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 primarilyS'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...…What aspects of Eriksons theory are most important for educators to understand? Why?

One key aspect of Eriksons theory that educators should seek to understand relates to how a child learns to do things and what influences their correct performance of certain tasks. Thus, educators should further enhance their understanding of Eriksons theory with regard to the latency stage (industry vs. inferiority). In essence, educators should be aware of the fact that it is at this point that children develop self-confidence as well as competence. Thus, failure at this stage could have a negative impact on the ability of the child to try out new things and embrace new ideas and concepts which are all crucial for learning to occur going forward.

4. What aspects of Eriksons theory are most important for parents to understand? Why?

One aspect of Eriksons theory that parents ought to understand relates to development of a childs independence. This is more so the case given that when encouraged and nurtured, independence could stir inquisitiveness and promote a sense of inquisitiveness. Failure at this point could, thus, have a negative impact on the childs ability to take action and pursue meaningful exploits going forward. The stage of development of relevance at this point happens to be the locomotor stage (initiative vs. guilt). It is important to note that available literature indicates that when children are encouraged at this stage, they are likely to follow their interests (Sprouts, 2017). However, when they are discouraged, they are likely to develop guilt (Sprouts, 2017). Thus, parents could encourage exploration (under close guidance and supervision).