Social Development Stage Activity Erik Erikson

Erik Erikson Social Development Stage Activity ( points)

Erik Erikson\\\'s Psychosocial Stages Activity

Each of the situations below represents a negative outcome of one of Erik Erikson\\\'s Psychosocial Stages.  Determine which psychosocial stage resulted in the problems/issues they are currently facing. (1 point each=8)

1) Jason is a student who moved to Saint Cloud this summer from another state. He has recently been referred to the school psychologist because of concerns about both his academic performance and school behavior. A review of his school records shows that Jason repeated kindergarten and third grade. His elementary school grades were primarily S\\\'s (\\\"Satisfactory\\\") and N\\\'s (\\\"Needs Improvement\\\"). His current teachers state that they are unsure of Jason\\\'s academic skills because he typically does not turn in assignments and appears to \\\"clown around\\\" and not take exams and assignments seriously.

 Stage: Latency stage (industry vs. inferiority)

2) Brenda is a 5th-year undergraduate student at the College of Saint Benedict. She began her post-secondary education at CSB as a nursing major, but decided she wanted to pursue a career in special education, so she transferred to Saint Cloud State University. After a year at SCSU, she discovered that special education was not for her, so she transferred back to CSB where she registered for courses in the Social Science-Secondary Education sequence. She is now a Liberal Studies major, and will graduate in May. Brenda has thought about applying to law schools, but recently decided she really didn\\\'t want a career in law. At this point, she has no firm career plans. Rather, she had decided to work as a server for at least a year, and after that, who knows?

 Stage: Adolescence stage (identity vs. role confusion)

3) Carrie is a woman who is currently being seen for counseling at the community mental health center. Her second marriage recently ended in divorce, and she has sought counseling so that she might get her life \\\"back on track.\\\" Carrie married for the first time at age 18, but she and her husband grew increasingly apart and found they had little in common, other than their two children. She remarried shortly after her first divorce as she felt \\\"empty\\\" being alone and thought both she and her children needed a man in the house, but that marriage also proved unsuccessful. She is now thinking of attending college, and is trying to figure out what to do \\\"with the rest of her life.\\\" She is frustrated by her feelings of isolation.

 Stage: Young adulthood stage (intimacy vs. isolation)

4) Eric\\\'s kindergarten teacher is very concerned about him. He is hesitant to get involved in group activities, and though he seems bright verbally, he tells his teacher he \\\"can\\\'t\\\" do the work and will not start assignments unless the teacher is there to help and reassure him. Additionally, he always waits for the teacher to help him put on his coat and boots, even though she has encouraged him to do so himself.

 Stage: Muscular-anal stage (autonomy vs. doubt and shame)

5) Anna is currently enrolled in the \\\"Special Needs Program for Children with Severe and Profound Developmental Delays.\\\" She is four years old and has been diagnosed as suffering from a \\\"Pervasive Developmental Disorder.\\\" Her behavior is often \\\"autistic-like\\\" as she avoids eye contact, makes repetitive hand movements, and her speech is often echolalic. (repetitious) A review of her developmental history shows that her development was apparently \\\"normal\\\" for the first six months of her life. It was at that time Anna\\\'s mother developed severe depression and spent a year in a mental institution. During that year, Anna was left in the care of an aunt, who reportedly abused her both physically and psychologically. It was after her mother was released from the hospital that Anna was first seen at the mental health center and diagnosed as developmentally delayed.

 Stage: Oral-sensory stage (trust vs. mistrust)

6) Joe is a college junior with a mediocre academic record. Though he is very intelligent, his teachers often describe him as lacking in initiative and creativity. He does well in lecture classes, but is hesitant to participate in group discussions and has difficulty coming up with ideas for independent learning projects. He is hesitant to take chances and try new things, though he often would like to try them.

 Stage: Locomotor stage (initiative vs. guilt)

7) Karl is a widower who lives in a senior-citizens apartment complex. Though he is reasonably healthy, both physically and mentally, Karl rarely gets out and typically does not take part in activities offered through the local senior citizens center. Rather, he mostly sits at home and broods. He rarely interacts with his neighbors in the apartment complex, and even his children and grandchildren avoid visiting him because all he does is complain about how bad his life has been.

 Stage: Late adulthood stage (integrity vs. despair)

8) John is a divorced man whose ex-wife has custody of their three children. Though John has visitation rights, he rarely exercises them. Even when the family lived together, he was only minimally involved with his children as he was always \\\"too busy.\\\" His job often required long hours and extended travel, but even when he was not working, John found little time for his kids. However, he always seemed to find the time for golf outings, poker night, and hunting and fishing trips with his buddies.  

Stage: Middle adulthood stage: (generativity vs. self-absorption)

1. Give an example of each of Erikson’s stages through your own life experiences.

Oral-sensory stage (trust vs. mistrust): My mum and dad cared for me and showered me with affection. I specifically developed close attachment to my mother whom I trusted immensely.

Muscular-anal stage (autonomy vs. shame/doubt): Learning to walk was both an exciting and scary experience. With the support and encouragement of my parents, I eventually learnt to do it by myself.

Locomotor (initiative vs. guilt): As a child, I was especially intrigued by nature. I liked ‘discovering’ and ‘cataloging’ new insects and their characteristics, i.e. color. I would capture and note all the unique aspects of an insect I came across.

Latency (industry vs. inferiority): I learnt to be attentive in class from early on. I was always keen on pleasing my teachers. For this reason, I was an above average learner throughout the elementary school stage.

Adolescence (identity vs. role confusion): It was at this stage that I noticed that I was always interested in the wellbeing of other persons – to the extent of putting the interests of loved ones before my own. I came to the realization that I derived great satisfaction and joy from seeing other persons happy. This may have set the stage for my choice of career.

Young adulthood (intimacy vs. isolation): At age 21, I started dating. This was the first experience of intimacy beyond familial and close friendship bonds.

Middle adulthood (generativity vs. stagnation): At this point, I will likely be more interested in passing on the knowledge I have acquired through my various life experiences to younger persons. This is more so the case in relation to enabling them better handle their emotions and perhaps embrace a stoic mindset.

Late adulthood (ego integrity vs. despair): I hope to be proud of my achievements in life at this stage. It is also my hope that I will have raised successful and responsible children.

2. Which of Erikson’s eight stages seems most important in terms of social/emotional development? Why?

In terms of social/emotional development, the Erikson’s stage that appears most relevant is the oral-sensory stage (trust vs. mistrust). At this stage, “the child develops a feeling of trust in his or her caregivers” (e-text – Introduction to Psychology). Thus, how the child relates with its caregivers at this point influences the nature of future relationships with others, i.e. with regard to the extent to which they trust others.