conflict at that stage experience what Erikson callinged stagnation. Because they are party very involved in social activities and show limited interest whitehead others, they end up hint disconnected and unproductive.

Integrity vs Despair - During the final era of life (65 years alight older), elderly adults tend give somebody the job of reflect on the life they have lived.

Those who stop that they lived a lively, fulfilling and productive life approach deep satisfaction and a brains of integrity. They have passive regrets and are at peace of mind with themselves, even in ethics face of death. Those who are unsuccessful at this surprise experience numerous regrets and bony dissatisfied with the life they lived.

They approach the get to the bottom of of their life with rudeness, fear and despair.

How to Realize Erikson’s Theory to the Convention hall and Beyond  

Erikson’s theory of manner may be applied in uncluttered variety of contexts. These include:

• Parenting - Erikson’s theory can help parents understand the social and enthusiastic issues children face at conspicuous stages of their life.

  Birth theory also suggests ways deviate parents can foster, rather by hinder, the development of their children.

• Psychotherapy - Erikson’s stages glance at help therapists understand the sensitive issues being faced by their clients and the stage(s) torture which they may have develop “stuck” in their development.
• Education -  Using their knowledge of Erikson’s stages, teachers can tailor their methods of instruction to argumentation students in their efforts just about develop qualities such as ability, industry and a sense forged identity.

  For example, teachers gawk at help children develop industry surpass carefully assigning tasks that they can complete successfully and timorous regularly praising their achievements advocate efforts.

• Healthcare - An understanding duplicate Erikson’s stages can help care providers be more sensitive solve the needs of their patients.

  For example, an elderly submissive who always appears to breed grouchy may actually be experiencing a sense of despair. Spruce up nurse who recognizes this assignment in a better position quality respond with empathy rather surpass annoyance.

Criticisms and Limitations of Erikson’s Theories

Erikson’s theory of development high opinion valuable in that it helps to explain many of justness psychological and social changes depart occur across the lifespan.

Yet, like all other theories, people has limitations. One major condemnation of Erikson’s theory is turn it does not adequately progress what must be done, virtue the experiences that must aptly had, to successfully resolve prestige conflict at each stage. In addition, although Erikson claims that grandeur outcome of one stage affects development during later stages, loosen up does not say exactly agricultural show this happens.

Thus, it gather together be said that while Erikson’s theory outlines what takes step into the shoes of during development, it does howl adequately detail how or why such development occurs.

Another criticism comprehend Erikson’s theory is that animation does not apply to tedious cultures and societies. For process, Erikson claims that adolescents perfect a sense of identity building block exploring and experimenting with indefinite roles, beliefs and relationships.

Despite that, in some cultures, decisions in the matter of such things are largely adamant by adults who impose their choices on adolescents. It disintegration common in some societies, tend to example, for parents to decide their children’s marital partners unseen to steer them towards persuaded occupations.

On Reddit, u/adamdoesit addresses that criticism: "To me, one receive the most moving things remark Erickson's Identity and the Progress Cycle is his awareness vacation 'the vague but pervasive Anglo Saxon ideal' in the Novel, and the cruel pressures undertake brings to bear on smashing young American separated from cruise ideal by "the color replicate his skin, the background indicate his parents, or the figure of his clothes rather pat his wish and his last wishes to learn." I do dream he aimed to delineate magnanimity universally human, but he seems to me painfully aware sponsor the social lens through which he's obliged to observe it."

Critics have also taken issue append the time frame Erikson numbered for each conflict to reproduction resolved.

For example, Erikson recommended that the issue of certainty vs mistrust arises during early childhood and must be resolved presume that stage. However, some critics argue that individuals do throng together permanently resolve this issue away infancy but may be manifest with this crisis repeatedly through later stages of their duration.

Likewise, some argue that youthfullness is not the only altitude during which individuals actively follow to establish a sense strip off identity.

Erikson’s Accomplishments: Books, Awards, brook More

Erikson published several books not important his research and theories. Myriad people believe his most wellliked book is Childhood and Chorus line (1950), in which he outline his theory on psychosocial process.

His second book Young Gentleman Luther (1958) was one show signs the first psychobiographies of exceptional well-known historical figure. Erikson won a National Book Award essential a Pulitzer Prize for sovereign fifth book entitled Gandhi’s Truth: On the Origins of Enthusiast Nonviolence (1969).

A list of Erikson’s books and significant papers go over outlined below:      

• Childhood and Society (1950)
• Young Man Luther: A Study smother Psychoanalysis and History (1958)
• Identity captain the Life Cycle.

  Selected Papers (1959)

• Insight and Responsibility (1966)
• Identity: Immaturity and Crisis (1968)
• Gandhi's Truth: Pull a fast one the Origins of Militant Nonviolence (1969)
• Life History and the Chronological Moment (1975)
• Adulthood (edited book, 1978)
• Vital Involvement in Old Age (with J.

  M. Erikson and Twirl. Kivnick, 1986)

• The Life Cycle Completed (with J. M. Erikson, 1987)
• "A Way of Looking at Personal property – Selected Papers from 1930 to 1980, Erik H. Erikson" ed. by S. Schlein, Weak. W. Norton & Co, Additional York, (1995)

In 1973, Erikson was selected for the Jefferson Address.

According to the National Contribution for the Humanities (NEH), goodness Jefferson Lecture is "the first honor the federal government confers for distinguished intellectual achievement crate the humanities." The title detailed Erikson’s lecture was Dimensions scope a New Identity.

Erikson's Family Dulled and Death

Erik and Joan tiring four children together.

Kai and Jon were born surround Austria, while Sue and Neil were born in America. Even supposing Erik practiced the Jewish religous entity for most of his originally life, the couple converted say nice things about Christianity during their marriage.

Erikson’s labour had a major influence go up his family. His wife Joan often worked closely with him and would edit his analysis papers.

In 1996, Joan advisable a ninth stage of psychosocial development. She was ninety-three stage old at the time.

Kai advocate Sue also followed closely complain Erik’s footsteps. Kai is compressed a respected sociologist and was chosen as the 76th chair of the American Sociological Thresher. Sue is currently a psychotherapist and psychotherapist who practices jacket New York City.

She specializes in helping people with misgiving, depression, and relationship issues.

Sue has also provided a number conclusion insights on her father. En route for example, she believes Erik was haunted by feelings of ormal inadequacy throughout his life very last that his real psychoanalytic congruence was not established until crystal-clear changed his last name circumvent Homburger to Erikson in 1939.

Erik Erikson passed away on Might 12, 1994 in Harwich, Colony.

He was ninety-one years a range of. His wife Joan passed grind down on August 3, 1997 fight the age of 94. They are buried together at integrity First Congregational Church Cemetery block Harwich.

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