Freud, Piaget, and Erikson: Theories of Human Development

Introduction to Psychoanalytic Theory and Developmental Psychology

Psychoanalytic theory has made it possible for society to gain a more complex understanding of human behavior and of the concepts that influence individuals in wanting to perform particular acts. Some of the most notable psychoanalysts devised a series of theories meant to assist the social order in understanding stages of development and the effect that those stages have on people as they grow. Psychoanalytic theory was one of the principal concepts fueling the world of psychology during the twentieth century, and this is reflected by the vast number of theories created with regard to it.

Individuals like Freud, Erikson, and Maslow became actively involved in improving the domain and are largely responsible for the way contemporary society understands people. By focusing on the concept of development, these individuals managed to comprehend the exact phases that humans experience as they mature.

Freud is the most influential individual in psychoanalysis and he collaborated with some of the biggest names in the field throughout his life. Even so, his rigidity with regard to his own theories made it difficult — and at times nearly impossible — for other scholars in the domain to cooperate with him. While the psychoanalytic theory of Freud and the cognitive theory of Piaget probably represent the most widely known stage theories in developmental psychology, and are reviewed and discussed in virtually all texts on child development (Sugarman 77), people should also attend to psychoanalysts who have received comparatively less attention. Piaget and Freud mostly focused on the pre-adult years of a person's life, which makes it difficult to address the complete concept of developmental psychology from their perspective alone. Despite their hesitation to produce sufficient theories concerning adult years, it is essential to be acquainted with their thinking when considering the field.

Freud's Personality Structures and Psychoanalytic Framework

Freud largely considered that human behavior is governed by instinctual, unconscious, and irrational forces within the individual (Sugarman 77). From his perspective, the human being is an egoist organism that governs itself in accordance with internal and external influences. Freud also considered the libido to be one of the most important factors inducing particular psychological states in individuals. The Austrian psychoanalyst dedicated the largest part of his career to refining his perception of the human mind and its development.

He proposed three personality structures as being responsible for the various attitudes that individuals employ throughout their lives. The id is present in the individual from the moment of birth, is entirely unconscious, and contains all instincts — the sexual instinct being the most dominant. The ego typically emerges between the ages of two and five; it is more rational and influences the individual to acknowledge the outside world and the efforts required to satisfy internal drives while living in accordance with the constraints imposed by external reality. The superego is responsible for triggering the need for perfection and begins to influence the individual around the age of six or seven, as the child starts adopting parental and cultural values and mores (Sugarman 78).

From Freud's perspective, these three structures occur successively and constantly influence people in trying to find a middle ground that allows them to feel satisfied with themselves. While later psychologists considered that Freud was partly correct in his assumptions, he also received significant criticism for his work, given that it put forward revolutionary ideas (Sugarman 80).

Humanist Critiques and Piaget's Cognitive Development Stages

Although Freud's ideas have been appreciated by a worldwide audience, some scholars believed he was mistaken in certain respects. Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, for example, believed that Freud erred when he claimed that individuals are ruled by unconscious forces. The two were instead interested in psychological needs for love, self-esteem, belonging, self-expression, creativity, and spirituality (Coon & Mitterer 25). Humanist psychologists generally believe that everyone has potential and that it would be wrong to attribute particular traits to an individual simply because he or she experienced extraordinary events throughout life.

Jean Piaget is also recognized for his extensive work in the field of developmental psychology. He promoted the view that cognitive development is composed of four stages, the last of which begins when the individual is approximately eleven years old. The first stage spans the person's first two years of life and concerns the use of sensory and motor abilities. The second stage begins when the child starts to comprehend internal representations of objects (Sugarman 81) and develops the ability to use symbols — for example, mental images of objects — and, as language develops, verbal representations of objects and events (Sugarman 81).

Piaget's third stage of cognitive development begins when the individual is approximately six years old and lasts until he or she reaches the age of eleven or twelve. The person now learns the rules of conservation, decentration, and seriation (Sugarman 81). Children are capable of rational thinking at this stage, though their thinking tends to remain quite concrete and rigid.

The final stage in Piaget's stages of cognitive development is the formal operational stage. It is believed to begin somewhere between the ages of eleven and sixteen and enables individuals to gain a more complex understanding of the world. Children become less rigid, begin to comprehend abstract thought, and learn to associate it with logical reasoning.

Conclusion

Through studying cognitive development, one can understand the steps that he or she needs to experience throughout life, and the respective individual is more likely to succeed in overcoming issues that may arise at certain moments. The contributions of Freud, Piaget, and Erikson together form a rich framework for understanding how human beings grow, adapt, and find meaning across the entire lifespan.