Reflection on Erik Erikson’s Theory
Learning about Erik Erikson’s theory on Psychosocial Development, helped me
understand myself more and why I am the way that I am today. But aside from that, it also made
me see how my parents failed to raise me in important aspects or stages in my life, that led to
me not developing the essential skills needed for a strong sense of self. It made me understand
how complex being a parent is, and how hard it is to raise a child in the right way or best way
possible.
I don’t blame my parents for raising me in the ways they have. It may not be the best,
and most of their practices were harmful for my psychosocial development, but I believe they
just did what they thought were right at that moment. Maybe they weren’t informed on how to
properly deal with a child’s emotional, and psychosocial development. I don’t blame them. But
we have to understand that although misinformation is common, it is not something we should
tolerate, especially as nurses who help the mothers and families in the childbearing and child
rearing process. We have to provide strong patient education regarding this theory of Erik
Erikson, so that other parents can help raise their children in the right and best possible way.
Erikson’s theory of Psychosocial Development has eight (8) stages. It includes Infancy,
Early childhood, Preschool, School age, Adolescence, Young adulthood, Middle adulthood, and
Maturity. During these stages, there are certain conflicts that serves as a turning point in
development. These conflicts revolve around either developing a psychological quality, or failing
to develop that quality.
The first conflict is Trust vs Mistrust. This occurs between birth and first 1year of age and
this is the most fundamental. An infant is completely dependent, therefore establishing trust
depends on the caregiver’s ability to care and provide for the child. Everything the child needs to
survive, including food, love, warmth, safety, and nurturing, depends entirely on the adult
caretakers. If they failed to give this to the child, or these needs are not consistently met, then
mistrust, suspicion, and anxiety may develop. In this case, infant will not have confidence in the
world around them or in their abilities to influence events.
During the stage where Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt, children should be given a little
sense of independence. Parents who are too strict and do not let their children have their own
choices such as food choices, toy preferences, and clothing selection, would make the children
feel that they do not have a say in life. They will be left with a sense of inadequacy and self-
doubt.
The initiative vs guilt conflict, occurs during the preschool years. Children here, wants to
assert power and power over the environment. I wasn’t someone who was allowed to play
outside with friends because I have asthma. This hampered my interpersonal skills as a child,
and the only way I could learn more about the world is to keep asking questions—which is
common for every child. However, adults never took my questions seriously and they often
ignored me or got mad at me for asking a lot of questions. This made me have feelings of guilt
for being a nuisance, and it affects me until now that I am already in my Young Adulthood.
In the Industry vs Inferiority conflict, the youngster now feels the urge to impress others
by exhibiting particular skills that are seen favorably by society, and they start to feel proud of
their achievements. It is important that parents and teachers encourage a child in order for the
child to develop their skills and competencies. Always comparing a child to another child, may
lead to the child feeling like their achievements do not matter because it is not as much as the
other people you are comparing them to. They will always be doubting their abilities and may
develop a sense of inferiority to everyone because of this. It is a harmful parenting trait that is
very common in Filipinos.
During the 5th stage, which is Identity vs Confusion, teens here need to develop a sense
of self and personal identity. Ego identity is the conscious sense of self that we develop through
social interaction and becomes a central focus during the identity versus confusion stage of
psychosocial development. Our ego identity constantly changes due to new experiences and
information we acquire in our daily interactions with others. As we have new experiences, we
also take on challenges that can help or hinder the development of identity.
Intimacy vs Isolation centers on young adults’ need to form intimate, loving relationships
with other people. Success leads to strong relationships, while failure results in loneliness and
isolation. This stage covers the period of early adulthood when people are exploring personal
relationships.
In Generativity vs stagnation, people in their middle years often feel the desire to mentor
others or make changes that will be good for others, as well as to develop or nurture something
that will outlast them. By raising our children, working hard, and participating in neighborhood
events and organizations, we contribute back to society. We gain a sense of inclusion in the
larger scheme of things through generativity. Success produces a sense of purpose and
accomplishment, whereas failure produces a meager sense of engagement with the outside
world.
Ego integrity versus despair is the eighth and final stage of Erik Erikson’s stage theory of
psychosocial development. This stage begins at approximately age 65 and ends at death. As we grow
older (65+ yrs) and become seniour citizens, we tend to slow down our productivity and explore
life as a retired person. We become dissatisfied with life and experience despair, which
frequently results in sadness and hopelessness, if we perceive our lives as being unproductive,
experience guilt over the past, or believe that we did not achieve our life goals. Success in this
phase will result in wisdom as a virtue. A person can look back on their life with a sense of
completion and closure when they are wise, and they can also accept death without dread.
At the end of the day, there are no perfect parents and there is no perfect family. What
we can do however, is prepare ourselves and equip ourselves with knowledge and skills to raise
the next generation properly. And as nurses, we hold the greatest responsibility to help families
accomplish that.
