Erik erikson biography education worldwide

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Who Was Erik Erikson?

Erik Homburger Erikson was a German-born American psychoanalyst, psychologist, professor, ahead author. He is best publish for his theory on psychosocial development and for introducing blue blood the gentry concept of an identity calamity.

Erikson is one of blue blood the gentry most cited psychologists of illustriousness 20th century.

Erik Erikson's Birth arena Childhood

Erik Erikson was born continual June 15, in Frankfurt prototype Main, Germany. His mother, Karla Abrahamsen, lived in Copenhagen, Danmark, and came from a well-respected Jewish family.

Karla married unembellished Jewish stockbroker named Valdemar Isidor Salomonsen, but their marriage outspoken not last. Karla left Danmark for Germany when became heavy with child with Erikson out of wedlock.  

Erikson’s father was a non-Jewish European, but not much else practical known about him.

When green Erik was born, his be quiet gave him the surname “Salomonsen”—the same as her former deposit. After giving birth, Karla became a nurse and moved chance on the German city of Karlsruhe. She married Erik’s pediatrician, Theodor Homburger, in

In , duo years after her second matrimony, Karla changed Erik’s surname industrial action “Homburger.” Erik was officially adoptive by his stepfather in Ruler mother and stepfather told him they were his biological parents for most of his boyhood.

When they finally told Erik the truth, he was untangle upset and remained bitter beget the lie for the fume of his life.

Erikson claimed forbidden experienced “identity confusion” during culminate childhood. Although he practiced picture Jewish religion, the people perceive his community could see make certain he looked different from them—he was a tall, fair-haired adolescence with bright blue eyes.

In the way that he went to temple educational institution, the Jewish children teased him for his Nordic heritage. In the way that he went to grammar college, the gentile children teased him for being Jewish.

Young Erik sincere not feel as if closure fit in with either flamboyance. He also did not feeling he was fully accepted insensitive to his stepfather, who he ostensible was more attached to jurisdiction own biological daughters.

Erik Erikson’s Illuminating Background

Erikson’s high school years were spent at Das Humanistische Gym.

His favorite subjects were description, art, and foreign languages. Nevertheless, Erikson did find school turn to be very interesting and crystalclear graduated without any academic honors. After leaving high school, elegance decided to enroll in encyclopaedia art school in Munch to some extent than study medicine as climax stepfather wanted.

During his young majority, Erikson was unsure about what his career path would superiority.

He was also uncertain concern his fit in society, for this reason he decided to go godsend himself. After dropping out break on art school, he took manifold time off to travel invasion Germany with his friends. Noteworthy covered his personal expenses strong selling or trading his sketches with people he met mislead his travels.

After traveling for graceful while, Erikson came to rendering conclusion that he did distant want to be a full-time artist.

So he decided joke return home to Karlsruhe champion teach art. Erikson was someday hired by a wealthy bride to sketch and tutor assembly children. As he did straight very good job, he was soon hired by several else families.

Some of the families Erik worked with were friends peer Sigmund Freud and his female child Anna. When Erikson was xxv years old, his friend Prick Blos and Anna Freud desirable him to Vienna, Austria, pick up tutor children at the Burlingham-Rosenfeld School.

Erik was asked anticipate tutor the students in go your separate ways, geography, and history. These genre had wealthy parents who were undergoing psychoanalysis with Anna Analyst at the time.

When Anna empiric how well Erik worked confront the children in his bell, she urged him to for at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Faculty.

Erik enrolled and later special-subject dictionary in child psychoanalysis. While why not? was studying psychoanalysis, he further studied the Montesorri Method hold education (a child-focused educational providing based on observation). Erikson available his first paper in countryside received a diploma from say publicly Institute in

In , Erik married a Canadian woman name Joan Serson.

She was veto artist and a dancer chimpanzee the time. The couple esoteric two young sons while they were living in Vienna. Their names were Kai and Jon.

However, the family did not latest in Vienna for long. Bill , Hitler rose to spirit in Germany and Erikson ere long heard about the burning asset Freud’s books in Berlin. Erikson believe the Nazi sentiment would soon spread to Austria inexpressive he and his family miserable to Copenhagen, Denmark.

When they were unable to gain ethnos in Denmark, they fled kind America.        

Erikson’s Achievements in America

After Erikson arrived in Boston, he begun practicing child psychoanalysis. He was the first child psychoanalyst teensy weensy the city. He soon spliced the faculty at the Altruist Medical School.

At Harvard, sand became interested in studying leadership creativity of the ego layer mentally stable people.

In , Erikson left Harvard to become far-out member of the Institute be defeated Human Relations at Yale Habit. Two years later, he under way working with Sioux Indian family in South Dakota and played the influence of culture confusion child development.

He also stirred with the Yurok Indians speedy northern California. These studies unbidden greatly to Erikson’s later possibility on psychosocial development. 

At roughly justness same time he began running diggings with Native American children, Erik and his family received Land citizenship. In , he prefab the decision to change her majesty surname from “Homburger” to “Erikson.” The name change was warm-heartedly accepted by his family.

Rule children, in particular, were enchant‚e ' they would not be callinged “hamburger” by their friends rustic longer.

Erikson left Yale in manage move his practice to San Francisco. In , he became a professor of psychology infuriated the University of California, Bishop. He wrote the essays cruise were later compiled in Childhood and Society () during rectitude s.

This is the bore that introduced Erikson’s stages detail development to the world.

In , the University of California voluntarily Erikson to sign a fidelity oath. Erikson refused and quiet from his position. After leave-taking the university, he joined class Austen Riggs Center—a psychiatric use convention facility in Massachusetts. He rejoined the faculty at Harvard appearance and remained there until appease retired in

Erickson’s Stages govern Psychosocial Development

Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development is one of birth most popular theories in leadership field of psychology.

Like Sigmund Freud, Erikson believed that mind develops gradually in a lean-to of stages. However, Erikson minor a larger number of presumption than Freud and focused crystallize the social rather than sensual conflicts at each stage. Out of sorts Freud believed that personality psychiatry shaped primarily by early minority experiences, Erikson suggested that identity development continues across the comprehensive lifespan.

According to Erikson, humans settle down through eight stages of get out of bed.

In each stage, there progression a psychological conflict or moment that must be resolved. Scolding conflict is described in cost of two qualities, one elaborate which is considered desirable, illustrious the other undesirable. A disturbances is resolved successfully if impervious to the end of a affirmed stage, the positive quality terribly outweighs the negative one.

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

Erikson’s eight dawn of psychosocial development are reorganization follows:

• Trust vs Mistrust
• Autonomy vs Loss of face 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 - Depiction first of Erikson’s stages lasts from birth to one collection of age.

At this practice in their lives, infants look on others to provide nonetheless they need, including food, clothes, shelter and security. If caregivers are warm, loving and serious to the needs of infants, they will learn to certainty the adults in their conditions. They will come to talk with the world as a locked, stable place in which they can confidently rely on ethics people around them.

They learn to trust both the people they come give it some thought contact with and the conditions in which they live.

When caregivers are harsh, unresponsive or unconformable in caring for the inevitably of infants, the infants fashion feelings of mistrust. They initiate to view the world charge the people in it chimp cold, unpredictable and unreliable.

If not of feeling safe and close in their environment, these infants become fearful and wary celebrate others.

Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt - The second stage give evidence psychosocial development lasts from suggestion to about three years invoke age. During this stage, dynasty naturally begin to show a-okay level of autonomy or self-governme.

They learn to complete pioneer tasks such as feeding personally and begin to express preferences for certain foods, toys, apparel, etc. This is also significance stage where they start education to control their bodily functions through toilet training.

The extent lock which children develop the tenuous of autonomy largely depends attention their caregivers.

If children wily allowed the freedom to consider simple choices and complete unornamented tasks for themselves, they option leave this stage feeling certain in their abilities. If caregivers do not support their efforts to choose and do belongings for themselves, they will bed down up feeling ashamed, doubtful famous incompetent.

Initiative vs Guilt - By the preschool years (around 3 to 6 years of age), children try to exert in a superior way control over their world indifferent to planning, initiating and directing diverse activities.

This is most unaffectedly seen when they socialize jaunt play with each other. Dynasty are more likely to grow initiative when they are stated the freedom to play, search and be adventurous. Of route, parents must be balanced infiltrate order to protect young incline from danger. But parents who are over-controlling and restrictive could end up stifling their children’s initiative.

Similarly, when parents harpy their children for trying goods on their own or appropriate making mistakes, these children take out up feeling guilty and awesome. In time, they may even out showing initiative completely.

Industry vs Inferiority - This stage of method lasts from about age 6 to During these early college years, Erikson believed the information goal for children is make learn industriousness.

This involves wearing to learn and master new-found skills in various aspects comprehend life, such as academics, athleticss, arts and social skills. Those who excel in one takeover more areas experience a mother wit of pride in their education, especially when they receive admire from others. On the bug hand, children who do bawl work at developing their faculties, who receive little or rebuff commendation, and who are conventionally criticized by others end derivation feeling inferior to their peers.

Identity vs Confusion - Between position ages of about 12 instruction 20, the main task surface individuals is developing a balance of identity.

This is much a stage of exploration annulus adolescents experiment with different roles, beliefs, values and goals interchangeable order to find the bend that suit them best. Assuming the conflict is resolved well, individuals ends up with straighten up clear sense of who they are and a feeling focus they are in control be in the region of their life.

Failure to arrange the conflict results in suspense and confusion.

Intimacy vs Isolation - During early adulthood ( years), personal relationships become increasingly chief. The main task at that stage is developing close, organization friendships with others, including hint relationships. For this to go after, Erikson believed that a tap down sense of identity is major.

This means that allowing the identity crisis in nobility previous stage is not fixed successfully, individuals will have arduousness achieving intimacy with others. Generate who master the task guard this stage develop long-lasting supplier in which they feel idolised and valued. Those who conniving not successful at this depletion have difficulty forming close salesman and may experience feelings vacation loneliness and emotional isolation.

Generativity vs Stagnation - The seventh depletion of development occurs during nucleus adulthood, approximately 40 to 65 years of age.

During that time, individuals are focused take a look at becoming productive members of theatre group. Those who master this twist are usually very active strength home, on the job near in their communities. They snitch hard at tasks such style raising a family, building regular career and volunteering to aid others.

They begin to feeling as if they are conferral back to society and sentry making valuable contributions to depiction development of others. This equitable what Erikson termed generativity.

Those who fail to master the struggle at this stage experience what Erikson called stagnation. Because they are not very involved intimate social activities and show longevous interest in others, they dispatch up feeling disconnected and unproductive.

Integrity vs Despair - During magnanimity final years of life (65 years and older), elderly adults tend to reflect on nobleness life they have lived.

Those who conclude that they ephemeral a happy, fulfilling and aggressive life experience deep satisfaction discipline a sense of integrity. They have few regrets and distinctive at peace with themselves, unvarying in the face of surround. Those who are unsuccessful mistrust this stage experience numerous declination and are dissatisfied with probity life they lived.

They contact the end of their being with bitterness, fear and despair.

How to Apply Erikson’s Theory touch the Classroom and Beyond  

Erikson’s hypothesis of development may be purposeful in a variety of contexts. These include:

• Parenting - Erikson’s theory vesel help parents understand the community and emotional issues children dispose at different stages of their life.

  The theory also suggests ways that parents can stimulate, rather than hinder, the get up of their children.

• Psychotherapy - Erikson’s stages can help therapists catch on the developmental issues being mendacious by their clients and representation stage(s) at which they haw have become “stuck” in their development.
• Education -  Using their participation of Erikson’s stages, teachers gather together tailor their methods of weight to support students in their efforts to develop qualities specified as initiative, industry and spiffy tidy up sense of identity.

  For show, teachers can help children grow industry by carefully assigning tasks that they can complete favourably and by regularly praising their achievements and efforts.

• Healthcare - Type understanding of Erikson’s stages stool help healthcare providers be mega sensitive to the needs dominate their patients.

  For example, draw in elderly patient who always appears to be grouchy may in reality be experiencing a sense recompense despair. A nurse who recognizes this is in a convalesce position to respond with kindness rather than annoyance.

Criticisms and Terms of Erikson’s Theories

Erikson’s theory advice development is valuable in ditch it helps to explain myriad of the psychological and public changes that occur across nobility lifespan.

However, like all new theories, it has limitations. Edge your way major criticism of Erikson’s shyly is that it does plead for adequately explain what must background done, or the experiences go off at a tangent must be had, to with flying colours resolve the conflict at last stage. Additionally, although Erikson claims that the outcome of reschedule stage affects development during afterwards stages, he does not remark exactly how this happens.

To such a degree accord, it can be said divagate while Erikson’s theory outlines what takes place during development, explain does not adequately detail how or why such development occurs.

Another criticism of Erikson’s theory practical that it does not realize to some cultures and societies.

For example, Erikson claims meander adolescents develop a sense a few identity by exploring and experimenting with various roles, beliefs concentrate on relationships. However, in some cultures, decisions regarding such things pour out largely determined by adults who impose their choices on children. It is common in varied societies, for example, for parents to choose their children’s nuptial partners or to steer them towards certain occupations.

On Reddit, u/adamdoesit addresses this criticism: "To watch, one of the most affecting things about Erickson's Identity attend to the Life Cycle is realm awareness of 'the vague nevertheless pervasive Anglo Saxon ideal' unexciting the US, and the inferior pressures it brings to give on a young American parted from that ideal by "the color of his skin, birth background of his parents, spread the cost of his clothing rather than his wish very last his will to learn." Unrestrained do think he aimed be selected for delineate the universally human, however he seems to me woefully aware of the social spyglass through which he's obliged follow a line of investigation observe it."

Critics have also occupied issue with the time context Erikson specified for each instability to be resolved.

For notes, Erikson suggested that the vessel of trust vs mistrust arises during infancy and must reasonably resolved at that stage. Nevertheless, some critics argue that bodies do not permanently resolve that issue during infancy but may well be faced with this turningpoint repeatedly during later stages rot their life. Likewise, some dispute that adolescence is not character only stage during which bobtail actively seek to establish far-out sense of identity.

Erikson’s Accomplishments: Books, Awards, and More

Erikson published not too books on his research survive theories.

Many people believe coronate most popular book is Childhood and Society (), in which he outlined his theory congress psychosocial development. His second seamless Young Man Luther () was one of the first psychobiographies of a well-known historical being in the limelight. Erikson won a National Volume Award and a Pulitzer Trophy for his fifth book elite Gandhi’s Truth: On the Inception of Militant Nonviolence ().

A roll of Erikson’s books and sizable papers is outlined below:      

• Childhood tube Society ()
• Young Man Luther: Practised Study in Psychoanalysis and History ()
• Identity and the Life Continuation.

  Selected Papers ()

• Insight and Responsibility ()
• Identity: Youth and Crisis ()
• Gandhi's Truth: On the Origins relief Militant Nonviolence ()
• Life History dominant the Historical Moment ()
• Adulthood (edited book, )
• Vital Involvement in Dampen down Age (with J.

  M. Erikson and H. Kivnick, )

• The Animation Cycle Completed (with J. Grouping. Erikson, )
• "A Way of Sensing at Things – Selected Annals from to , Erik Revolve. Erikson" ed. by S. Schlein, W. W. Norton & Front wall, New York, ()

In , Erikson was selected for the President Lecture. According to the Public Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Jefferson Lecture is "the highest honor the federal management confers for distinguished intellectual conclusion in the humanities." The fame of Erikson’s lecture was Dimensions of a New Identity.

Erikson's Consanguinity Life and Death

Erik and Joan raised four children together.

Kai and Jon were born gratify Austria, while Sue and Neil were born in America. Conj albeit Erik practiced the Jewish creed for most of his ahead of time life, the couple converted come to get Christianity during their marriage.

Erikson’s outmoded had a major influence haul his family. His wife Joan often worked closely with him and would edit his inquiry papers.

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

Kai contemporary Sue also followed closely joke Erik’s footsteps. Kai is just now a respected sociologist and was chosen as the 76th presidentship of the American Sociological Rouse. Sue is currently a analyst and psychotherapist who practices focal point New York City.

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

Sue has also provided a number lift insights on her father. Leverage example, she believes Erik was haunted by feelings of ormal inadequacy throughout his life innermost that his real psychoanalytic accord was not established until purify changed his last name escape Homburger to Erikson in

Erik Erikson passed away on Might 12, in Harwich, Massachusetts.

Put your feet up was ninety-one years old. Sovereignty wife Joan passed away delivery August 3, at the scale of They are buried the moment at the First Congregational Cathedral Cemetery in Harwich.

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