Developmental Psychology Erickson\'s Stages of Psychological Development

Developmental Psychology

Erickson's stages of psychological development as cited in Crain (2011) have garnered much scholarly discourse as they outline the many phases individuals go through as they mature from birth to old age. In Erickson's view, there are eight stages to development and his theory maintains that a person moves through these stages as a part of negotiating between the sociocultural and biological forces every individual must contend with (Allen & Marotz, 2003). According to Erickson, it is not necessary to master each stage before moving to the next one (Bee & Boyd, 2009). Following is an examination of an individual this writer selected. The stages of development will be discussed from birth to adolescent as it relates to the stages of psychosocial development.

Prenatal Development

Andre is the product of his parents Joseph and Lisa. They were married at the time of his conception. Joseph is 5'10 and approximately 180 at the time of Andre's birth. Lisa is a petite 5'4. Joseph is a construction worker and Lisa is a homemaker. Both parents graduated from high school but neither pursued a college education. Joseph has secured certificates to further along his construction career. Although Lisa is a homemaker, she considers herself a type A personality and is very extroverted. Her personality traits are manifested in her community and social environment. Joseph considers himself a Type B personality. Although he works with crews doing construction, he tends to keep to himself; cordial but does not share much of who he is with his coworkers. The same holds true for social situations. Both parents are physically fit with no known health or mental health issues. Both are close to their extended families and spend a great deal of time with them. Joseph is musically inclined and plays the piano. Lisa is very focused on her physical presentation and engages in a number of physical activities, including 4 days of exercise to keep herself in shape. When asked, Lisa indicated that she has a family history of diabetes on her maternal side and that is one of the reasons she is so focused on maintaining her health.

As Lisa has always been concerned about her health, she was very careful during her pregnancy with Andre. She focused on eating right, continued to exercise and kept as much stress out of her life as possible. Lisa was 26 when she became pregnant with Andre and Joseph was 29. Lisa did not drink or smoke during pregnancy and did not allow anyone to smoke around her. She received prenatal care throughout from the moment she found out she was pregnant via a home pregnancy test. When Lisa found out they were pregnant, both she and Joseph read everything they could about how to birth a healthy baby and to bring a baby into the world.

In accordance with Ericksons' first stage of psychosocial development (Erikson, 1959; 1968), the focus for Lisa and Joseph was Andre's basic needs. Lisa felt a strong sense of bonding during the pregnancy and wanted to continue with the attachment process immediately after birth so she chose to breastfeed. Joseph was involved from the very beginning; as much as he could be. He would also be present when Lisa nursed and when she would express milk, he would feed Andre from the bottle. Both parents wanted Andre to feel he could count on and trust them from the beginning (Gross, 1987). Andre reached the developmental milestones at the 90th % in height and weight. He rolled over, sat up, and began to babble on time. According to Piaget's sensorimotor stage of cognitive development, earmarked as the first stage in the development of cognition, Andre began to exhibit coordinated experiences via hearing and seeing with motor activity (Tuckman & Monetti, 2010; Santrock, 2008).

Andre seemed capable of differentiating emotions rather early on. He would ask 'why is this or that person' crying mommy, when he was very young. As he moved into the purpose stage of psychosocial development as outlined by Erikson, he became increasingly more autonomous according to his parents. He was self-directed and took initiative to undertake tasks he was interested in. There were times when he demonstrated frustration, particularly when he was unable to master something right away but he stayed focused and most often accomplished what he set out to (Gross, 1987).

Middle and Late Childhood

The competence stage, earmarked by industry vs. inferiority (latency 5-12) denotes when children become more cognitively aware of who they are as a person. They attempt to demonstrate responsibility and strive to be good and do the right thing. According to Allen and Marotz (2003), at this stage of development children begin to cognitively understand the concepts of time and space and being to think more logically as well as practically. According to Andre's parents, he did not struggle in this area. He always demonstrated a willingness to be right and to please them by making good grades and not getting into trouble. If he would get the sense that his parents were disappointed, it would appear to weigh heavily on him and he would take extra steps to improve the situation. His parents indicate that Andre demonstrated his independence by initiating homework without prodding from them, completing his chores, and cleaning his room without being asked. He also developed friendships with peer cohorts and children in the neighborhood. Because of the families' religious convictions, Andre understood that the only kind of relationship he could have with girls would be a platonic one because dating is strictly prohibited at such a young age. Regardless, Andre seemed much more interested in excelling in school, music, and sports. Girls were the last thing on his mind.