Erikson's Contributions To Personality Development

2.1.2 Erik Erikson
Erikson’s two major contributions to psychodynamic thought include a reassessment of the ego and expanding of the developmental stages theory. He is credited for being the pioneer of ego psychology that emphasizes the role of ego as being more than a servant of the id. Erikson suggests that human development and personality are positively driven by the ego. The ego’s main job was to build and maintain a sense of identity. A person with a strong identity will lead a good life while those who have weaker ego will face an identity crisis. He also believed that social relationships are the most important factor in personality development.

Erikson expanded Freud’s idea of the ego and labelled later stages of development and he actually adds to them. Each stage builds upon the successful completion of the previous stages and mastering a stage is not necessarily required to move on to the next stage. But if you do have challenges in each of these stages that are not completed, those can manifest themselves as problems during later stages. How we resolve each crises determines the direction our personality development will take. Each stage characterized by two different ways to resolve; adaptive and maladaptive. He suggests eight psychological stages of development (Erik Erikson, n.d.);
a)

The most fundamental stage of life that reflects the baby’s inner perception of trustworthiness. Failure to develop trust will result in feeling of fear.

b) Autonomy vs shame – Developed during early childhood. Children beginning to to learn independence in doing basic task with the facilitation of parents. Discouragement will lead to doubt in their own