The impacts of Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development from infancy to late adulthood through an example

摘要

In this essay, I have researched Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development andudwhat examples he exemplified in his explanation of life cycles through the eight stages1. Toudprove his psychosocial development theory clearly, I examined my cousin, Burcu’suddevelopment from infancy to young adulthood. Throughout the essay, my main purpose is touddetermine the question; how can we observe Erikson’s life cycles and its effects on ourudexample? As I won’t be able to witness her old ages, I do not have chance to interpret herudpsychosocial development according to Erikson’s last stages. The reason of choosingudErikson’s theory as an extended essay subject is that I have a deep interest of the things thatudgive shape to human character and since I have begun to search psychosocial development, Iudbelieve that a person can easily be affected by his past while shaping his future. In myudopinion, Erikson’s theory is quite interesting in a way of reflecting the development ofudhuman’s as I have clearly witnessed it through my cousin. The most crucial thing that I’veuddeduced from Erikson’s theory is that if a person can solve the crisis he meets during theudcycles, that person will reach the psychosocial maturity. If a person is successful in hisudachieving, he will easily overcome the problems which may appear in the future. Erikson’sudmain aim was to maintain a series of crisis from infancy to late adulthood, showing reasonsudwhich affect one’s ego identity. Erikson claimed that each crisis became crucial at its ownudstage but each arises in a less obvious form throughout life. In a nutshell, when I was writingudthis essay, I was deeply influenced by his sayings and started to delve into the subject in orderudto verify his theory.